“I was surprised, in one respect, how well they did both,” Murphy said. “Not that they could run and throw but that they could do it so effortlessly. We just—for whatever reason—I mean it was like on air.”

DiGiacomo’s unexpected precision left the secondary unexpectedly shaken, but a different strategy would not have rendered him any less accurate a passer. He would still have found his targets and his offensive line couldn’t have been under any less pressure. But the yards after catch surrendered because of the defensive backfield’s posture left Harvard reeling.

DiGiacomo completed just three of five passes in the first quarter but amassed 141 yards, though he would finish the contest 18 for 33 with 313 yards.

Schreck, an undersized and unknown speedster who abused his coverage all afternoon, racked up 122 yards in the first quarter alone—on just two catches—en route to a daily total of 253.

His one-handed 39-yard over-the-shoulder sideline grab after the Crimson’s three-and-out left Brown knocking on the door again, before Hartigan simply broke it down.

Forgoing the play action that had staked them to a two-touchdown lead, the Bears repeatedly rammed Hartigan between the tackles. On Brown’s third drive, he accounted for 21 yards on six carries, including a scoring rush with 4:45 remaining in the first quarter. By halftime, he’d racked up 129 yards.

“We didn’t tackle worth a damn in the first half,” Murphy said. “Hartigan just kept falling forward and forward.”

But after 31 first-half points, the Bears’ offense suddenly shifted away from the effective playcalling that had baffled the Crimson. Hartigan continued to run the ball, but the play fakes dwindled. Brown tried to score, but tried harder to manage the clock. DiGiacomo’s magical touch faded when he remained in the pocket on three-step drops.

And when Harvard rallied and the Bears again needed to move the ball, the Crimson was no longer biting on DiGiacomo’s sleight of hand. His passes fell incomplete and Hartigan was rebuffed.

“They had the answers,” Hartigan said. “We were inside the 10 three or four times and couldn’t get it in. They played real good defense….I just didn’t make the plays we needed to win.”

—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.