Tomorrow, Harvard's seniors will try to lead their team to its fourth straight win over Yale.

As the Harvard student body prepares for the festivities and excitement surrounding the 127th playing of The Game tomorrow at Harvard Stadium, one might think the Crimson football team would have difficulty staying similarly fired up after falling flat in its most important game of the season last week against Penn.

But despite losing its shot at an Ivy League title after its 34-14 dismantling in Philadelphia, Harvard (6-3, 4-2 Ivy) certainly still has a lot to play for against the Bulldogs.

For one, The Game represents an opportunity for the Crimson’s seniors to end their careers on a high note, and to finish a perfect 4-0 against Yale (7-2, 5-1). A win would also give the seniors the best record in the Ivies over their four years at Harvard, while earning the Crimson its 10th consecutive season with at least seven wins—a feat never accomplished in Ancient Eight history.

“It’s bittersweet,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy says. “More than anything, you want it to turn out right for [the seniors]...They’re such great kids. They’ve had such a big impact on our program...It’s tough to let go. It’s an emotional game.”

Another potentially motivating factor is that The Game offers the Crimson a chance to play spoiler. The Bulldogs need a win and a Quaker loss to earn a share of the Ivy title, and a Harvard victory would eliminate that possibility.

But most importantly, it’s easy for the Crimson’s players to stay motivated because the game is what it is—one of the greatest rivalries in all of college sports. Since the teams first met in 1875, Yale leads the all-time series 65-53-8. A Harvard win would move the team a little closer to .500 in a record book that goes back over a century, while giving its students highly-sought bragging rights over their New Haven counterparts at the sold-out contest tomorrow afternoon.

“I have no question the attitude’s going to be great,” Murphy says. “I think [the players] understand the meaning of this rivalry, how important it is to people, and especially the seniors...We’re playing for pride. Pride in our team, pride in our school, pride in our program.”

But for Harvard, pulling out a win will be no easy task with Yale boasting its best team since 2007, when the Bulldogs went 9-1 but lost the Ancient Eight title to the Crimson at The Game.

“Obviously we’re disappointed with the outcome [of the Penn game],” captain Collin Zych says. “But the ship rolls on...Considering the team [Yale] has this year, we can’t afford to come out and be flat. We need to make sure we’re completely focused.”

The Bulldogs are led at quarterback by junior Patrick Witt, who has thrown for a conference-high 2018 yards this season, along with 12 touchdowns offset by an equal number of interceptions. Yale’s aerial attack is complemented by a solid ground game led by Witt’s classmate Alex Thomas, who is third in the Ivies with 639 rushing yards and has found the endzone six times.

“[Thomas] had a great game against us last year,” Zych says. “[The Bulldogs] will come into this game thinking they can run the football. It’s a personal challenge to stop the run and get that out of their minds.”

Yale senior wideout Gio Christodoulou is fourth in the Ancient Eight with 520 receiving yards and has caught one touchdown pass. The Bulldogs offense has average 22.6 points per game, leaving them at sixth in the league.

For the Crimson, junior quarterback Collier Winters has been inconsistent since returning from injury five weeks ago and is coming off a three-interception performance against Penn. Classmate Adam Chrissis emerged as the team’s go-to target this season and has 477 receiving yards.

The true strength of the Harvard attack lies in the running game. Senior Gino Gordon passed the 1,000-yard mark last week and has the chance to take the league’s rushing title away from Dartmouth’s Nick Schwieger—whom he currently trails by five yards—in his final career game.

Gordon and company will be facing a Yale squad that ranks fourth in the conference in total defense. Bulldogs junior linebacker Jordan Haynes is third in the Ancient Eight with 88 tackles, while senior cornerback Adam Money is tied for second with three interceptions.