Lehigh's 45-13 drubbing of the Harvard football team was so lopsided that it's difficult to gage what the Crimson can learn from this loss.

The Mountain Hawk defense, in addition to being quick, is also one of the best in the nation. Harvard probably can't figure out whether to chalk up its offensive futility to its own mistakes or Lehigh's dominance.

And while the Crimson defense hung tough, Lehigh started with the ball past midfield five times. There's not much a defense can do against a nationally ranked team on a shortened field.

So when Harvard coach Tim Murphy rallies the troops this week before they head off to Princeton and some real Ivy League competition, he won't have much to say: Harvard got beat by a much faster, stronger, and more experienced team.

There are still, however, a few things that can go up on the bulletin board:

Every Penalty Counts: While the Crimson committed only six penalties for 39 yards, several of them hurt big. On the first play of the game, sophomore running back Nick Palazzo broke outside to the left and picked up 21 yards. Of course, one of the reasons he had so much room was because a teammate was holding. In what can only be considered a bad omen, Harvard lost nine yards before it completed a legal play.

Even more important was a seemingly innocuous call in the second quarter. In a first half marked by both teams playing the field-position game, Harvard gained the upper hand when, down 10-6, it pinned Lehigh inside its own 10-yard line. The Mountain Hawks tried to form a drive, but the Crimson defense held tough. On a third-down-and-two from its own 37, Lehigh elected to rush up the middle. Harvard stuffed the play, and was ecstatic. One problem: a lineman had taken a quick step offside, negating the stop and giving Lehigh a first down. The Mountain Hawks ended up scoring after a long drive, killing Harvard's momentum and spirit.

A Football in the Hand is Worth Three on the Ground: Harvard's first-half turnovers, all fumbles, were hardly fumbles at all. The Crimson never really had possession of the ball in the first place. The first "fumble" was actually a mental mistake by wide receiver/ punt returner Carl Morris.