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Paradise Almost Lost

With only one receiver in the game and the offense aligned in a short-yardage set, Menick carried twice for nine yards. Wilford then ran a quarterback sneak for three yards to give Harvard its crucial first down.

"I walked over to the offensive line before last series," Murphy said. "I told them that Fordham knows we're going to run, and we have to do it anyway. It was a good effort by the o-line"

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Needing only one more first down to clinch the game, the Crimson once again put the ball in Menick's hands. But after a seven-yard carry on first down, Menick was stopped for a three-yard loss, putting Harvard in a third-and-6 situation. Fordham used its final timeout to stop the clock at 1:55.

Wilford then took the snap and, surprisingly, dropped back to pass. Under pressure, Wilford rolled right and threw a dangerous pass across his body to tight end captain Chris Eitzman. Eitzman made the grab but was stopped just shy of the first down.

Georgia had one last chance to tie the game with 1:05 left at Fordham's 21. Georgia found McDermott 14 yards downfield to move the chains. McDermott then made a diving 19-yard catch at the Harvard 46. Senior receiver Robert Davis then made a five-yard grab but stayed in bounds, forcing Georgia to spike the ball with 17 seconds left on the clock.

But on the next play, Georgia overshot his intended receiver, and senior safety Ben Green raced under the ball to intercept it at the 18. Wilford took a knee to end the game--finally.

The second half starkly contrasted the first, when Harvard could do no wrong. It moved the ball up and down the field with ease, overpowering a much less talented Fordham squad and scoring on its first three possessions.

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