“Last year I kind of got caught off guard [being called on to start in the third game of the season], and I didn’t have the grasp on the offense that I do now,” Chapple said. “[This year] I came into the season expecting to play, expecting to contribute. I feel like I was more prepared in that sense, and more ready to play college football than I was last year.”

In the 2010 campaign, the sophomore made three starts while Hatch and Winters recovered from injuries.

With Winters nursing his hamstring, the team is not sure who will be running the offense on Saturday at Lafayette, a non-conference game. Though Winters has been making progress, the team will likely focus on keeping him healthy instead of risking injury in a game that doesn’t appear on the Crimson’s Ivy record.

“There’s a chance [Winters] might play, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Colton starts the game on Saturday,” Brate said.

If Harvard needs Chapple on Saturday, he will be ready.

“Right now, I’m still going with the mindset that if Collier can’t go I’m going to be the guy and do whatever it takes to get the win against Lafayette,” Chapple said.

But regardless of who is taking the snaps on Saturday, for Chapple, starting in a home night game against an Ivy League rival and getting the win was a memorable experience.

“I grew up in Georgia dreaming about these games,” Chapple said. “It almost had a high school feel to it, being at night under the lights. … To look up in the stands and see 20,000 people, it’s a great opportunity, and it’s a great stage.”