Big Red star quarterback Jeff Mathews didn’t play last week due to injury, and unfortunately there’s no “Cornell Football Blog” to update you on his status while simultaneously making sure you don’t forget that the Big Red finished No. 17 in the country THREE YEARS AGO.
But even if Mathews doesn’t play, Cornell is the better team. Wideout Luke Tasker is a flat-out beast, with 16 more receptions and 342 more receiving yards than anyone in the league. The senior caught 11 passes for 280 yards against Monmouth last weekend, but he’ll face a much tougher task on Saturday against Bears’ All-American cornerback A.J. Cruz, who is probably the best defensive back in the Ancient Eight.
The Big Red desperately needs a win to stay alive in the Ivy title hunt, and backup QB Chris Amrhein showed he could run the show by throwing for 523 yards against the Hawks. I don’t think the Brown offense—shut out last week—can win a shootout, which nearly every Cornell game ends up being, so I’ll take the Big Red.
Pick: Cornell 35, Brown 31
DARTMOUTH AT COLUMBIA
The Lions almost pulled out a big upset at Franklin Field last week. Columbia was up, 20-10, on Penn midway through the fourth quarter before pulling a Chinua Achebe and watching things fall apart for its fourth straight loss.
The Dartmouth football program, meanwhile, continues to grow ever so slowly, which basically makes it the Ancient Eight’s toenail. Halfback Dominick Pierre has looked good replacing graduated star Nick Schweiger, leading the league in yards per carry. Pierre and Dartmouth’s defense, third best in the Ivies, will be enough for a win.
Pick: Dartmouth 24, Columbia 14
HARVARD AT PRINCETON
This could be an early Ivy title game. The Crimson has been absolutely dominant thus far, scoring more points (205) through five games than any Harvard team since Benjamin Harrison was president and its opponents included Exeter, Williams, and the Boston Athletic Association. Quarterback Colton Chapple is a strong frontrunner for Ivy Player of the Year, especially with scientists recently discovering that Tuesday’s earthquake was merely an aftershock of Chapple’s 58-yard touchdown rumble against Bucknell.
But Chapple and the Crimson offense will face its toughest test of the season in Princeton, which has allowed a league-low 11.6 points per game and is coming off a shutout against a Brown squad that scored 31 against Harvard. Senior Mike Catapano has been a terror defensively, registering a league-high seven sacks, and he will pose a major challenge for a beat-up Crimson offensive line.
On the whole, Princeton’s ascension from the bottom of the preseason polls to league contender has been impressive, especially after reigning Ivy Rookie of the Year Chuck Dibilio suffered a stroke in January and was lost for the season. But Harvard is putting together as dominant a year as the Ivy League has been seen in a long time, and on Saturday it will show why it is not only the best team in the Ancient Eight but one of the tops in the entire subdivision.
Lastly, if someone could help me get Jimmy Eat World out of my head, that would be much appreciated.
Pick: Harvard 31, Princeton 17
—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu.