CARL MORRIS (19) had nine catches Saturday, but even he was not immune from dropping balls.

If the increasingly ominous weather wasn’t enough to portend the Harvard football team’s eventual fate in a heartbreaking 17-14 loss to Northeastern on Saturday, perhaps the Crimson’s play in the first quarter was.

For a team that boasts a powerful offense as the forte of its attack, Harvard (3-2, 2-0 Ivy) looked anything but impressive during the first 15 minutes of play as it punted the ball away on all five of its possessions.

The Crimson amassed just 21 yards of total offense in the opening period, and continued that dismal lack of execution for the remaining three quarters, culminating in the Crimson’s lowest scoring output since the 2000 season.

The loss, Harvard’s second in three weeks, also snapped an eight-game home winning steak.

With just 20 seconds left in the game and down by only three, the Crimson coughed up the ball when it mattered the most. Facing a third-and-3 on Northeastern’s seven-yard line, senior running back Rodney Thomas fumbled the ball on a weak-side option and thereby crushed all hopes of a thrilling comeback.

“We had it set up just like we wanted to,” said Harvard coach Tim Murphy. “We had the right look from the defense. We just didn’t execute the play.”

Crimson sophomore quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who replaced senior Neil Rose in the second quarter, started the promising last drive with just over two minutes left in the fourth. He converted on two crucial fourth-down plays, one to junior back Rodney Byrnes and the other to senior wide receiver Carl Morris.

However, much like the rest of the game, the final drive featured sloppy play, as the Crimson dropped three balls. It dropped a total of 10 passes for the game—an uncharacteristic statistic for a team that normally values ball security.

“To put it in perspective,” Murphy said, “in the ’97 [Ivy championship] season, we dropped one ball in 10 games.”

Despite the general trend of dire play, Harvard did post some impressive sequences and consistent efforts.

Fitzpatrick led the Crimson passing game with 155 yards and two touchdowns after spelling Rose, who completed just 6-of-19 attempts for 54 yards in his first start since Sept. 28 at Brown.

Fitzpatrick was also the leading rusher for Harvard with 87 yards.

Byrnes and Thomas combined for 80 yards while splitting time at back, as they replaced Harvard’s usual starter, senior Nick Palazzo, who was nursing a shoulder injury.

After falling behind 10-0 early in the second quarter, Fitzpatrick orchestrated a 78-yard drive that ended with a short touchdown pass to junior tight end Adam Jenkins.

After Northeastern (6-1) responded with a field goal, Harvard had a chance to tie the game, but senior Anders Blewett’s kick soared wide right as time expired in the first half.