Of the two teams competing in Saturday's Bermuda Bowl III at National Stadium, Fordham (3-4-1) may have the better record, but Holy Cross (1-6) have history firmly on their side.

The last time Fordham defeated Holy Cross, Herbert Hoover was in the White House. That was in 1930 and Holy Cross have been a thorn in Fordham's side ever since.

Both squads arrive on the Island tomorrow, with practices scheduled for tomorrow and Friday and the big game taking place on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Joe Moorhead, Fordham's hulking six-foot-six quarterback, wasn't even aware of the extent of his team's ineptitude against Holy Cross during a telephone interview yesterday, but Nick Quartaro, his head coach, shrugged off the dismal record.

"When you look at college-age kids all they know is what they've experienced,'' said Quartaro, a member of the Buffalo Bills after he graduated from university and now in his second season with the Rams. "So when you look at a guy who's a senior in college playing in the game on Saturday he's faced Holy Cross three times, so I think they only understand what they know or have experienced. The rest of it doesn't really factor in too much.'' What looms as a significant factor in Saturday's clash -- the third time a US college football game has been played in Bermuda -- is how well the teams adjust to what will clearly be their most unusual road trip of the year.

Holy Cross, located in Worcester, Massachusetts, won their only game this season on the road, a 27-22 triumph over Harvard. Fordham, with campuses scattered across New York City, have two road wins including a 24-21 victory against Harvard.

Quartaro, affectionately called "Coach Q'' by his players, described the Harvard victory as the most important one of the year.

The Rams overcame a 0-21 deficit and sealed the victory with a dramatic field goal with just six seconds left on the clock. More than anything, it proved to Quartaro how his team won't quit when they're down and it's something he expects Bermuda football fans will witness on Saturday.

"I don't think there's any question that what we did up at Harvard University was the most satisfying moment of the season,'' said Quartaro. "We rallied for 24 straight points and that set the stage for a win the next week at Colgate University, which was also on the road. To get two really good road victories is a sign that our programme is maturing and developing.'' Few could blame Quartaro, 40, for wanting to throw in the towel during his first season at the helm in 1994. The team finished with an 0-11 record, a far cry from the success he grew familiar with as head coach of Drake University and the five years he spent under Dennis Green, currently Minnesota Vikings head coach, at Northwestern.

"Even though last year we were 0-11 we tried to find positive things on a weekly basis that we could kind of pull together and build upon and that kind of carried over to this season,'' said Quartaro. "And I think if you ask our kids they'll let you know that even coming out of last week's tie against University of Richmond we needed to find some positives on which we can build for this week.'' Fordham's stingy defence limited Richmond to only three points "in just the worst possible weather imaginable,'' said Quartaro. Because of the heavy downpour Fordham's players were more than happy to settle for the 3-3 draw.

The weather should be better on Saturday although Quartaro is concerned that the wind might wreak havoc on his gameplan.

Senior quarterback Moorhead anchors an offence known for its wide-open style and he isn't afraid to throw the ball, averaging over 40 tosses a game.

Moorhead, meanwhile, will likely set team records for completions, passing attempts and total yardage on Saturday.

Even though his team might appear to be stronger on paper, Quarataro, suffering from the 'flu, wasn't about to take the Crusaders lightly.

"The key to this game without any question is simply who's going to handle this trip and the possible distractions,'' he said. "I don't mean that as a negative, but just the fact that you're in a different environment and quite honestly the game is going to be played in a setting that's strange to everyone. There's going to be a lot of quirky things in our routine in terms of preparation (tomorrow) and Friday.

"As far as Holy Cross, well, records are often misleading and they've played a very tough schedule. They've been in a couple of very close ones that didn't go their way and they have a little bit of history on their side and confidence in the fact they haven't lost to Fordham. So all that weighs as a positive for Holy Cross.'' TOUGH GUYS -- American football returns to National Stadium for the third successive year when US college teams Fordham and Holy Cross clash on Saturday.