Senior NICK PALAZZO started at running back before giving way to freshman Ryan Tyler, who rushed for over 100 yards.

On a day when senior quarterback Neil Rose threw two interceptions and senior wideout Carl Morris was held to less than 100 receiving yards for the first time in 2002, the defense stepped up and led the Harvard football team to a 28-7 victory.

Harvard (6-2, 5-0 Ivy) restricted the Lion offense to just 52 rushing yards, forced two fumbles and reduced Columbia’s passing attack to impotent short-yardage screens.

At perhaps the game’s turning point the Crimson defense rose to the occasion.

Trailing 14-7, Columbia attempted a fake punt. The Harvard defense, however, sniffed out the trickery, as junior cornerback Chris Raftery read the play and tackled Columbia’s punter, Nick Rudd, for a three-yard loss.

“I was expecting something. I saw that the punter immediately took off, and I knew something was up,” Raftery said. “I needed to make sure that he didn’t get outside. After that play I felt the momentum change.”

Harvard coach Tim Murphy agreed, word for word.

“I felt a momentum change,” Murphy said. “I said all along that [Columbia] is obviously a team that has a lot to gain from plays like that and not a lot to lose. I told my kids to expect it.”

Foiling the fake punt not only swung the momentum in Harvard‘s favor, it also gave the Crimson offense outstanding field position. After starting at the Columbia 26-yard line, the Crimson needed just six plays to reach the end zone on an 8-yard toss from Rose to sophomore wideout James Harvey. The score put the Crimson firmly ahead, 21-7.

Playing up to his Buchanan Award hype, junior linebacker Dante Balestracci recorded a game-high 10 tackles and one sack. Early in the second quarter Balestracci recovered a key fumble as Columbia drove deep into Harvard territory.

Despite his outstanding individual performance Balestracci praised the Crimson defense as a whole.

“I thought the defensive line had a great game today,” Balestracci said. “Our intensity was at a very high level.”

While Harvard’s defensive performance was stellar, the unspectacular Crimson offense was not without its bright spots. After senior Nick Pallazo was sidelined early by a recurring shoulder injury, Harvard found its ground game in freshman tailback Ryan Tyler.

With 4:09 to go in the first quarter, Tyler put the Crimson on the board with 5-yard touchdown run tying the score, 7-7. Tyler, who saw his first action last week at Dartmouth, became the first Crimson tailback to rush for over 100 yards this year and the first Harvard freshman to ever perform the feat, by carrying the ball 19 times for 120 total yards.

Murphy was impressed by what he saw from his freshman tailback.

“What you don’t know about freshmen is their work ethic and toughness. This kid [Tyler] is tough,” Murphy said.