In The Game of the year, it took the Harvard football team nearly an entire half to return to its most effective offensive weapon—the mobile attack of sophomore quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

And on a cold and blustery Saturday afternoon, the move paid off as the Crimson (7-3, 6-1 Ivy) beat Yale (6-4, 4-3) 20-13 in the 119th playing of The Game before 30,323 fans.

With Fitzpatrick at the helm in place of ineffective captain Neil Rose, the Crimson exploded for 20 uninterrupted points in a span of just 6:43 in the third quarter.

“The third quarter was really the crucial part of the game for us,” said Harvard coach Tim Murphy. “If you’re going to win the Harvard-Yale game you’ve got to capitalize. And we did.”

Even this victory was bittersweet, however, as Penn defeated Cornell Saturday to seize sole possession of the Ivy crown. Harvard had needed the Big Red to upset the Quakers to have a chance at sharing the league title. Instead the Crimson settled for second place.

“We set out to win the championship,” said Harvard senior Carl Morris. “We came up a little short, but we ended on a high note. We beat Yale.”

After an unimpressive first half offensively, the Crimson scored on its first possession of the third quarter. Fed by a steady dose of runs from Fitzpatrick and senior tailback Nick Palazzo, the Crimson mustered a six-play, 29-yard drive, capped off by a four-yard touchdown scamper by Fitzpatrick to pull ahead of the Bulldogs 7-6.

On the day, Fitzpatrick amassed 72 yards on the ground on 18 carries, including two touchdowns.

Yale coach Jack Siedlecki touted the toughness of the Crimson signal caller.

“He’s a big kid running with the football,” Siedlecki said. “Every play he gets that extra yardage. He’s not a tailback, but he ran the ball well enough to keep you honest.”

Fitzpatrick also made his mark through the air, completing 7 of 12 passes for 135 yards.

On perhaps the biggest play of the game, Fitzpatrick made a long distance connection to Morris. The ball sailed out of Fitzpatrick’s hand at Harvard’s own 42 and Morris gained just enough separation from the Yale defender to grab the spiral in stride.

The 50-yard completion advanced Harvard to the eight-yard line. Fitzpatrick finished the 58-yard drive by outracing the Yale defense to the left edge of the end zone on a five-yard sprint.

Senior kicker Anders Blewett followed up with the first missed PAT of his career, putting Harvard ahead by a crooked number.

The Crimson’s third and final score came with 4:19 left in the third quarter.