playbook. Critics might claim that this team is the same team that has been playing all season long, the same team that has collapsed late in the game and the same team that has tortured loyal fans throughout the year.

Saturday's contest against Dartmouth, however, inspired me to realize that this is an entirely new Harvard football team with a new sense of focus and desire. All the pieces have finally fallen into place, and Murphy now has a possible Ivy title in view.

In earlier matches against Colgate, Cornell and Fordham, the Crimson suffered from second-half mental lapses that forced its offense to struggle and its defense to lag. After gaining commanding leads over its opponents, Harvard then committed grievous turnovers and penalties that nullified any hope of validating the hard

work that the players were performing on the field. It seemed as if the Crimson's greatest threat in each of those games was itself.

And at one point in the game against Dartmouth Saturday afternoon, the Crimson seemed destined to suffer from another second-half breakdown. Holding an impressive 35-14 lead at halftime, the Crimson drudged up flashbacks of Fordham as Dartmouth's Tom Reusser picked off an errant Wilford pass at the start of the third quarter, leading to a quick Big Green touchdown.

Last month's Harvard football team would have continued to make careless mental mistakes throughout the second half, but Saturday's team was different.

On the Crimson's next drive,

Wilford, Menick and the talented Harvard receiving corps moved the ball downfield 71 yards, leading to a short 5-yard Wilford pass to fullback Chris Stakich in the end zone. The Big Green never scored again.