But Winters was up to the challenge.

“Most quarterbacks come in, and they’ve got time to learn [and] develop, but he came in and we had a championship-caliber team ready to go,” says junior wide receiver Levi Richards. “He did a great job of helping the team not miss a beat.”

At least a part of the quarterback’s success can be attributed to his work ethic.

“Physically, he’s an extremely talented guy.” Richards adds. “But the amount of work he puts into football...really shows in how he plays, and I think that’s the main reason he’s had so much success.”

Other than one loss to eventual league champion Penn, the Winters-led Crimson won all of its league games last year. Winters had the fewest interceptions of any quarterback in the Ivy League and also led the Ancient Eight in yards per completion and passer rating.

To cap it all off, the then-sophomore quarterback keyed a late victory against Yale in the 126th rendition of The Game.

It seemed that everything was falling into place for Winters, especially after he beat out senior Andrew Hatch in a quarterback battle in the spring. But after suffering what looked like a season-ending injury in early September, Winters’ plans for 2010 were dashed.

Unfazed, the former running back attacked his rehab with his characteristic energy and willpower.

“[Rehab] was definitely a big commitment and one of the harder things I’ve had to do,” Winters says. “[It required] really being disciplined with making sure to get all my rehab done.”

His teammates noticed his effort. Winters even carried a machine with him that would ice and steam his muscles, helping to expedite his recovery.

“It was unbelievable,” Richards says. “He had that [machine] everywhere with him, little briefcase for it...It was pretty funny.”

“But he probably still wouldn’t be out there if it weren’t for how hard he worked in coming back,” the receiver adds.

Winters’ effort paid off. After weeks of intense rehab, he was cleared before the Princeton game, eventually taking the field for the second half.

“I was excited...to come back and play,” Winters says. “It’s a lot of fun being out there, so I was just happy and relieved to get the chance...to go out there and play with the other 10 guys on offense.”

Despite the time away from the field, Winters caught up quickly. In just his second full game back, he threw for 246 yards, a career-high.

“He was definitely rusty in the second half against Princeton,” Murphy says. “[But against Dartmouth he] really increased our synchronicity, tempo, and just overall confidence as an offensive football team.”

After leading Harvard to convincing wins over Princeton, Dartmouth, and Columbia, Winters couldn’t solve a tough Penn defense, completing under 50 percent of his passes for the first time this year.

Now, there’s just one thing left this season for Winters to focus on: beating Yale again.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Winters says.

As always.