Balestracci returned from an ankle injury to lead the team with 10 tackles and block a field goal to spearhead a defensive effort that kept Cornell off the scoreboard for most of the day.

The offense had an easy time with the Big Red as well on its way to racking up 512 total yards. Rose picked apart the Cornell secondary and finished with 292 yards on 15-of-24 passing and a touchdown. Morris caught seven balls for 157 yards and sophomore tight end Matt Fratto hauled in a scoring strike to lead the Crimson receiving corps.

Staph also returned from an injury to pick up 101 yards and a touchdown rushing, and Palazzo scored twice and managed 66 yards on only 11 carries.

Much-maligned sophomore kicker Robbie Wright missed two field goals and an extra point and lost his placekicking duties to junior Anders Blewett.

Harvard 28, Princeton 26

In a scene eerily reminiscent of Harvard’s close losses last season, this year’s Crimson had to watch nervously as Princeton’s Taylor Northrup’s 49-yard field goal sailed wide left in the closing seconds giving Harvard a 28-26 victory.

The Crimson offense played by far its sloppiest football of the season in the first half, committing three costly turnovers after turning the ball over only twice in the first four games of the season.

Rose threw his first two interceptions of the year, which set up two Princeton scores, and senior receiver Sam Taylor lost a fumble at the Tigers’ one-yard line in the closing seconds of the half as the Crimson entered the locker room trailing 20-14.

Despite suffering a shoulder injury late in the first half, Rose returned after the break and scored on a three-yard touchdown plunge to put the Crimson up 21-20.

Rose reinjured his shoulder on the touchdown run and was replaced by freshman Ryan Fitzpatrick, who calmly led the Crimson down the field and hit Morris with a seven-yard touchdown pass to make the score, 28-20, early in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers responded on a 27-yard scoring run by Cameron Atkinson, but senior cornerback Willie Alford broke up a pass on the two-point conversion attempt to keep Harvard in front by two.

The Crimson offense couldn’t run out the clock, but Princeton couldn’t take advantage of its final possession as Northrup, an NFL prospect, misfired after nailing two long field goals earlier in the game.

Harvard 31, Dartmouth 21