"Chuck [Nwokocha] is a kid who we are trying to get on the field," Harvard Coach Tim Murphy said. "When he's out there, he's the fastest guy on the field."

The Crimson dominated almost from the second-half kickoff as senior tailback Chris Menick nearly broke the return for a touchdown. He and fellow senior Troy Jones would find many holes to run through as the offensive line improved on its first-half performance and began to wear down the Crusader defense. Menick would finish the game with 112 yards.

"Our backs ran hard today," Murphy said. "We came out into the second half and just ran the ball real well."

Despite giving up a 39-yard field goal by junior Frank Traupman at 7:26 of the third quarter that narrowed the Harvard lead to 18-17, the defense virtually suffocated Holy Cross for most of the second half. It especially keyed on the run, snuffing the Crusaders' repeated attempts to run the draw by running backs Antonio Thompson and Joe Chambers.

The defense set up Harvard's final touchdown on a fumble recovery at the Holy Cross 12-yard line by senior linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski. Crusader quarterback Ryan Collar attempted a lateral pass to running back James Conrow, but pressure forced the backwards throw to sail through Conrow's hands, and the always-alert Kacyvenski pounced on it.

On first down, Wilford faked an option pitch left, freezing linebacker Patrick Colgan. He stepped right by Colgan and darted into the end zone, expanding Harvard's lead to 25-17.

With the defense playing so well, it seemed that Harvard would cruise to that ultimate final score. The defense kept snuffing the run, limiting Thompson to 27 total yards on the day while his whole team rushed for a mere 61. But Holy Cross, as it did all day, refused to give up.

Down 14-3, the Crimson adjusted its offense, switching the primary target from the wideouts to captain Chris Eitzmann, a tight end.