Just four minutes earlier, the game hung in the balance. But a series of Pruneau completions late effectively put the game out of reach.

“We called a play that was designed for Cam,” Pruneau said. “It was a little double move. We’re actually roommates, so it was great to connect with him after so much that’s happened in the past couple years.”

Pruneau would finish the game 23-of-29 for a career-high 340 yards in the air, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another.

TEAM DEFENSIVE EFFORT

The game belonged to Mathews, but the win ultimately went to Harvard. Much of the credit for the outcome goes to the Crimson defense.

Cornell made it a one possession game several times, but the Harvard defense held up and got the ball back in the hands of its offense, never surrendering the lead.

With Mathews passing out of the shotgun formation nearly every snap, the Crimson typically elected to keep defenders in pass coverage.

This defensive set paid off the most when the driving Cornell offense had the ball on the Harvard 22 partway through the fourth quarter. After Crimson pressure forced Mathews to scramble out of the pocket, senior defensive back Reynaldo Kirton read the pass over the middle and came up with a crucial interception.

“I shouldn’t have made that throw,” Mathews said. “You kind of get caught up in the game and you want to make every play.”

In the first quarter, sophomore linebacker Eric Medes recorded the first interception of his career with a leaping, fingertip catch.

The Crimson defense also recorded six sacks on the day, with four coming from senior defensive tackle Nnamdi Obukwelu and his brother Obum, a junior.

—Staff writer David Steinbach can be reached at david.steinbach@thecrimson.com.