The quarterback starting for Saturday’s season opener against Holy Cross won’t be anyone Harvard fans have seen before—not even in the spring game or running out the clock at the end of a 2004 blowout win.

Harvard coach Tim Murphy said yesterday that sophomore Richard Irvin, a transfer from Tulane, will start for the Crimson against the Crusaders, but added that sophomore Liam O’Hagan would certainly see playing time.

“Both quarterbacks will play,” Murphy said. “It’s a slight nod. I must admit it’s a fluid situation until one guy demonstrates that he can run the offense with consistency.”

The decision is something of a turnaround from earlier in the preseason, when O’Hagan was thought to have an advantage. Though O’Hagan—the No. 3 signal caller last year behind graduated seniors Ryan Fitzpatrick and Garrett Schires—has never thrown a collegiate pass, he has experience with the complex Harvard offense, performing well in the Crimson’s spring game.

He has also practiced with the No. 1 offense more than Irvin during the preseason.

Irvin has had to learn the Crimson’s offensive schemes quickly, but has the benefit of game experience at the Division I-A level.

As a redshirt freshman for the Green Wave, Irvin saw action in every game and made two starts. In his first collegiate start against Texas Christian, he was 22-of-37 for 282 yards and five touchdowns, leading Tulane to a 35-31 win and earning Conference USA offensive player of the week recognition.

Murphy said the numbers from the Crimson’s two preseason scrimmages—against Columbia on Sept. 3 and an intra-squad match on Saturday—gave Irvin “a slight edge.” In those games, Irvin was 41-of-67 for 593 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception.

O’Hagan was 25-of-51 for 268 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

The coaching staff has not yet determined how Saturday’s game will be split up between the two quarterbacks.

“The guy that does the best job moving the team downfield will see more playing time,” Murphy said.

INTRA-SQUAD SCRIMMAGE

With several of Murphy’s top “playmakers” sitting out with minor injuries, the squad was less than crisp at Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage.

Most of last year’s All-Ivy stars were gone by the second quarter, with junior wide receiver Corey Mazza and junior tailback Clifton Dawson yielding their positions to backups.

The result was an inconsistent game that left Murphy grateful that a week remained before the season opener.