A loss and poor play overshadowed a momentous occasion.

On a 55-yard run deep into Penn territory early in the first quarter, senior tailback Clifton Dawson broke the Ivy League career rushing record.

The mark was previously held by Cornell graduate Ed Marinaro, who set it back in 1971 at 4,715 yards with just two fewer carries than Dawson.

The back was contained on his first run of the day for only one yard, but on his second carry the back found a hole and stretched a rush into 55 yards by breaking numerous tackles in true Dawson fashion.

The long run set up the offense with a first and goal on the 8-yard line that led to Harvard’s only touchdown on the day.

“I’m just so proud of how [Dawson] has handled his whole situation at Harvard,” Crimson coach Tim Murphy said. “He’s completely reliable, truly and sincerely humble, classy, dignified, and I’m just very happy for him, very proud of him. Not just for today but for his entire four years.”

“He’s been a wonderful ambassador for the Ivy League,” Quaker coach Al Bagnoli added. “He’s a kid that you’ve got to respect his toughness, and you’ve got to respect his ability and his overall talent.”

The tailback seemed to have the Penn defense pegged, as he ran for 59 total yards in the first quarter and 100 after two. He averaged 11.1 yards with nine carries.

But the second half was a different story for the entire offense.

Backed up deep inside its own territory on a number of drives, the team hardly got anything going, and did not look to its dependable back to shift momentum in Harvard’s favor.

The Crimson went to Dawson just seven times in the second half, and he added only 19 yards to his game total.

The day marked the first time this season Dawson went scoreless.

Dawson’s valiant effort is marred by the loss that sets the team back in the Ivy League race.

As Marinaro has said, the great accomplishment of that 1971 season is that he not only set the record, but also won an Ancient Eight championship.

With the loss, Harvard drops into third place behind Princeton and Yale, who both have one defeat.

Barring a miracle next Saturday, the Tigers will ensure a share of the title by defeating Dartmouth. The Bulldogs can win their own share by winning The Game.

The Crimson will be rooting for a Big Green upset and for a win at home.

As the early-season pick to win the League, Harvard boasts a team stronger than last year’s 7-3 squad, although it may face the same fate if it loses next weekend.

“The biggest thing is that we lost this game,” Dawson said. “They’re an outstanding team. This was one that we really needed, this was one that I really wanted for my own individual goals. I wanted, first and foremost, to win an Ivy League championship.”

The problem seems to be a Franklin Field curse.

In the team’s 2004 undefeated season, the Crimson beat Penn badly on its home turf, but other than that it has been all Quakers.

Before the Ryan Fitzpatrick era, the squad had not won since 1980 at Franklin.

Despite Penn’s lackluster record, there is something about the field and atmosphere that prevents strong play.

Whether or not the curse exists Harvard, the bottom line is: the Crimson did not play well Saturday.

Wrought with turnovers—a total of four, plus a safety—the offense could not move the ball in the second half.

Junior quarterback Liam O’Hagan managed just 13 yards in the air after the break, and the total offense was held to just 97.

But the other side of the ball must shoulder some of the responsibility.

Coming in with the best defensive line in the League, Harvard could not get to the quarterback and could not stop the run.

“Our kids played extremely hard, we just made too many mistakes,” Murphy said. “Give Penn some of the credit, and we’ll take some of the credit for some of those mistakes as well.”

—Staff writer Madeleine I. Shapiro can be reached at mshaprio@fas.harvard.edu.