Smashing Records: Football frightens Dartmouth 63-21

November 04, 1999

SEARCH THE GAZETTE

HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Tailback Chris Menick '00 rushes for some of his 120 yards against Dartmouth, breaking Harvard's all-time rushing record set by Eion Hu '97. Menick also scored four touchdowns as the Crimson racked up their biggest point total ever in an Ivy League game, beating the Big Green 63-21. Photo by Jon Chase.

It's a battle for a share of first place in the Ivy League as Harvard football visits Brown on Saturday, Nov. 6. Both schools are 3-1 in the circuit and currently occupy the top spot with Cornell and Yale, who square off this week in Ithaca.

Harvard put on its most impressive offensive display in modern history last week versus Dartmouth, defeating the Big Green, 63-21, while breaking or equaling 12 school and/or Ivy records. Brown emerged victorious in its final non-League test of the season, topping Fordham, 37-18.

For the Crimson, seniors Chris Menick and Terence Patterson became the school's all-time leading rusher and pass receiver, respectively. Menick, who ran for 120 yards and scored four TDs against Dartmouth, now has 3,173 rushing yards. Patterson made six catches on the day and has 128 for his career. Meanwhile, senior quarterback Brad Wilford completed 26 of 34 passes for three TDs and a school-record 398 yards to earn Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors.

This week's game poses some intriguing match-ups. Brown QB James Perry is the Ivy League's all-time passing leader (8,328 yards) and has a top target in Stephen Campbell, who is first nationally in receptions per game (8.71). Not surprisingly, Brown has the Ivies' top passing game (331.1 ypg), while Harvard has the League's top-rated pass defense (104.5 rating). The Crimson also boasts the League's top ground attack (202.1 ypg), while the Bears rank second in rush defense.

This is the 99th meeting between the schools, making it the eighth most-played rivalry in 1-AA history. Harvard holds a 69-27-2 lead, but Brown has had the best of it as of late. The Bears were victorious last season, 27-6, and have taken five of the last six meetings. Harvard's most recent win came in 1997, 27-10.