The Harvard defense’s only hiccup came with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Following the Crimson’s fifth turnover of the day, Jatis found receiver Collin Shaw wide open in the back of the end zone for the 26-yard score.

But Harvard had no trouble negating the Big Red score, as senior running back Andrew Casten capped off a rapid touchdown drive with a two-yard touchdown run up the middle that concluded the day’s scoring.

If the Crimson defense had not turned in such a strong performance, Harvard could have found itself in a considerable hole at the conclusion of the first half. After its first seven drives, the Crimson posted a bleak stat line of four turnovers and three punts.

On the first offensive play of the game, Hosch attempted to find Casten in the flat. But Big Red defensive lineman Justin Harris jumped in the air and picked off the errant throw with his outstretched arms.

Harris’ impact continued later in the quarter, when he jarred the ball loose from a scrambling Hosch. The subsequent Crimson drive featured another fumble, when freshman tight end Jack Stansell reeled in a pass but immediately coughed it up after turning downfield into the arms of a Cornell defender.

The Crimson finally got something going offensively early in the second quarter, riding passes and Casten runs into Big Red territory. But on second down, Cornell safety Rush Imhotep jumped an outside slant to secure Hosch’s second interception of the day.

For the first time since 2010, Harvard had been shut out in the first half of a game. It took a while, but the Crimson offense finally made the scoreboard come to life in time to secure a win.

“Today, it obviously goes down in the category of an ugly win, but at the end of the day, as I told the kids, it'll be a win tomorrow,” Murphy said. “In a hundred years from now, it's gonna be a win.”

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