When Harvard linebacker Joe Azelby took his act from the Ivy League to the NFL this summer, he left behind a gaping, 228-lb hole in the Crimson linebacking corps.

Yet, senior Brent Wilkinson, in his first start for the Crimson gridders Saturday at Columbia, filled that hole with a delicate balance of talent, luck, prayer, teamwork--and guts.

The defensive play that all armchair quarterbacks will remember is the fourth-quarter Wilkinson interception return for a touchdown that turned a precarious Harvard lead into an insurmountable Crimson advantage.

But how will the unassuming Wilkinson remember his visit to paydirt?

"I knelt down, said a prayer, thanked God, and said, 'I'm tired as hell," he said after the game.

The play began to unravel when, with just over 3:20 remaining and Harvard holding a slim 27-21 lead, Crimson lineman Bill Ross--to whom Wilkinson gives much of the credit for the TD--put a fearsome rush on Lion quarterback Henry Santos.

His arm hit by Ross, Santos got off a wobbly, desperate throw intended for All-Ivy tight end Dan Upperco.

Instead, the pass hit, Wilkinson squarely between the numbers.

"It fell right to me," he recalled yesterday, still enjoying the Crimson's 35-21 season-opening victory. And the heat and fatigue that the senior felt would stop him were overcome by a couple of nifty Crimson blocks that paved the way for him to trot into the end zone.

Fight On

Ironically, Wilkinson's first touchdown since his days on the freshman team was probably not even his biggest play of the day.

Perhaps the biggest play of the one-game-old season came with just 19 seconds left in the first half and Columbia threatening to cut the Crimson lead to three points.

With first-and-goal from the four. Santos tried to roll into the end zone. Only thing is, an obstacle named Brent Wilkinson stood in his way.

And when the Lion quarterback made a final leap for the goal line, the 6-ft. 2-in, 203 lb. Harvard linebacker, who had come all the way from the middle of the field to the corner flag--shedding blockers along the way--closed the door.

Santos landed on the one-yard line and, as a result, Harvard ended up with its 17-7 lead still intact at halftime.