The crowd at Fitton Field in Worcester will be waiting for something spectacular to happen Saturday. And when the fans look for a Crusader miracle, they look to the Cross's star tailback, Gill "The Thrill" Fenerty, to deliver.

Holy Cross Coach Rick Carter has molded his offense around Fenerty and his breakaway speed. The Crusaders run almost twice as often as they pass--and when they run they give the ball to The Thrill.

Fenerty was responsible for 32 percent of Holy Cross's total offense last year, and is expected to register an amazing 50 percent this season.

"He's fast, he has balance, and he has good hands," Carter says.

Number four played a crucial part in last year's Crusader-Crimson showdown. The then-junior ran for 105 yards and scored a touchdown to lead his squad to a 24-14 victory.

Harvard fans were impressed by Fenerty, but his performance in Cambridge was mere child's play compared to a performance Fenerty turned in the year before in Worcester.

On October 29, 1983, Fenerty, a sophomore, who had transferred from Louisiana State University, shocked the football world. He shattered six Holy Cross single-game records, a New England game record, and a NCAA game record, to go along with three New England and three NCAA record ties in a single afternoon.

Fenerty came out fighting and fierce against Columbia. He rushed for 149 yards and scored three touchdowns.

In the first quarter.

He cooled down a bit in the second quarter, rushing for only 55 yards and scoring only one touchdown. Something obviously reinspired him at halftime, because he totally dominated play in the third, picking up 133 yards and notching two more touchdowns.

Although Fenerty was a couple of long gallops short of 400 yards, Carter let his star--and his statisticians--rest in the fourth quarter.

Nonetheless, Fenerty rushed 18 times for a total of 337 yards, averaged 18.7 yards per rush and scored six touchdowns. It was after this particular game with Columbia that the New Orleans, La. native, picked up the nickname "A Touchdown Waiting to Happen".

Although the Columbia game is undoubtedly the highlight of his college football career, Fenerty also had several other career highs in his sophmore year. He had 30 rushes against Connecticut, hauled in four receptions against both Brown and Dartmouth, and had his longest kickoff return, 38 yards, versus the Green. He also had five 100-yd. games, including a 196-yd. effort for his first college start.

Though he suffered a separated shoulder and sat out the last two contests of his sophomore campaign, Fenerty nevertheless established a new Holy Cross single-season rushing record with 1101 yards. He also broke a Cross record by scoring 15 touchdowns.

He was honored by election to the First Team All-New England, and the Third Team All-America teams, and received the Davitt Award as the team's best offensive back.