“The great thing Harvard has is an exceptional running back, a great quarterback, and talented receivers,” Knowles said. “You can’t cover everything against them.”

Despite the Crimson’s recent success against their Ivy rivals, Harvard coach Tim Murphy is not discounting the possibility that the underdogs could come in and upset the undefeated Crimson. In all likelihood, the Cornell defense is the toughest Harvard will face all season.

“Those kids are good football players, very strong, very athletic,” Murphy said, “and they certainly are playing like they believe.”

Knowles and the Big Red have reason to believe that they can come into Cambridge and take out yet another Ivy power. Both teams come into the contest with 1-0 league records, and the winner will claim an enviable cushion in the ever-contentious Ivies.

“You start to look at your team and say, if they can do it once, you know they can do it,” Knowles said. “And you gotta get them to do it all the time.”