With three minutes left in the first half at Harvard last Saturday, Bob Surace liked his team’s chances as it battled the undefeated Crimson team.

The Tigers were locked in a 7-7 tie with Harvard and could well have been in the lead, having gotten the ball inside the Crimson 30 twice in the first quarter without scoring.

“I felt so good after those first 27 and a half minutes,” said Princeton head coach Surace.

“We weren’t executing on offense as well as we could. I thought we are not going to drop the ball, we are going to finish the blocks better. We have these guys right where we want them.”

Surace was further heartened a moment later when the Tigers forced a fumble at the Harvard 15-yard line. But the Crimson recovered it and proceeded to march 85 yards and score on a five-yard pass from Scott Hosch to Ben Braunecker to take a 14-7 lead at halftime.

“We knocked the ball loose on the 15 with two guys there but they recovered it,” lamented Surace as he reflected on the pivotal sequence.

“I don’t know if the tide turned but it was an important play. We were under three minutes at that point and if we fall on that ball, the way our kicker kicks, there is a likelihood we go into halftime with at least a 10-7 lead. Instead, the score is 14-7 them. They made some really nice plays to get that score.”

In the second half, Harvard made one nice play after another as it rolled to a 42-7 win over the Tigers.

Surace acknowledged that the game got away from the Tigers after halftime.

“My biggest fear going into the game was a swarm of points they could get,” said Surace, whose team dropped to 4-2 overall and 1-2 Ivy League with the defeat while 15th-ranked Harvard improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 Ivy as it posted its 20th straight victory.

“It went from 7-7 with the ball on the ground to 14-7 them. Then it was three and out, we blow a coverage and it is 21-7. Then it is three and out, we punt, they return it for a long gain with the ball inside the 30. They score again and it is 28-7.”

The Tigers were worn down by Harvard as the Crimson piled up 647 yards of total offense and made 28 first downs compared to the 293 yards and 13 first downs produced by Princeton.

“We were a little shorthanded and we got some injuries early,” said Surace, who got 236 yards passing from starting quarterback Chad Kanoff with versatile backup QB John Lovett passing for a touchdown and making five catches for 68 yards.

“That really constricted some of the things that we wanted to do. We wanted to utilize those things early; it made it harder. We needed first downs and we just never got that going. The third quarter was easily the worst quarter we have played all year and unfortunately it came against a team that is very good.”

Surace believes Princeton has what it takes to be a good team. “We have to go back to work and correct the errors,” said Surace.

“We have got a lot of young guys playing so we have to get those guys ready. We have really good leadership on the team. I don’t think it was an effort thing. We just were not executing and against them, every error turned into a big play.”

Now that Princeton’s Ivy title hopes are likely dashed with the two league losses, Surace wants his players to focus on giving their best, not the record, as they host Cornell (0-6 overall, 0-3 Ivy) on October 31.

“Let’s approach Tuesday like it is August 27, the first day of camp,” said Surace.

“Let’s go out there and fly around the field. I know those guys, they enjoy their teammates, they enjoy football so let’s go and play some football. Let’s keep the blinders on, keep the distractions down, and block all those things out. Let’s stay fully focused and play our best game.”