After the first, temporary benching, Linden had three solid games in a row before his costly fumble at the Harvard 15 with the Crimson leading in The Game, 7-6. Of course, Yale went on to win, 9-7, in what Murphy described as the toughest loss of his career.

Linden completed 51 percent of his passes last year for 1,201 yards, but his 3-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio was unacceptable. Nevertheless, he trails only Tom Yohe '89 in career passing yards and is second in career completion percentage and touchdown passes.

I trace Linden's career by the annual Holy Cross game. After all, he made his debut as a starter against the Crusaders in '96, going 12-of-22 for 175 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-25 win. It was a big splash, his entry onto the Harvard football scene.

In '97, the magical year when Harvard scored more points than any other Crimson squad this century, Linden blistered Holy Cross for three touchdown runs, a career-high 272 yards passing and a touchdown pass in a 52-24 pasting that epitomized Harvard's dominance that year. It was Linden--and Harvard football--at its peak.

But last year, the wall of confidence that surrounded Linden fell when he was pulled at the half against (surprise!) Holy Cross.

Wilford patiently bided his time as Linden's backup before getting serious playing time last year. He ended the year having completed 23-of-50 passes for 218 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. His numbers weren't that impressive, but the throws he was able to make definitely were.

Some on the team whispered last year that Wilford should be starting--he certainly has a more powerful arm--but Murphy's loyalty and Linden's ability to make things happen on game day kept that from happening.