Harvard Football Silences Stetson 35-0 to Start Aurich Era With Statement Win

Despite the showers, Harvard's football team wouldn’t let anything rain on new Head Coach Andrew Aurich’s parade.

The Crimson washed out the Stetson Hatters 35-0 in the first game of the season, riding a first quarter offensive explosion to provide the team with a shutout victory in a season opener for the first time in 20 years.

Though Aurich was satisfied with the team’s strong all-around performance, he said in a postgame interview there was room for improvement ahead of the Crimson’s Ivy League opener next week.

“I thought both sides of the ball did a really good job of just staying focused out there,” Aurich said. “And ultimately, there’s a lot of stuff we're gonna have to clean up — but it’s always better to be cleaned up after a win than a loss.”

But nature’s elements — and the Stetson defense — couldn’t stop the Crimson’s offensive attack.

With 11:26 left in the first quarter, junior quarterback Jaden Craig delivered a clean strike from the pocket to senior wide receiver Scott Woods II in open space. After juking past one defender and squeezing through two more, Woods streaked into the end zone for the 46-yard touchdown, putting Harvard up 7-0 and officially kicking off the Aurich era.

After forcing Stetson to a quick three-and-out, Woods returned a punt to the Hatters’ 20 yard line. Starting their second drive from the red zone, the Crimson was able to convert yet again - this time on a four-yard rushing touchdown from senior running back and team captain Shane McLaughlin.

Senior wide receiver Scott Woods II gets tackled by a Stetson player during Harvard’s home opener on Saturday. By Sudhish M. Swain

Following freshman kicker Keiran Corr’s second extra point, Harvard took a 14-0 lead with 8:39 left in the first quarter.

The Crimson’s defense replicated the offense’s success on the next possession. Senior linebacker Mitchell Gonser picked off a pass that deflected off of senior defensive back Miles Wiley’s hands and took it back to the end zone for a 37-yard pick six, giving Harvard its second touchdown in 40 seconds and a commanding 21-0 lead after just seven minutes of play.

The play was the first time the Crimson has returned an interception for a touchdown since its game against Holy Cross in late September last year.

The downpour made its mark on the game over the next quarter and a half. With 15 seconds left in the first quarter, Craig, rushing to the right side of the field, coughed up the football at Harvard’s 39 yard line.

Both offenses continued to struggle throughout the second quarter, as neither team was able to sustain a possession and move the chains downfield, resulting in five consecutive scoreless drives.

The Crimson’s offense faced its first pressure test late in the second quarter as the team tried to get down the field with only 1:48 left in the half.

Starting at their own seven yard line, four rushes from McLaughlin put Craig and the offense at their own 42 yard line with only 37 seconds left in the half. Two completed passes to junior tight end Ryan Osborne and senior wide receiver Kaedyn Odermann, and an illegal substitution penalty from Stetson, placed Harvard at the Hatters’ 24 yard line with only 14 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing play, Osborne slipped past the linebacker covering him and made a leaping catch over Stetson safety Jayden Jefferson to cap off an impressive 93-yard drive and put the Crimson up 28-0 entering halftime.

Osborne’s breakout performance, which included four catches for 58 yards despite coming into the game with zero career receptions, was no surprise to Aurich.

“The guy just gets open and catches the ball,” Aurich said. “And people may say he’s too short to play tight end, or is he fast enough, but all I know is the guy gets open, and when the ball’s throwing him, he’s making catches.”

As the season progresses, Osborne is a player to keep an eye on, as he attempts to fill the gap left by the recently graduated standout tight ends Tyler Neville ’24 and Tim Dowd ’24.

In the second half, the Crimson got off to a rocky start when McLaughlin fumbled the ball in the first play of the half — giving Stetson its first real opportunity in the Crimson’s territory. McLaughlin’s fumble was one of eight for Harvard - including two that were lost - as the Crimson struggled to hold onto the ball in the wet and windy conditions.

Senior tight end Justin Leszynski had one reception for 15 yards during the Crimson season opener against Stetson University. By Sudhish M. Swain

After the game, Aurich identified the play as a weakness for the team.

“The one that I’m gonna be most upset about is Shane’s fumble, because that one was 100 percent in our control, and that was about where we weren’t carrying the ball correctly, and that’s why the ball came out,” Aurich said.

Overall though, Aurich attributed some of the team’s weaker moments with the ball to the poor conditions, calling the game “an incomplete because of the weather.”

Still, Harvard’s defense performed well under pressure — fending off Stetson handily. In the very next drive for the Crimson, Craig managed to throw and run for first downs in the face of pressure from Stetson. But junior wide receiver Cooper Barkate was the real star of the drive, juking Stetson defender Noah Schwartz along the sideline — and sending him to the ground — for a 25-yard gain and catching a pass from Craig for a touchdown on the very next play.

With the Crimson ahead by 35, senior Charles Deprima took over for Craig, but failed to make an impression.

Despite a few strong running plays, Deprima ultimately rushed for only 16 yards after taking losses on several plays — including a fumble that he quickly recovered. The team ran the ball nearly every play with Deprima at the helm, with Deprima throwing only one incomplete pass.

Aurich said that the Crimson “put the ball in the ground way too much,” an issue that he partially attributed to the weather.

Still, Aurich’s comments — and Deprima’s lackluster showing — suggest he will be used primarily as a backup or change-of-pace threat in the offense.

Junior wide receiver Cooper Barkate gives the Crimson its last touchdown of the game, catching a 25-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jaden Craig to seal the score at 35-0. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

The Crimson ended strong with an interception from freshman defensive back Xaden Benson with just over 30 seconds on the clock, preserving the shutout.

As the players rushed onto the field, they began singing a rendition of Ten Thousand Men of Harvard — a moment of joy after a decisive first win. Meanwhile Aurich took in the victory with his family — posing for pictures with his wife and kids.

Woods, who put up 103 all purpose yards, was excited about the win and his strong performance, but was already looking forward to the next challenge.

“It’s hard to win in college football, so 1-0, we take that and celebrate that,” he said. “So we’re going to enjoy it for the next 12 hours or so and then, after that, we get locked back in because the season just started.”

The Crimson will kick off its conference schedule against Brown University at 12 pm E.T. next Saturday, on Sept. 28 in Providence, Rhode Island on ESPN+.

—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.