"We're becoming a very, very solid football team," Murphy said.

After the dismal start, Harvard was now 4-3, 3-1 and in a three-way tie for first with Penn and Princeton.

Traditional nemesis Brown (7-3, 5-2) came to Cambridge the following week, however, and blew out the Crimson, 27-6.

The Bears broke open a 7-6 game by scoring 20 points on 218 yards in the second half while shutting out the Crimson and allowing only 55 yards.

"They just wore us down and made the big plays when they had to on third-and-long and fourth-and-long," Murphy said.

On the first play of the third quarter, a Brown blitzer knocked the ball away from Linden. The Bears' offense went 16 yards for the touchdown and a 13-6 lead.

The damaged title hopes disappeared the following week as Penn (8-2, 6-1) clinched a share of the Ivies with a 41-10 pasting of the Crimson.

Quarterback Matt Rader threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns, and tailback Jim Finn--the last player taken in the 1999 NFL Draft--ran for 106 yards and three scores.

"They beat the hell out of us and deserve to be champions," Murphy said.

With its repeat hopes dashed, the only thing that left to save the season would be a win at home in The Game.

Yale (6-4, 5-2) scored the last nine points to win, 9-7, in an emotionally devastating contest.

Harvard led 7-0 after Linden ran for a score in the third, but with 9:33 left in the fourth, Yale mounted a drive to start its comeback.

The Bulldogs advanced the ball with four completions from quarterback Joe Walland to tight end Brian Scharf for first downs. Walland then finished the drive off with a nine-yard touchdown pass to fullback Derek Bentley.

But senior Joe Weidle flew in from the right side to block the point-after attempt of kicker Mike Murawczyk. With 5:33 left, Harvard held on to a one-point lead.

Junior Damon Jones did not stay in bounds on the kickoff, so Harvard took over at its own 8-yard line. After two Menick plunges, Linden scrambled wide right. In the way was Yale corner Ben Blake. Linden lost the battle, and Harvard lost the war.