Aside from the four turnover it created against Lehigh, the Harvard defense has had its trouble forcing opponents into mistakes. In Harvard’s three other games, it has managed only three takeaways. The team led the nation in turnover margin last year.

“Stripping the ball is something we work on in practice every day,” Armstrong said. “Two years ago, it wasn’t as big a focus of our team.”

While Harvard has given up its share of yards this season, the defense has usually come through in the clutch. The Crimson is a perfect five-for-five in defending two-point conversions. And up only two in the fourth quarter against Brown, Harvard made the necessary plays to shut down the Bears’ potent attack.

For the first time all season, the Crimson defense appeared to gel in the second half of last week’s game. After a first half which saw the Big Red put up 17 points, the defense clamped down. Harvard allowed only one significant second-half drive, and essentially shut down the Big Red’s passing attack.

“The second half against Cornell we really set in,” Balestracci said. “You’d like to gel a lot sooner than the fourth game, though.”

With only six games left in the season, Harvard has very little time for its next wave of defensive superstars to emerge.

“When it’s all said and done, that pass-rusher, that productive blitzer, that cover corner will emerge,” Murphy said. “Will they emerge to the degree they did last year? Probably not.”

Unfortunately for Harvard, this weekend brings in No. 14 Northeastern. Featuring one of the most dominant rushing attacks in the nation, the Huskies figure to put up big numbers on the ground.

“We’ll be tested physically in this game, as we much as we will be all year,” Murphy said. “From a physical standpoint, size, speed, toughness, this is the best football team on both sides of the ball that we will play all year.”

—Staff writer Samuel C. Roddenberry can be reached at scrodden@fas.harvard.edu