The Harvard football team's 20-14 overtime victory last Saturday marked the end of the Crimson's non-Ivy League schedule. It marked the end of games Harvard can lose and still repeat as Ivy champions. And it marked the end of junior Rich Linden's unquestioned tenure as starting quarterback.

Tomorrow, Harvard (2-3, 1-1 Ivy) travels to brand new Princeton Stadium to battle the Ivy-leading Tigers (3-2, 2-0 Ivy). A victory launches the Crimson into the thick of the title hunt.

A loss at Princeton tomorrow would be Harvard's second in the Ivy League and would virtually terminate any title hopes. Only two times has a team with two losses won the Ivy championship, and there was a tie at the top both of those years.

"Everyone is aware that this is a big game," junior tailback Chris Menick said. "Not only is it Harvard-Princeton, but we can knock Princeton out of first place."

Harvard will enter an environment unlike any it encounters except for the Yale game. The Harvard players said they expect a sell-out crowd to greet them at Princeton's new stadium. The crowd should motivate both sides in the game.

"This is it. We are in control of our own destiny," Linden said. "Harvard-Princeton is almost as good as Harvard-Yale."

The biggest question for Harvard this weekend has been at starting quarterback. Despite energizing the Crimson offense by completing 10-of-16 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown in the second half, junior Brad Wilford will probably remain the backup quarterback, according to two offensive players.

Coach Tim Murphy is likely to stay loyal to Linden, who has started since his freshman year. He is only averaging 95.2 passing yards per game this year, however. Linden threw 10 passes in the first half Saturday and completed five for 50 yards before getting replaced.

"We are going to have to throw the ball to win," Linden said. "I am still confident in my ability as a quarterback."

Whoever starts will have to contend with a very aggressive Princeton defense that executes its system well. The Tigers blitz heavily and vary their formations to confuse and overwhelm the offense and have two shutouts this year.

The scheme has resulted in a fearsome pass rush. The Tigers have already recorded 26 sacks this year after recording 29.5 in 1997. Junior defensive end David Ferrara has led the way, bringing down the quarterback 8.5 times.

However, the Tigers also graduated the bulk of their secondary. Because of Princeton's blitz-heavy package, teams have been able to throw the ball effectively if they can avoid the pass rush. Princeton has allowed an average of 260.8 yards per game through the air, including 442 yards in a wild 31-17 win over Brown.

"We know their defense is very good," Linden said. "They know their scheme very well, but we should be ready to go."

If the passing attack stalls, Harvard will be hard pressed to compensate with the run.

The true strength of the Princeton defense lies in its ability to stop the rush. Opposing teams have run for a mere 56.4 yards against the Tigers--second overall in Division I-AA. That translates to just 1.9 yards per carry.