Harvard Football Topples No. 16/21 UNH in Bounce-Back Win

After suffering a painful loss to Brown last week in their Ivy League season opener, Harvard’s football team flipped the script on Friday night to defeat the No. 16/21 University of New Hampshire Wildcats 28-23.

Powered by a strong second half performance and two touchdowns from sophomore running back Xaviah Bascon, the Crimson erased any doubts about the team’s ability to remain serious contenders for the Ivy League title.

After New Hampshire scored a fourth quarter touchdown to pull within five points, junior quarterback Jaden Craig led the Crimson to the Wildcats’ 41-yard line with two minutes left in the game.

Harvard likely needed one more first down to put the game on ice, but the Wildcats’ defense stopped Bascon on third down, inches away from moving the chains.

Harvard’s freshman head coach Andrew Aurich had a decision to make: attempt a field goal and give the Wildcats a chance to tie the game, or go for it and seal the win.

Aurich didn’t hesitate.

Bascon danced through the Wildcats’ defense before sliding into the ground just shy of the end zone, sacrificing a third touchdown to secure victory for the Crimson.

The gutsy decision was one of many high-risk, high-reward fourth down plays that Aurich ran at several key points in the second half — usually with great success.

Sophomore running back Xaviah Bascon danced through the Wildcats’ defense before opting to slide at the 15-yard line to seal the win for Harvard. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

“I told Coach Fein every time, ‘We’re going for it because I want to go win the game,’” Aurich recalled in a postgame interview.

“I’m in the business of trying to win games,” he said. “I’m not trying to not lose games.”

The Crimson’s comeback win on Friday marked a remarkable turnaround after the Wildcats overwhelmed Harvard offensively and defensively at the start of the game.

In the first quarter, the Crimson’s offense picked up from where it left off in Providence — as the team struggled to make any gains. With team captain and senior running back Shane McLaughlin on the sidelines, the team relied on Bascon to run the ball with initially little success.

Craig faced pressure nearly every snap as the offensive line couldn’t seem to hold off the Wildcats. He threw several incompletions in Harvard’s second possession and also came close to an interception.

On the defensive side, the Crimson — missing injured senior defensive back Gavin Shipman — were unable to stop the short passes from UNH as the team marched down the field for a touchdown on its first drive and a 52-yard field goal in the second.

In the second quarter, Harvard made a key adjustment on the offensive side of the ball: putting senior quarterback Charles DePrima on the field.

On his first touch, he motioned across the field and rushed to the outside for a 10-yard gain. On the next play, faking a pitch to DePrima, Craig launched a deep pass to senior wide receiver Scott Woods II, who avoided a tackle and sprinted to the end zone for a 65-yard touchdown, narrowing the Wildcats’ lead to 10-7.

Senior wide receiver Scott Woods II avoids a New Hampshire defender to score the Crimson’s first touchdown on Friday. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

The Wildcats responded with a field goal in the next drive after senior quarterback Seth Morgan connected with junior wide receiver Caleb Burke, setting the team up on Harvard’s 26-yard line.

Following a three-and-out Harvard drive that featured 2 incompletions and a sack, UNH started with promising field position from their own 35-yard line. After a short pass for a first down, the Wildcats failed to sustain the drive and gained only three yards over their next three plays, setting up a 4th-and-7 from their 48 yard line.

Trying to throw the Crimson off, the Wildcats attempted a fake punt, throwing the ball to Morgan. However, Morgan was stuffed a yard short of the line to gain by senior linebacker Oreck Frazier and sophomore defensive back Austin-Jake Guillory, giving Harvard a new drive from their 46-yard line.

With momentum going the Crimson’s way after the failed trick play, Harvard immediately capitalized with a fake handoff and a completion to junior wide receiver Cooper Barkate inside the 5-yard line. Bascon was able to run into the end zone and — with an extra point from freshman kicker Kieran Corr — Harvard brought the score to 14-13 to take the lead for the first time in the game.

Harvard managed to stop UNH’s next drive, but several incompletions in Harvard’s next possession allowed the Wildcats to take over with 94 yards ahead of them and a little under two minutes on the clock.

Facing a two minute drill from their own six yard line, UNH completed several quick passes before heaving a 46 yard ball to wide receiver Logan Tomlinson, setting the Wildcats up at the Crimson’s 37 yard line. UNH moved the ball up to the 23 yard line before a key sack by the Crimson’s senior linebacker Marcus Alexander set the Wildcats back and forced a field goal attempt. UNH drilled a 43-yard field goal as time expired, entering the locker room up 16-14.

Throughout the week, Aurich emphasized the importance of taking the ball away on defense, which is exactly how Harvard opened up the second half. On the first play of the half, senior defensive end Jacob Psyk forced a fumble after a quick pass, which was recovered by senior linebacker Eric Little Jr. at the Wildcats’ 13-yard line.

After the game, Aurich passionately described the moment as the play of the game for Harvard’s defense.

“It was huge, because we went into the game and we talked about how we have to win the turnover margin,” Aurich said. “So to finally get one out, I was pumped up.”

For Little, while the fumble recovery was exciting, the more important element of the defense was its ability to continue to perform every snap.

“We don’t believe in momentum,” Little said in an interview. “Every play is its own individual event. Nothing changes that. Nothing sways that.”

“We have a motto: ‘Make them line up again,’” he added.

On the ensuing possession, Craig escaped from a collapsing pocket on third-and-8, diving for a near first down. Aurich kept the offense out on fourth-and-1 from the 4-yard line and called an option pitch to Bascon, who failed to get to the edge and was wrapped up for a two yard loss, giving the ball back to UNH down 16-14.

Harvard made up for the missed opportunity on their next possession, when Aurich turned to what was working all night: deep passes and an established running game. Following a 21-yard spiraling throw to Barkate, Bascon punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown to put the Crimson back in front 21-16.

Sophomore Spencer Doan lifts running back Xaviah Bascon in the air to celebrate a touchdown against the New Hampshire Wildcats. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

Bascon’s touchdown marked a turning point for the Crimson’s offense, which struggled to score in the second half during the first two games of the season.

“They’re a resilient group and obviously we’ll see how it goes moving forward, but every week is a one week season where you’re trying to go 1-0,” Aurich said in an interview.

Meanwhile, Harvard’s defense finally seemed to be gelling and UNH was unable to make anything happen offensively as momentum swung in the Crimson’s favor — marking a change in the physicality of the game.

The Crimson were able to capitalize again in their next drive. In yet another fourth-and-1, Harvard decided to go for it and just barely secured the first down as fans waited with bated breath for the referees to spot the ball. In the very next play, Deprima came in as quarterback and scrambled for a run and Harvard’s fourth touchdown, extending Harvard’s lead 28-23.

This time, UNH was able to respond — marching down the field with the help of a few penalties by Harvard to get a touchdown. With a little under six minutes left in the game, Harvard took possession with a slim 28-23 lead.

With yet another conversion on a fourth-and-1, Harvard was able to run out the clock and secure the upset victory.

Despite the strong team win, Aurich said that he was focused on where the team still has room for improvement.

“We can't spend a bunch of time thinking about how great a game this was,” Aurich said. “We gotta learn from it.”

“We’re not worried about the end of the season and what the record in the Ivy League is,” he added. “We’re worried about being 1-0 now versus Cornell.”

Instead, Aurich preferred to reflect on the size of the Friday night home crowd — the first large showing of the season after a rainy Saturday afternoon deterred many students from attending the home opener against Stetson.

“The student section was awesome,” Aurich said. “We got to get them showing up every game.”

“They helped us win that game,” he added.

—Staff writer Jo Lemann can be reached at jo.lemann@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @Jo_Lemann.

—Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at praveen.kumar@thecrimson.com.