NEW HAVEN, Conn.--The scenario was familiar: Harvard's defense had just yielded a morale-crushing score in the final minutes of a closely-contested football game. Yale tailback Kena Heffernan's two-yard dive into the end zone with 1:39 to play in the game seemed a fitting end to a lost Harvard season.

After the ensuing kick-off, which senior Kweli Thompson returned to the Harvard 38-yard line, the Crimson offense embarked on The Drive.

Trailing 21-16, senior quarterback Vin Ferrara--having been benched after throwing an interception early in the third quarter--re-entered the game with 1:34 remaining at Harvard's 38-yard line. On first-and-10, the veteran signal-caller completed a sideline pass to junior tight end Andy Laurence for a gain of 19 yards to the Yale 43-yard line.

With the clock running, Ferrara found senior tight end Adam Golla for five yards on an out pattern. Then, on second-and-five, the Crimson finally got the break it had been looking for all season. Ferrara overthrew junior tailback Eion Hu--the ball tipped off Hu's hands, ricocheted off a Yale defender and into Golla's well-positioned lap.

This "Immaculate Reception" moved the chains to the Yale 15-yard line, where on first down, Ferrara hooked up with senior flanker Mike Halligan for an 11-yard gain to the Yale four, setting up a first-and-goal situation with less than one minute remaining.

Sophomore quarterback Jay Snowden--who had relieved Ferrara mid-way through the third period--replaced the Jess-mobile Ferrara to run the Crimson's goal-line offense.

After Snowden was dropped in the backfield for a three-yard loss on first down, Harvard called its second time-out with 45 seconds to play. On second down and goal from the Yale seven, Snowden plunged over the left side of the offensive line, diving forward to the two-yard line. With 34 ticks remaining on the clock, the Crimson spent its final timeout of the game.

On third down, Harvard again went to the option--Snowden pitched to Hu, who burst into the Yale end zone, powering behind sophomore left tackle Matt Birk and senior left guard Dan Vereb to give the Crimson the go-ahead score and a 22-21 victory at the Yale Bowl.

"I can't explain how happy I am," senior captain Justin Frantz said of his first career win against Yale. "Everyone came up big today. I can't describe the feeling."

If nothing else, the 112th playing of The Game on a rainy, almost surreal Saturday afternoon was a testament to the resiliency, pride and character of the Harvard football team.

The beleaguered Crimson, winless entering the annual finale against the Elis, thrice fought back from second-half deficits en route to perhaps the most emotional win in recent Harvard history. Indeed, Harvard's comeback victory on its final possession was especially significant in light of the tremendous amount of adversity confronting the team.

"You wouldn't believe how every week we'd go through heart-breaking losses and the guys would come back the next day and battle," Ferrara said.

"The bottom line was that our kids refused to lose," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said.

Trailing 9-7, Harvard began the second half with the ball on its own 35-yard line. After a nine-yard pass from Ferrara to sophomore wide-out Colby Skelton, Hu carried the ball 13 yards on second-and-one to the Eli 43-yard line.

Then, on the subsequent first down, Harvard's offensive line opened up a gaping hole, enabling Hu to drive ahead for a 17-yard gain to the Yale 26. Two Ferrara incompletions sand-wiched around a Hu four-yard gain set up a Ryan Korinke 40-yard field goal--only his second of the season. The seven-play drive, 42-yard drive put the Crimson back on top, 10-9, with 12:07 to play in the third quarter.