Lafayette’s first offensive play of the second half was a crossing pattern from quarterback Pat Davis to wideout Joe Ort that went for an 83-yard touchdown after freshman cornerback Andrew Berry lost his footing in the muddy turf.

Two possessions later, after sophomore Steven Williams muffed a punt—his third botched punt in two weeks—Davis once again picked apart the Harvard secondary, completing a 25-yard pass to Shaun Adair to tie the game.

O’Hagan’s third touchdown pass of the day put the Crimson ahead for good. With 3:21 remaining in the third quarter and Harvard at the Lafayette 20, O’Hagan found freshman Alex Breaux alone in the center of the field. Breaux made the reception around the five-yard line, turned, and dove for the endzone. As the ball crossed the goal line it popped loose, but the officials ruled that Breaux maintained possession long enough for the score.

"When I turned upfield I was kind of bracing to get hit," said Breaux, who finished with 89 yards receiving to go along with the touchdown. "That actually ended up not happening so I was surprised."

Each team would add a fourth-quarter field goal and Lafayette made a late two-minute drive into Crimson territory, but on fourth-and-16 from the 28, Davis’ desperation heave was batted down by Williams to preserve the victory.

While the game ended Harvard’s two-game skid and saw the offense make improvements, there were some soft spots for Harvard.

The defense, which held Lafayette to just 43 yards rushing, gave up 326 yards through the air. Davis accounted for 263 of those passing yards after he replaced starter Brad Maurer at the end of the first half.

The Crimson also left points on the board early, as it failed to convert on four shots at a touchdown from within the Lafayette three early in the second quarter. Harvard turned the ball over on downs after O’Hagan was stopped from one yard out on a quarterback keeper.

Regardless, the Crimson will gladly take the win, the winning record, and a chance to feel good about itself for the first time in a while.

Harvard got its first "must-win"—now there are only five more.

—Staff writer David H. Stearns can be reached at stearns@fas.harvard.edu.