I was hoping he wouldn't say it.

Maybe the ball wasn't really so close to his hands. Maybe there was a defender between him and Colgate's end zone that I couldn't see from the press box.

Maybe--just maybe--there was a reason he dropped a potential game-winning interception late in the fourth quarter.

Late in Saturday's game, as Colgate quarterback Ryan Vena was leading his offense on the drive that would eventually win last Saturday's game against Harvard, he threw an unusually errant pass.

Maybe it was tipped at the line. In any case, there wasn't a Colgate receiver in sight--there was only Harvard linebacker Jeff Svicarovich. And there was nothing but open field between him and victory.

So I caught up with Jeff this week and asked him what happened. The sun unusually bright? The grass a little too slippery?

He laughed.

"I was dropping back in coverage, so I didn't see the ball well," he said. "Before I knew it, it was in my hands. I can't believe I dropped it."