“They have become, really overnight, a really, really good defense,” Murphy said. “It’s not bells and whistles, it’s not mirages, it’s not x’s and o’s, although they’re extremely well coached. Their front seven is really legit.”

“Last year’s Columbia is definitely not the same as this Columbia,” added senior defensive back Asante Gibson.

While the defense has turned in some commendable performances, the Columbia offense has failed to flip the script of previous seasons through seven games.

Quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg has thrown for just three touchdowns this season; Harvard senior Scott Hosch has tossed 14. The Lions are averaging 113 yards of team rushing per outing; Crimson senior Paul Stanton posts nearly 100 yards per game on his own. Columbia averages 267 yards of weekly total offense; a typical day of work for Harvard consists of 489 yards.

Suffice to say that squaring off against the staunch Harvard defense, which ranks first in the FCS with 8.6 points allowed per game, is not a matchup that bodes well for Columbia.

It’s rare for the Crimson, winners of 21 straight, to suit up against a Columbia team that has a one-game winning streak. Harvard’s mission on Saturday is to make sure that streak doesn’t double.

“[Columbia thinks] if they can beat Yale they can play with Harvard,” Smith said. “But we’re going to show them that’s not the case.”

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