As the Harvard football team heads to New Haven in search of its first undefeated, untied season in 88 years, the 2001 campaign thus far has been a testament to the remarkable courage, confidence and composure of this year’s Crimson squad.

Thanks to an explosive offense, unmatched ball security and thrilling second-half comebacks, the 2001 Crimson has been able to overcome all the obstacles that it has faced and erase memories of opportunities lost en route to the Ivy League championship.

Over the past few seasons, the team had gained a reputation of not being able to finish off opponents and win the close games after suffering several heartbreaking losses. But this season, the Crimson has put together four second-half comebacks of its own, including the largest in team history against Dartmouth, and proven it can win big games.

Led by senior quarterback Neil Rose and junior wide receiver Carl Morris, the Harvard offense is averaging over 32 points per game and has rewritten many of the team records it set last season.

But perhaps even more impressive than the scoring capabilities of the offense is the fact that it has only turned the ball over seven times this season, fewest in the nation, after committing 36 turnovers last year. Meanwhile, the Crimson defense has created 22 takeaways, ranking the Crimson in the top five in the country in turnover margin as well.

The combination of a productive offense, a solid defense and tremendous poise and character has led the Crimson to the brink of history, and it will face its toughest test of character on Saturday against Yale.

Harvard 27, Brown 20

Senior tailback Josh Staph, making his first start in the Crimson backfield, picked up 152 yards rushing and three touchdowns as Harvard rallied to defeat Brown, 27-20, in its season opener at Harvard Stadium.

After the Bears tied the game at 20 in the fourth quarter, the Crimson used Staph’s hard running and some precision passing by Rose to set up the winning score. Rose found Morris in the corner of the end zone from nine yards out to give the Crimson the 27-20 lead late in the fourth quarter.

The Bears tried to rally in the final seconds, but Crimson senior safety Andy Fried intercepted a Kyle Rowley pass at midfield and sealed the Harvard victory.

Brown failed to take advantage of a huge performance by wideout Chas Gessner, who set a new school record with 226 yards receiving in the game, and was hurt by costly penalties and dropped passes down the stretch.

The Bears took a 17-7 lead early in the third quarter, but the Crimson offense kept its composure, and Staph scored twice on short runs to fuel the comeback.

Rose finished the day with 222 yards in the air with no interceptions, and Morris caught eight passes for 101 yards.

Harvard 38, Lafayette 14

Rose ran for two touchdowns and threw two scoring passes to Morris as the Crimson raced to a 24-0 halftime advantage then coasted to a 38-14 win over non-conference opponent Lafayette.