And since I'm feeling the placekicking love and want to atone for my prior label of Anders "Oh no, he" Blewitt, I'll take back what I wrote and try to put a more positive spin on it. How about Anders "I'm sure he's a great guy, so it's ok that he occasionally" Blewitt?

Anyway, mild kidding aside, it is a promising bonus that Harvard can now count on some production from its kicking game and not be an exclusively "four down" team. If the games against Penn or Yale end up being close, I have faith that the placekickers will be able to contribute to the team's offensive efforts and provide the decisive edge.

So, what's the verdict for the final two weeks of the 2000 season? Well, things are looking good for the Crimson. With an offense that is more potent than any in recent memory, a defense that has substantially ratcheted up its level of play and a kicking team which is gaining confidence, Harvard certainly has the tools to walk away with the Ivy hardware.

Although the toughest competition is yet to come, I think that our team will continue to impress and play as well, if not better, than it has in the last few weeks. This team has been through adversity and it has withstood the growing pains of a young roster. The Crimson is for real, and is ready to prove the preseason pollsters and pundits wrong.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they get a piece of the [Ivy] title, or win it outright," Columbia Coach Ray Tellier said.

The signs all point to it. The last time the Crimson defense was dominant enough to shutout an opponent was in 1997. Remember what happened that year?

Neil Rose has thrown for over 2,000 yards this season. Only two other Harvard quarterbacks have ever done that--Tom Yohe '89 in 1987 and Rich Linden '00 in 1997. Remember what happened in 1987 and 1997? It may be brash, but it seems the writing is on the wall.

You read it here first: Harvard Crimson, 2000 Ivy League Champions.