WORCESTER--Senior quarterback Brad Wilford first staked his claim to the starting job last season against Holy Cross, guiding the Harvard football team to a 20-14 come-from-behind overtime win.

Wilford and his teammates might have been forced to play sudden death again if Crusader wide receiver Steve Green had been able to get a foot in bounds.

Instead, Harvard (2-0, 1-0 Ivy) managed to weather a last minute Crusader drive when Green was ruled out in the end zone, giving the Crimson a 25-17 win Saturday over Holy Cross (1-2, 1-0 Patriot) at Fitton Field in front of 11,248. Wilford cemented his role as the team's top quarterback, passing for 202 yards as he brought his squad back from a 14-3 deficit.

"It was another great game between Holy Cross and Harvard," Holy Cross Coach Dan Allen said. "These teams have a nice rivalry. Of course, we would have liked to be able to have scored that final touchdown."

When senior placekicker Mike Giampaolo missed a 45-yard field goal well short with the wind at his back with just 2:16 remaining in the game, it seemed of little consequence as Holy Cross took over at its own 28 with no timeouts.

On third-and-6, sophomore wide Michael Coleman broke a tackle on an apparent four-yard pass for a gain of 12, and the Crusaders had new life.

A nice screen pass and a nine-yard gain brought the ball deep into Crimson territory. Quarterback Ryan Collar found Green along the left sideline at the 9-yard line with 32 seconds left.

The coverage was airtight on the first two downs. Collar had to throw the ball away on first down but couldn't elude the rush on second and was sacked for a seven-yard loss.

As the clock ran down, Collar was noticeably confused as he seemed to call for a timeout he didn't have. Allen straightened him out, and Collar spiked the ball, setting up the final play.