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."

Know what Jeff? I forgive you.

Truth is, Jeff Svicarovich is arguably the most underrated player on the Harvard team.

After only three games, he's made his presence known with 39 tackles, five for a loss. He's also had numerous open-field hits that have saved the Crimson from disaster.

All this from a guy that left spring practices wondering if he'd see any action at all this fall.

By his own admission, the Harvard coaches were giving Svicarovich a hard time last spring. They questioned his dedication. They questioned his drive. They questioned the most sacred element of every football player--his heart.

"They didn't know how committed I was to the program," Svicarovich said.

So this summer, he set out to show them exactly how committed he was.

He spent at least two hours in the gym every day. He ate tons of chicken. He stayed away from the late-night party scene in his native Santa Ana, California.

And as a result, Svicarovich reported to fall practice at 230 pounds, 13 pounds heavier than his fall weight last year. That's 13 more pounds of power, 13 more pounds of pure "Gimme the damn ball" muscle.

But Svicarovich was still fourth on the pre-season depth chart. The two-year letterwinner was listed behind projected starter Clint Kollar and two sophomores that had not seen significant playing time last season. The press guide said he would "also see time on special teams."

Hardly encouraging words for a veteran of the Crimson's league-championship 1997 season. Have fun on punt coverage, kid.

"I had a lot of confidence in myself, but I didn't know what was going to happen," he said.

And as it so often happens in this game, the unexpected happened--Kollar twisted his ankle awkwardly in the season opener against Columbia and the coaches pointed a finger in his direction. Before anyone knew it, Svicarovich was in.

He's seen every play since.

"I was going to get time anyway," he assured me, "but that didn't hurt any."

And in just under three games, he's already surpassed his tackle total for all of last season. He's cemented himself as an integral part of one of the Ivy League's best defenses.

Not too bad for a guy that spent the summer fighting for a spot on the team.

When Kollar does come back at full strength, Svicarovich knows that he'll start to see less playing time. Kollar did, after all, notch 50 tackles and five sacks last season.

Svicarovich, however, is quick to snuff out any linebacker controversy created by an over-eager Crimson scribe.

"I imagine we'll rotate him in," he said. "And there's really no controversy."

He's such a nice guy that you sort of have to believe him.

As the team prepares to face a Ricky Rahne-led Cornell passing attack that gained 443 yards in the air last weekend, Svicarovich is preparing just as he would for any other game--he's getting ready to play.

He says that his goal is to stop the Cornell rushing attack.

"If you can stop the run, you can limit what the other team can do," he said.

But they'll be facing a spectacular quarterback for the second week in a row. Last week it was Vena, this week it's Rahne.

"I saw him on film. He looks like a real solid quarterback."

You can say that again, Jeff. Just don't let any interceptions slip through your hands this time.