Regardless of who, if anyone, steps up to replace Hu, Murphy's team will be forced to open up its offense and put some pressure on Linden and the receivers.

When Skelton was carried off the field after chugging down the field on a key 45-yard reverse in last season's finale against Yale with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, that pressure became markedly heavier. No more can Skelton run an out pattern with the cavalier attitude of a college player who has never had major knee surgery.

"Colby Skelton may not be 100 percent, but I think for anybody who's ever experienced that kind of catastrophic knee injury and reconstruction, I don't know if you ever are truly 100 percent, " Murphy said. "But he's done as much as any kid can do to get back to the point where he's ready to play. "

Even with Skelton's injury, this year's corps of receivers is one of the deepest and most talented of Murphy's tenure. Quarterback-turned flanker Jared Chupaila has blossomed into a vital compo- nent of the Harvard offense, and with a greater emphasis on the air attack this season, his role should expand even further.

Sophomore wideout Terence Patterson, who finished last season second on the team in yards-per-catch, is a quick receiver who should provide an additional deep threat for the Crimson.

"I think we kind of went on Eion's shoulders for a couple of years, and rightfully so," Skelton said. "But I think we have a great corps of receivers, and older guys too, so we're ready to open it up."

Of course the burden of getting the ball to the receivers will rest squarely on Linden's shoulders. Linden, the first freshman starting quarterback in team history, impressed coaches and teammates with his poise and decision-making ability last season when he started the final six games of the season.

But now such traits will be taken as a given rather than a bonus. The biggest hurdle for the young man taking the snaps for the Crimson may be living up to the expectations that will come unfailingly a year after being labelled a freshman phenom.

"There's definitely a little more pressure on me this year, but it's an 11-man game still, and I'm going to just try to take it one game at a time," Linden said. "We have a veteran group of receivers back, I've made a lot of progress this spring with reads and with decisions and I really understand our offense a lot better than I did in the fall."

If Linden does not continue to blossom into one of the better arms the Ancient Eight has to offer, his season-and no doubt his team's season-will be a disappointment.

The Defense: Defending the Pass

On the defensive side of the ball, Harvard's 1996 season was a tale of two teams. The Crimson was almost impenetrable on the ground, ranking third in the nation in run defense. But since Harvard was so adept at stopping the running game, the team was susceptible to the pass, and several teams were able to exploit that weakness.

This season the challenge for Murphy and his defensive coaching staff will be to make the Crimson a feared total defensive team.

"If we can take that next step as a team that defends the pass as well as the run, and develop a little bit of a killer instinct, then that's the first step in trying to make that transition to a very, very good football team," Murphy said.

Harvard's defense will center around its outstanding senior-laden defensive line. The five-headed monster of captain Brendan Bibro, Jason Hughes and Chris Schaefer at tackle and Second Team All-Ivy selections Tim Fleiszer and Chris Smith at defensive end has been terrorizing opposng runners and quarterbacks for most of Murphy's tenure at the helm.

The defensive line is the cornerstone of Murphy's first recruiting class, which ncludes 17 current seniors in total.