"An all-out, major league play," Harvard defensive coordinator George Clemens said of the stop.

But Wilkinson says it was a play that he won't always remember. In fact, the Quincy House resident says he doesn't even remember it now. "I was getting the defense lined up," he explained, "and I don't remember whether it was me who made the hit or not."

A couple of great plays do not a great game make, however.

"Those big plays are the ones that anybody's grandmother could see," said Clemens. "Wilkinson played an extremely solid game throughout."

Specifically, he shook Lion linemen, played superbly on past coverage, and shut down the corners that Harvard had to control to contain the suprisingly competent Columbia offense.

Wilkinson, however, is quick to share the credit for his defensive success. "Any big plays are the product of the defense working together," he says. "I happen to be the one getting the attention."

And though Saturday's exploits of junior fullback Robert Santiago and the past wonders of Azelby still overshadow those of the newest Crimson star, Wilkinson doesn't feel shortchanged.

"When somebody like Santiago runs 65 yards down the sideline, people are going to stand up and yell. Ballcarriers are going to be the center of attention," he says.

Until Saturday, Wilkinson was certainly not even close to the center of attention; in fact, he wasn't even a proven entity. Although he won a varsity letter last year, the Mount Vernon, Ohio native saw significant action in only two games.

So were his exploits against Columbia a suprise to him? Not really.

"Our defense is designed to keep the linebacker free," he says. "The defense as a whole did the job."

But no one did the job quite like Brent Wilkinson.