But Rose -- the most efficient passer in the league this year despite numerous injuries -- tore up the Quaker secondary, completing 18-of-26 passes for 270 yards and three scores. Those numbers closely mirror the Crimson's season average of 251 yards per game.
More importantly, Rose made no mistakes for the second week in a row. He threw no interceptions, and only took one sack against a team that led the league in sacks. Contrast his performance to that of Penn's Gavin Hoffman, who uncharacteristically was sacked four times.
Mistake-free football, of course, is what got Harvard to this point. It has committed the fewest turnovers in I-AA ball this season--seven--and four of those came solely in the Princeton game. Against the Quakers, nobody fumbled or threw a pick, while the Crimson picked up an interception by Willie Alford and a blocked punt by Rodney Thomas.
Of course, the Crimson has been averaging a +2 turnover margin, so everything went according to plan.
"I don't think any team Ive been on has ever done such a great job of protecting the football," Murphy said.
That near-perfect ranking on ball security has frustrated many Ivy coaches.
"When you can play in a game of this magnitude and not turn the ball over once, you give yourself a great opportunity to win the game," Bagnoli said.
And lastly, no one can forget Morris, the biggest Harvard playmaker in years. He not only owns or shares almost every Harvard receiving record in the book, but his big-play ability means the Crimson is never out of a game.
In a year when the Crimson has had to battle back from deficits in three of five Ivy games already, why should Saturday have been any different?
Penn jumped to a 14-0 lead, but Morris made sure Harvard was never out of it. The team, having been in this position before, and often, wasn't worried.
"We definitely knew the offense was going to come through," senior defensive end Marc Laborsky said.
Did they ever. Morris finished with nine catches for 155 yards, breaking some more records, but more importantly, caught two Rose TD passes. His second, an amazing 62-yard slant-and-go route, put Harvard up for good.
"We've had unbelievable playmaking under pressure all year long, and thats what separates good teams from championship teams," Murphy said.
Those playmakers -- Rose, Morris, et al. -- did on Saturday what theyve been doing all year long, and it finally paid off in front of the largest home crowd this year.
"It was the best atmosphere ever," Morris said. "I've never seen a game like this, especially with all the students there cheering and supporting us."
Au contraire, Carl. We have seen games like this. With the Ivy championship in hand and the Game next week, it's just that more people are starting to notice.