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This Saturday at Harvard Stadium, there was no heartbreak for Harvard football. Only a heart attack.

After riding a wild third quarter to a 28-14 lead over Columbia (2-6, 1-4 Ivy), the Crimson conceded a late score and had to hang on for the final four minutes. But hang on Harvard did.

The result was only final when junior safety Tanner Lee corralled a Hail Mary toss. At that point, the Crimson (7-1, 5-0 Ivy) escaped with a 28-21 win and, thanks to a Penn loss to Princeton, moved into sole ownership of first in the Ivy League.

“I told them in the third quarter as soon as we got the score [of Penn-Princeton],” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “I went up and down the sideline and told as many guys as I could tell.”

The Lions came within seven with 4:02 left. Subbed in to replace fumble-prone starter Anders Hill, quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg marched his team 84 yards down the field and tossed a four-yard score to freshman receiver Josh Wainwright.

A three-and-out for the Harvard offense brought Mornhinweg back onto the field with a chance to tie the topsy-turvy contest. But on three of four plays, the Crimson pressured the quarterback into incompletions.

“We know they have to get the ball downfield,” said Lee, who blitzed twice in that series. “With our defensive linemen, our speed off the edge, that’s pretty tough to do.”

After another brief Harvard possession, the Lions offense had one final opportunity—in this case to go 93 yards in under a minute. The task proved too tall, as Mornhinweg failed to cross midfield before throwing the game-ending pick.

On the day, the Crimson outgained Columbia 385 to 259, with Viviano leading the way with 260 passing yards. Over 100 of those yards went to sophomore wide receiver Adam Scott, who has emerged as a real athletic threat in recent weeks.

Meanwhile the defense held the visitors to 66 total yards rushing. Noticeably absent was captain and shutdown corner Sean Ahern, who suited up but stayed on the sidelines due to an upper-body injury.

Columbia led 14-7 after two quarters, but the game took several rollercoaster turns at the start of the third.

On the opening kickoff, Harvard defensive back Cole Thompson popped the ball loose from the rookie Wainwright at the 13. When Viviano rumbled forward to set up a first-and-goal from the one, a score seemed certain.

It was not. After a false-start penalty, Viviano floated a pass into the chest of Lions standout Brock Kenyon. A late flag kept the Stadium in suspense, but eventually, with Murphy protesting on the sidelines, Columbia snapped the ball from the one.

Three plays later, Columbia coach Al Bagnoli was the one complaining. Sophomore defensive end D.J. Bailey—who has dominated competition all season—wrapped up Hill and stripped the ball at the 27.