For the Crimson, a championship would be their first since 1997, when most of the current seniors played only minor roles as freshmen.

"For us seniors, this is even more exciting than our ivy championship during freshman year because this time we're really contributing to the success," said captain Mike Clare.

Last season, Gavin Hoffman rallied his team back from a late fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Crimson 21-17. On fourth down with two minutes left in the game, Hoffman connected with Brandon Carson on a 50-yard touchdown pass to give the Quakers the victory at Harvard Stadium.

With two of the most explosive offenses in Division I-AA, the buildup to the game Saturday has centered around a matchup between Harvard's junior quarterback Neil Rose and Penn's counterpart in Hoffman.

Rose heads into this game with 2,079 passing yards this season, just 56 yards shy of Tom Yohe's '89 (2,134 yards) single-season school record. By halftime, Rose should have his record.

Meanwhile, Hoffman enters this weekend already holding not only the single-season record for Penn, but also the school's single-game and career passing records, all in less than three seasons.

For the Crimson defensive backfield, its priority will be stopping Hoffman.