Last year, the Harvard football team needed to beat Dartmouth, the 1996 Ivy League champion, on the road. At stake was sole possession of first place and, for Harvard, the psychological assurance that it was a legitimate contender.

Harvard pushed any lingering doubts aside and effectively ended the Big Green's repeat hopes that day by winning 24-0.

One year later, Dartmouth (2-4, 1-2 Ivy) seeks a measure of revenge.

Harvard (3-3, 2-1 Ivy) travels up to Hanover, N.H., tomorrow again in a tie for first place. Harvard can lose to Dartmouth and still repeat, but it probably could not be sole champions.

The Crimson finally has gathered some momentum this year. Its dramatic 23-22 victory over Princeton (3-3, 2-1 Ivy) last week extended Harvard's win streak to three games, mirroring its three game losing streak to start the season.

"Everything seems to be coming together more," sophomore wideout Josh Wilske said. "We had opportunities earlier in the year, but could not make plays. We are starting to click."

Dartmouth has moved in the other direction. After two seasons at or near the top of the Ivy League, the Big Green has struggled so far, dropping a tough 14-11 loss last week to Cornell. Placekicker Alex Csizinszky missed a 28-yard field goal wide left with a minute remaining.

Past performance may not be an accurate predictor here. Dartmouth still has a veteran team and regards Harvard as a top rival; after all, this is the teams' 102nd meeting.

"We are always impressed with how Dartmouth plays us," Menick said. "They always step up their play against Harvard."

Probably the crucial aspect of last week's win was the revival of junior quarterback Rich Linden. Linden rebounded from his second-half benching against Holy Cross to throw for 186 yards on 15-for-28 and two touchdowns, by far his best performance of the season.

Most encouragingly, he was able to distribute the ball among all his receivers, including two touchdowns to previously underutilized junior tight end Chris Eitzmann.

"[Linden] has been working hard all season," said Wilske, who had a career high 88 receiving yards and his first touchdown last week. "He has just kept confidence in himself, and it paid off."

Linden will need to continue his strong play from last week. The Dartmouth defense places a premium on pressuring the offense. It frequently attacks the ball with seven men up front and blitzes heavily.

This leaves the wide receivers with man-to-man coverage, which other teams have been able to exploit for 194 passing yards per game. Despite its coverage scheme, Dartmouth's secondary still managed four interceptions last week.

The Crimson offense looked sharp overall last week with no turnovers or offensive penalties. Linden can build even more confidence if he takes advantage of the man coverage.