For the first time in 35 years, three teams in the Ivy League have raced off to 4-0 starts. The University of Pennsylvania (4-0, 1-0 Ivy), Harvard (4-0, 2-0) and Yale (4-0, 2-0) picked to finish one, two and three in the league by the 2003 Ivy League Football Preseason Media Poll. All three teams won their games this weekend.

Harvard blanked Cornell (1-3, 0-2) on Saturday, while Penn defeated Bucknell for its tenth consecutive victory, extending into last season. The five remaining Ivy League schools all lost over the weekend, dropping their combined records to 4-16.

Harvard 27, Cornell 0

The last time Harvard shut out Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., Grover Cleveland was beginning his second term as President of the United States. But then-ranked No. 24 Harvard updated the record books on Saturday cruising to a 27-0 rout.

Junior quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who scored three touchdowns to bring his season total to 16, paced the Crimson. Fitzpatrick, who rushed for 83 yards on 14 attempts and completed 12 of 17 passes for 165 yards, had more total yards than the entire Cornell offense.

The Crimson broke the game open late in the first quarter, scoring 20 points in under nine minutes. Sophomore running back Ryan Tyler scored Harvard’s first touchdown midway through the first quarter and Fitzpatrick scrambled for a 10-yard touchdown run on the next Crimson possession. Fitzpatrick connected with junior receiver Brian Edwards, who caught seven passes, on Harvard’s next drive for a five-yard touchdown pass, giving the Crimson a 20-0 halftime lead.

Freshman receiver Cory Mazza caught a 64-yard pass down the sidelines in the third quarter to complete the scoring for the Cantabs.

The Big Red turned the ball over three times and gained less than 250 yards in the game.

Penn 14, Bucknell 13

No. 15 Pennsylvania scored at least 30 points in its first three victories. But on Saturday, the Bucknell Bison (3-3), Penn’s only non-ranked non-league opponent, held the Quakers to only two scores and came within a field goal of an upset victory at Franklin Field.

With 14 seconds remaining, Bucknell freshman kicker Ryan Korn, who kicked field goals of 40 and 28 yards earlier in the game, missed a 39-yard potential game-winning field goal.

Penn was without its senior quarterback Mike Mitchell, who suffered a leg injury against Dartmouth last week. Freshman quarterback Pat McDermott, who completed half of his 22 attempts for 136 yards, stepped in for Mitchell.

The game turned on the strength of the running games, as the teams rushed more than twice as often as they passed. Penn sophomore running back Sean Matthews, who gained 105 rushing yards, rushed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass in the first half, contributing to the Quakers’ 14-10 halftime lead. Bucknell running back Daris Wilson, who rushed for 113 yards, scored the lone Bison touchdown.

Korn’s second field goal with less than nine minutes remaining in the game cut the Quaker lead to one, but the Bison were unable to regain the lead they relinquished in the second quarter.

Colgate 30, Princeton 3

The 2003 season has started at two different ends of the spectrum for Colgate and Princeton. The Raiders are 6-0 and Princeton (0-4, 0-1) has yet to find their first win.

The 30-3 rout gave No. 17 Colgate its best start since 1977 but contributed to Princeton’s worst start in the 135 years that the school has been fielding a football team.

Princeton allowed at least 20 unanswered points in each of its first three games and Saturday was no different. Colgate jumped out to a 20-0 first half lead behind quarterback Chris Brown’s touchdown pass to J.B. Gerald and two rushing touchdowns from Jamaal Branch. Branch rushed for 191 yards in the game.

Princeton place kicker Elliot Bishop booted a field goal late in the first half to give Princeton its only points of the game.

Colgate outrushed the Tigers 256 yards to 62 yards and converted three Princeton turnovers into touchdowns. The Tigers, who lost at home to Columbia for the first time since 1945 last week, failed to capitalize on four Raider turnovers.

Lafayette 41, Columbia 27

Columbia (2-2, 0-1) played well for the fourth time this season, but fell short at Lafayette (3-2) in Eaton, Pa.

Despite amassing more than 600 total yards and leading late in the third quarter, the Lions could not hold off Lafayette’s fourth quarter charge. The Leopards scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to secure the 41-27 victory.

Lafayette quarterback Marko Glavic, who completed 25 of 43 passes for 453 yards, threw four touchdown passes in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Glavic put his side over the top receiving for a touchdown on a trick play and then notching a touchdown on the ground.

Junior Columbia quarterback led the Lions to a 24-20 third quarter lead and went on to complete 21 of 35 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns on the day. Three Lions receivers caught at least six passes for more than 90 yards. Senior Columbia running back Ayo Oluwole rushed for 166 yards on 31 carries in the offensive shootout.

Fordham 24, Brown 21

After trailing for the first half, Brown (1-3, 0-1) grabbed the lead in the third quarter before relinquishing the edge for good to No. 25 Fordham (4-2) in the fourth quarter.

The Bears trailed 10-0 after the first quarter and 17-7 at the half but scored two third quarter touchdowns, including sophomore running back Nick Hartigan’s second touchdown run, to grab a 21-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Hartigan rushed for 214 yards on 27 carries.

With 7:33 left in the game, Rams receiver Javarus Dudley, who had returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Fordham quarterback Kevin Eakin, who completed 22 of 33 passes for 255 yards.

Brown gained nearly 150 more yards than Fordham and won the battle for time of possession but turned the ball over four times in the loss.