Captain Chris Eitzmann hung his head, Coach Tim Murphy looked wearied and senior linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski stared ahead, still in shock.

They were all thinking of what Saturday's game, a 21-17 loss to Penn, and the season could have been. Harvard (5-4, 3-3 Ivy) is much better than its record, which will be either 6-4 or 5-5 after the Game. It doesn't take much imagination to see that Crimson could also be 6-0 in the Ivy League heading into its showdown with Yale.

Harvard's defense is fantastic, almost as good as its '97 version. That year, the Crimson allowed only four touchdowns in Ivy games, none of which came on the ground. All but the most masochistic opposing coaches gave up on the run early, and Harvard finished 9-1, 7-0 Ivy.

This year, Harvard's last three opponents have run 77 times for 64 yards. Penn ran the ball 37 times and got only 19 net yards. Part of the reason for Penn's ineffectiveness was that its stud running back, Kris Ryan, left at the beginning of the second quarter--but since he got hurt on a rushing attempt into the heart of the Harvard defense, you have to give the Crimson full credit.

Harvard started nine seniors Saturday--three of its defensive linemen, its three linebackers and three of its defensive backs. They played their hearts out on Senior Day in their last home game, but just when it looked like they would pull out a come-from-behind win, they had their hearts broken.

To get the negative part out of the way, Harvard's pass coverage has been a problem all year. There have been holes in the zone, and the corners play too soft, giving up lots of passes in front of them with five or even 10 yards of cushion. There has also been a lot of bad luck, however.

This weekend, Harvard rallied from a 14-0 deficit and was up 17-14 when it forced Penn into a fourth-and-10 from midfield. Penn quarterback Gavin Hoffman scrambled forward, possibly crossing the line of scrimmage ("From my vantage point, he was over," Murphy said), and heaved the ball to the goal line, where Brandon Carson turned and made the catch for the shocking win.

Carson had stop-and-go'd senior Kane Waller 15 yards downfield and was three yards behind him when Hoffman threw the ball. Waller recovered but had his back turned the whole way and never saw the ball.