Each week this season, Crimson staff writer Jacob Feldman will take you inside the Harvard football team’s strategy in a multimedia notebook. This week, a look at how the Crimson outplayed Holy Cross on both sides of the ball.

OFFENSE

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Playing without last year's three biggest offensive weapons—tight end Cam Brate '14, injured senior wideout Ricky Zorn, and injured junior running back Paul Stanton—the Harvard football team still managed to score points in the 41-18 win over Holy Cross on Sept. 19 thanks to plays like the one above.

The 21-yard pass from junior quarterback Scott Hosch to sophomore tight end Anthony Firkser was set up by a collection of screen passes to speedy wideouts Andrew Fischer and Bryce Walker.

But before we get to what is going on with the wide receivers, look at how this play starts in the backfield.

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A zone-read look forces the defenders to pay attention to Hosch and senior running back Andrew Casten. At the same time, the three receivers on one side of the field are setting up for what looks like another screen pass.

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Combined, the two elements of misdirection force the defense out of position and create space for Firkser to make a big play. As you watch the play again, keep your eyes on the Holy Cross safety, who comes up to play the run and the screen, only to be turned completely around when Firkser blows by him on his route.

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Given that former Harvard president Charles Eliot ’53 once said, "I understand that a curve ball is thrown with a deliberate attempt to deceive. Surely this is not an ability we should want to foster at Harvard," he likely would not have been a fan of the Crimson's offensive strategy Friday. But it worked.

Here is Firkser describing the play from his perspective:

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Harvard coach Tim Murphy said Wednesday that the play puts a lot of stress on the defense.