On Harvard’s ensuing drive, the quarterback followed an 11-yard run by freshman Zach Boden and a 15-yard Winters-to-Boden screen by hitting senior Alex Sarkisian deep down the left sideline for a 46-yard touchdown. Harvard elected to go for two and succeeded, with Winters barely scampering across the goal line to make it a one possession game, 30-22, with 12:22 to go.

The Crusader offense retook control on its next possession with a 7:48 drive, which included a 16-yard pickup on a Taggart pass to Gerald Mistretta on 4th-and-3 from the Crimson 30. But Macomber missed the ensuing 28-yard field goal wide left, giving Harvard hope and the ball back at its 20 with 4:27 remaining.

But the offense couldn’t get anything going, and three incomplete passes later, Dombrowski punted away with 4:02 to go.

Holy Cross tried to run the clock out on its ensuing drive, but the Crimson, equipped with three timeouts, was able to stuff Holy Cross running back Reggie Woods on a third-and-2 to get the ball back to the offense for one last shot.

The Crimson started the drive from its own 12 with 2:05 to go. Winters rattled off a 17-yard pass to senior wideout Chris Lorditch and had his team in Holy Cross territory three completions later. On third-and-three from the Crusader 40, the quarterback completed another pass for a first down, but the play was called back on an ineligible receiver five-yard penalty.

Then, after an incompletion in the end zone, Winters was intercepted on fourth-and-eight by Chandler Fenner to seal the Crusader win.

“Luckily, it wasn’t a league game,” Murphy said. “[But] we go from playing a good team today to possibly playing an even better one next time. So we’ve got to improve—and quickly.”

Early in the game, after the Harvard defense stopped Holy Cross on its opening possession, junior Brian Owusu fumbled the ensuing punt at his own three-yard line. Though the Crimson defense held strong, the Crusaders got on the board first with a field goal four minutes into the contest.

Winters responded with a four-yard touchdown run and the pass to Juszscyk to put the Crimson up, 14-3, but from there the Crusaders dominated the contest. While Harvard’s defense was able to contain the run, Taggart shredded the Crimson defense from the shotgun, going 22-of-35 for 320 yards.

“They made big plays,” Gedeon said. “If you take away those plays it’s a different game, but they played well today and you’ve got to tip your hat to them.”

—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu.