Never has the overworked cliche “a tale of two halves” applied so aptly to a Harvard football game as it did Saturday against Dartmouth.

On the wrong end of a 21-0 halftime score and facing the end of its hopes of an undefeated season, the Crimson put together the largest comeback in Harvard history to stun the Big Green, 31-21.

Discounting a 22-point comeback for the infamous 29-29 “win” against Yale in 1968, this rally stands as the most prolific in the storied history of Crimson football.

After Dartmouth took advantage of an interception of Crimson quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to make the score 21-0 with under a minute left before the half, the chances of an undefeated season for Harvard seemed slim to none.

After the break, however, the Crimson needed less than 10 minutes to completely erase the deficit, thanks to three impressive drives that sent a definitive statement to the Big Green.

A touchdown pass from wideout Carl Morris to Sam Taylor, a Crimson recovery of a fumbled kick return and a Fitzpatrick-to-Morris touchdown hookup on three consecutive plays in a span of 17 seconds started the comeback.

Four minutes after Harvard’s first touchdown, junior tailback Nick Palazzo bullied in from one yard out to knot the score at 21.

Kicker Anders Blewett nailed a 30-yard field goal to start the final quarter and put Harvard ahead for good.

Harvard Coach Tim Murphy credited the victory to the team’s commitment and perserverance.

“We not only played with tremendous character in the second half, but we also made a lot of big, poised plays,” Murphy said.

Slow Starts

As the Crimson celebrates the win and a 6-0 start to the season, it’s easy to forget that the game should never have turned out this way against a Dartmouth team that entered the contest at 1-4.

Harvard was outhustled and outmuscled by the feisty Dartmouth squad in the first half. Big Green tailback Michael Gratch spearheaded a rushing attack that pounded the Crimson for 124 yards in the first stanza.

“They completely outplayed us and outcoached us in the first half,” Murphy said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve been far from perfect.”

The Crimson’s latest first-half flop came on the heels of a sloppy first half against Princeton last weekend in which the Crimson committed three costly turnovers and trailed 20-14.