Colgate's offense presents many problems because of its balance. It also gives the defense a huge, if unheralded assist.

It has defeated its opponents by an average of 21points, forcing them to play catch-up early.

This limits their offensive options, especially the rush. Here Colgate has been impressive, allowing only 61 running yards per game thus far this season

Colgate has also been very tough to run on because its defensive scheme places special emphasis on stuffing the rush. The Red Raiders employ a 5-2 defense, using five defensive linemen and two linebackers. They often place eight men in the box, also bringing up their strong safety.

With four of those defensive linemen seniors, Colgate has a very experienced group that knows how to pressure the backfield. Moreover, the team has 15 sacks thus far this season placing a lot of strain on Harvard's inexperienced offensive line.

"The strength of their defense is definitely their defensive line," Murphy said. "But I'm confident that our guys will be able to handle that match-up."

The offensive line, with three starters who played junior varsity last year, has had moderate success so far. It performed very well against Columbia, and had an excellent second half against Holy Cross. However, the Crusaders sacked Wilford six times.