The loss to Lehigh was Harvard's first blowout loss in over two years. The Crimson's previous 8 defeats had come by a total of only 23 points.

"I honestly don't know how [last week's game] will affect the team," Murphy said.

Senior cornerback Mike Brooks believes that the lopsided defeat may help the team in the long run.

"We got put in our place," Brooks said. "It made us realize that this year's going to be tough. We have to approach practice and the game with the mindset that every game is going to be a hard one."

Despite the team's recent struggles, Harvard's offense, which ranks ninth in the country, continues to impress. The Crimson posted 437 total yards against the Mountain Hawks, and Rose has thrown for over three hundred yards for the third time in four games. No other Harvard quarterback has thrown for 300 hundred yards more than twice in his career.

Thus far, the defense against Harvard is to wait for the offense to stop itself. Harvard been extra-charitable to its opponents this season, ranking 117th in 1-AA with a minus-9 turnover margin. The Crimson turned the ball over five times last week--and two of those were returned for scores.

"Each turnover is certainly a different case," Murphy said. "They're difficult to explain. But we've got to do a much better job of ball security. It's as simple as that."