Harvard QB Mike Giardi was on a roll.

In less than two-and-a-half games, Giardi had already thrown for four TD's, matching the Crimson's meager total in 1990.

Until the Crimson signal-caller suffered a slightly-separated right shoulder against Holy Cross, he looked unstoppable. Although he sat out the second half, Giardi remains the Ancient Eight's top-rated passer after three weeks of play with a rating of 147.7. Trailing by more than three points is Princeton's Chad Roghair, who is ranked second in pass efficiency with a rating of 144.6.

Obviously, Giardi's importance to Harvard--offensively and defensively--cannot be understated. Coach Joe Restic tagged his team's post-Giardi performance a "turnaround complete."

Offense

Offensively, the Crimson sustained only one successive drive, putting undue pressure on the defense.

"We couldn't take the pressure off of the defense," Restic said. "[Giardi's absence] was the reason."

So the burning question remains: when will Giardi return to the line-up?

The answer ultimately lies with Giardi. He said that the injury could sideline him for as long as two weeks, which would mean that he would miss the Fordham and Cornell games. Cornell's hard artificial turf, Giardi explained, would make a return against the Big Red on October 19 in Ithaca, N.Y. disadvantageous.

Restic, meanwhile, wore the haggard look of a visibly worried man at the press conference after the Holy Cross game last Saturday.

"Michael will be back Monday if he wants to," Restic said.

That seems a bit optimistic. Giardi's classmate, sophomore David Morgan, in all likelihood will play against Fordham. Morgan, who is widely considered to have the strongest arm on the team, threw for 37 yards and one TD against the Crusaders.

Hold That Tiger

When the football season began, few, if any, predicted much from the Princeton Tigers. The Tigers were given about as much chance of winning the Ivy Crown as, say, the Atlanta Braves were of winning the NL West.

So much for predictions.