Sparked by big defensive plays at crucial moments, the Crimson held on to an early lead to defeat crosstown foe Northeastern 35-20 in front of 6,513 fans at Harvard Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Senior strong safety Andy Fried forced two fumbles that junior linebacker John Perry and sophomore defensive lineman Brendan McCafferty returned for touchdowns of 85 and 19 yards, respectively, to keep Harvard (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) undefeated.

The Crimson is now out to its best start since the 1987 Ivy League championship season, and will look to remain undefeated in its road opener at Cornell on Saturday.

“We were very fortunate,” said Harvard Coach Tim Murphy. “We played very hard and very well, but a lot of the breaks went our way.”

The “breaks” were the difference in a game that could easily have gone the other way. The Husky offense, led by senior tailback L.J. McKansas’ dominating 220-yard rushing effort, racked up more yards and first downs than Harvard.

But big plays by both the defense and special teams kept Northeastern (1-3) and its powerful ground game out of striking distance.

After the Crimson jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead, Northeastern seized the momentum in the third quarter by scoring on consecutive drives. On its ensuing possession, the Harvard offense went three-and-out, and the Huskies were within a score of tying the game.

But with Northeastern facing second and nine from their own 28, a blitzing Fried slipped through the Husky line and drilled junior quarterback Logan Galli. The ball was knocked loose and picked up at the 19-yard line by McCafferty, who rumbled into the endzone for the score.

“It was just a good scheme that enabled me to get into the backfield untouched,” Fried said.

In addition to the two forced fumbles, Fried posted a sack and three tackles for a loss.

With a 35-20 lead going into the final quarter, the defense, which had struggled to stop Northeastern’s ground game all afternoon, keyed on the run to hold McKansas to only four rushing yards in the fourth quarter. Combining Harvard’s defensive scheme with an inept passing attack, the Huskies couldn’t threaten the remainder of the game.

“They were loading up against the run late in the game,” said Northeastern Coach Don Brown. “You’ve got to be able to pass. 93 yards in the throw game is not going to get you anywhere.”

Galli completed just 9-of-23 passes on the afternoon.

Harvard quarterback senior Neil Rose, despite going 12-for-15 for 159 yards in the first half, also struggled at the end of the game, completeing just 1-of-7 passes for one yard after the break. But the Crimson took advantage of strong fourth quarter rushing by junior tailback Nick Palazzo to run out the clock and clinch the victory.

With 6:19 remaining in the ball game, Murphy called 10 consecutive ground plays, eight for Palazzo. Harvard grinded out four first downs on 49 yards to run out the clock.