"The kicking game was not a strength this year," Murphy said. "I think it will be as improved next year as any other area. We have big-skill kids coming back.

"But the specialists have to do a better job. I think it will be improved next year simply because we'll have some competition."

The season was a roller coaster, starting with the very first game at Columbia. Harvard jumped out to a 13-0 halftime lead but was intercepted four times in the second half. The Crimson went on to lose its first regular-season overtime game under the new Division I overtime rules, 20-13.

The team recovered by thrashing Bucknell 30-7 as the defense allowed an infinitesimal -4 yards rushing. Hu had 113 yards and two touchdowns.

But two home losses followed, and the offense sputtered both times. Lafayette beat the Crimson 17-7, then came the 20-13 heartbreaker to Cornell. In that game, Big Red tailback Chad Levitt tallied 139 yards and three touchdowns.

The team then won 28-25 at Holy Cross in Linden's first game as quarterback. He found Skelton for a 46-yard bomb into the wind that proved to be the game-winner.

Harvard whipped Princeton next, as Hu had 127 yards and safety Derek Yankoff returned an interception 63 yards for a touchdown. Even the Dartmouth loss was encouraging, since the Big Green carried a 14-game winning streak into the game.

But Brown came in to town next and handed Harvard a 31-7 thrashing as quarterback Jason McCullough threw three first-half touchdowns and passed for 255 yards on the day.

"That game really hurt because we had some momentum going," Kacyvenski said of the Brown game.

Harvard suffered another close defeat a week later, 17-12 at Penn. The Quakers had 15 more minutes of possession, and running back Jasen Scott torched the Crimson defense for 149 yards.

But all was forgiven as Harvard sent Yale's coach of 32 years, Carm Cozza, into retirement with a loss. Hu had a tremendous final game, and junior Jared Chupaila stepped up after Skelton's injury with eight catches for 100 yards.

Do Harvard's victories over Princeton and Yale signify a general turnaround for Crimson football? Possibly, simply because Harvard does most of its recruiting against those two schools.

Harvard has more talent than it has had in recent seasons. It is losing some great seniors, but the sign of a good program is that it doesn't rebuild, it reloads.

Next year the team needs to start winning close games. If it does, the rebuilding period may be over.