Chapple and Mathews both boasted completion rates of 60 percent on the day, but the Harvard backup finished with nearly 100 more yards—despite only completing two more passes than his rival—and four touchdowns, besting Mathews’ three.

Chapple had a career game and made his case for the starting spot. Murphy can’t go wrong by putting either Winters or Chapple at the helm, though it is important to note that all three of the Crimson’s wins this year have come with the backup taking the snaps.

“No matter what happens, we’re in good shape at quarterback,” Murphy said.

SHARING THE WEALTH

Though Chapple led the aerial attack, credit is due to his wide receivers, who outmuscled and outhustled their defenders to make nearly all the important plays.

Three receivers—Sarkisian, Lorditch, and Chrissis—had long receptions of over 40 yards, and five players averaged 16 or more yards per catch.

Sarkisian and Lorditch both were in triple digits, finishing with 112 and 103 yards, respectively.

Sarkisian was Chapple’s receiver of choice. The senior caught the ball seven times, his most important grab coming with the score set at 24-20, advantage Cornell.

After giving Harvard the first down on Big Red territory, Sarkisian streaked down the middle of the field with two defenders chasing him.

Chapple threw him a dangerous pass that somehow found its way past two diving Cornell players, and Sarkisian managed not only to catch the ball but also stay on his feet, strolling into the end zone.

“‘Sark’ battled,” Murphy said. “He’s a kid that came in here recruited as a quarterback, and he’s made a great transition. He gives us great leadership and toughness at the wide receiver position. He catches the tough balls; he gets the tough yardage; he makes the tough blocks. He’s definitely one of the unsung heroes on this team.”

Though the Crimson receivers were impressive, the Big Red’s Shane Savage bested their individual statistics, posting 152 catching yards and two touchdowns.

Savage gave the Harvard defense trouble all day, but fortunately for the Crimson, the rest of Cornell’s receivers weren’t nearly as dangerous.

MIXED REVIEWS

The Harvard secondary, which had allowed only one touchdown in eight quarters up until Saturday, had its ups and downs against the Big Red.