The pass defense is more suspect, having given up more then 1600 yards in the air. But the Crimson's year-long inability to pass effectively should set up an intriguing battle of weaknesses and strengths.
When Harvard has the ball, the best Ivy rushing game will face the strongest running defense and one of the weaker league aerial shows will be matched against a less-than-stingy defensive backfield.
The Eli offense is not so easily categorized.
A cursory glance at the stat sheet would seem to indicate that mirrors are the Yale offense's main weapon. Curtin has had a decent season (54 of 102 for 635 yards) but has been troubled by injuries.
Cyr--who started the year as a cornerback, not a quarterback, on the depth chart--has done an adequate job filling in, but the offense has lacked consistent leadership.
Curtin will start The Game, but according to Cozza, he is "not 100 percent."
None of the Elis' four main ground weapons-Ted Macauley, Rick Koz; Mike Stewart and Steve Kline--have gained more than 400 yards, although the Bulldogs have had to stick to the ground in lieu of an effective passing attac.
Split end Moriarty has been a vital link in several of Yale's come-from-behind efforts, coming up with several key receptions, but the junior has only 11 catches on the year.
The Eli offense is, in sum, without any bona fide scoring threats.
"Its strongest point is that it's back together [after a number of injuries]," says Macauley, Yale's leading rusher.
"I don't know if we have a glaring strength," Cozza says of the offense. "We have balance."
More than balance, the Bulldogs have had that peculiar knack for scoring in the clutch.
"It's hard to say [why]--I had a team like that a few years ago, where they waited until they got behind to start playing," Cozza says.
Yale certainly has gotten behind. But it's hard to deny that the Elis have finally started playing, for whatever reason, and pulling games out in the waning seconds this year.
And as long as his squad keeps doing that, Cozza will have to be content to live in the fast lane