Dartmouth should probably crush Sacred Heart, which has lost three straight. But knowing recent history, the Big Green will probably win on a last-second safety when a moose carries Sacred Heart quarterback Kevin Duke out the back of the end zone.
PICK: Dartmouth 36, Sacred Heart 23.
LAFAYETTE AT HARVARD
Established in 1826, Lafayette College was named after Marquis de Lafayette, who had toured the United States the year before. College officials decided to stick with the French hero’s surname rather than his full one—Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette.
Alternatively, founders could have used Lafayette’s nickname: “The Hero of Two Worlds.” Switch “Worlds” with “Games” and you have an apt description of the Leopards football team. Lafayette has claimed two victories and looked pathetic otherwise. Those two wins, however, have come in the past two weeks, which means that the Leopards visit Harvard with a head of steam.
The Crimson, meanwhile, is reeling from a loss to Cornell that made the defense look more ramshackle than Adams House. Harvard will respond, assuming the team can field 11 players. Last week, injuries sidelined defensive mainstays D.J. Bailey (defensive lineman), Stone Hart (defensive lineman), and Wes Obsbury (cornerback).
This year’s team is better than the record indicates. I believe so firmly. Even so, Saturday marks a serious test.
PICK: Harvard 31, Lafayette 17.
HOLY CROSS AT YALE
Last Saturday, 15 Yale students gathered to protest the deaths of sparrows. The activists held signs that read, “At Yale, the Caged Bird Dies.” The signs might have read, “At Yale, This is What Social Life Looks Like.”
Those 15 firebrands had come to draw attention to postdoctoral associate Christine Lattin. Backed by PETA, the students have accused Lattin of killing over 250 birds over her career.
“A lot of the research that’s being done at Yale is people in white lab coats,” one protester said. “They’re barbarians, in my opinion, masquerading as scientists.”
That same day, The Yale Daily News published an articled called “Locals Teach Chicken Raising.” The piece detailed the efforts of citizens to raise hens on residential properties.
“No matter what is going on,” one citizen said, “you can always count on chickens.” Unless you’re wearing a white lab coat, apparently.
Why do I mention these avian plotlines? Because Yale will take flight Saturday. Bulldogs don’t normally fly, but this program is putting up 470 yards of offense per game.
Saturday will be a day of canine joy. PETA, you may want to watch this one.
PICK: Yale 41, Holy Cross 27.
—Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sam.danello@thecrimson.com.