“We’re trying to help Colton out as much as we can,” said senior offensive lineman Chris Leroy. “He’s doing a great job, he’s being a great leader, he knows where to go [and] what to do.”

The Big Red scored another touchdown with four seconds to play and the contest already well out of reach.

“Physically, we just couldn’t hold up in the second half,” Cornell coach Kent Austin said. “Our defense got tired. The offense didn’t do enough in the first half really to keep our defense off the football field.”

The Big Red’s struggles came at the hands of Harvard’s new-look defense. With injuries to key players, the Crimson was still able to step up, recording eight sacks, with four from Graeff alone. The defense held Cornell to 208 yards of total offense, compared to 505 yards for Harvard.

With the victory, the Crimson moves to 1-1 in the Ivy League, keeping the team in the hunt for the Ancient Eight crown.

“We know we’re going to have some real hard times,” Murphy said. “You just move on...and we’re going to find out what we’re made of...I know this team will fight. That’s three quarters of the battle.”