Harvard Football Looks to Continue Dominance Over Brown in Ivy League Opener

As the temperature drops and the leaves in Cambridge begin to fall, the energy inside the Harvard football team’s locker room is only on the rise. From this point forward, every game will have lasting implications on the Crimson’s Ivy League title pursuit.

After a dominating 35-0 opener against Stetson, the Crimson (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) is set to begin its Ivy League play on the road against Brown (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) and looks to extend its 12-game winning streak over the Bears, a lofty task against what is touted to be a difficult Providence opponent.

The game, which starts at noon on Saturday, Sept. 28, will be Harvard’s first real test of the season after the blowout home victory last week against a weaker, non-conference team.

The Crimson will have its plate full against an experienced roster and a “white out” crowd in Providence as it hopes to flex its potential in an Ivy League contest.

Brown, coming off a 26-14 victory over Georgetown, features a team with 31 seniors and fifth-years, including seven offensive and six defensive starters from last season, along with seven of their 11 All-Ivy personnel.

Despite the challenge, Harvard has a trick up its sleeve — new Head Coach Andrew Aurich.

Aurich spent several years coaching at Princeton alongside Brown Head Coach James Perry, who calls the offense for the Bears.

“I worked in that offense, so I kind of know how that offense works,” Aurich said in an interview.

“I look at myself as somebody who can give them some insight into why they do certain things the way they do them, because I know I was there and I was part of those conversations as that offense was being built,” he added.

Even with this advantage, Aurich acknowledged that the Bears’ quarterback Jake Willcox poses a formidable threat. The returning fifth-year senior led the Ivy League with 2,924 passing yards last season.

“He’s a really, really good quarterback, and very athletic, makes plays outside the pocket and gets them in good situations when things break down,” Aurich said.

Harvard Football Head Coach Andrew Aurich was hired to lead the team in February 2023. By Addison Y. Liu

Last week, Willcox looked strong in the Bear’s season opener — throwing for 268 yards and two touchdowns, including an 87-yard strike to junior wideout Solomon Miller.

In last year’s showdown against the Crimson, Willcox threw for 366 yards and a touchdown, nearly pulling off a nail-biting upset in Cambridge.

The Bears’ defense also performed well in last week’s game, and the explosive secondary is another unit to look out for.

Recording an Ivy League-high 13 interceptions, Brown returns senior defensive back Isaiah Reed, who led the Ivy League in passes deflected and interceptions last season.

Brown’s defensive line looks threatening after last week’s game where they had four sacks and 10 tackles resulting in lost yardage. Senior defensive lineman Quincy Eutsay alone recorded two sacks and forced a fumble.

“They’re big, strong defensive linemen that sometimes you don't necessarily see in the Ivy League, but they have those guys on the front,” Aurich said. “So it’ll be a good challenge for our offensive line to have to move those guys.”

On the Crimson’s side, the team will have to carry its defensive momentum from last week into the weekend’s clash against a beefed up Brown offensive line.

Harvard recorded its first shutout in nine years — doing so while only allowing 101 total yards of offensive gaine. In addition to recording his first career pick-six, senior linebacker Mitchell Gonser recorded a team-high seven tackles, earning him Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Harvard didn’t let stormy and windy conditions derail its offense either. Junior quarterback Jaden Craig finished with 217 passing yards and three touchdown passes, including a 25-yard toss to his favorite target from last season, standout junior wide receiver Cooper Barkate.

Senior captain and running back Shane McLaughlin added 68 more yards on the ground, including punching in a touchdown on a four-yard carry. McLaughlin ran for 152 yards against the Bears last year, carving up a weakened interior defensive line. Along with emerging sophomore running back Xaviah Bascon, the Crimson may utilize a run-heavy offense.

With Brown’s Reed likely matched up against Barkate or senior wide receiver Scott Woods II, Craig might turn to junior tight end Ryan Osborne, who recorded a stellar breakout performance last week which included four receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown.

While he struggled to pick up traction leading the offense last weekend, senior quarterback Charles DePrima is another name to keep an eye on for the Crimson. His dual-threat nature could potentially cause problems for the Bears defense — against whom he ran for 98 yards last year.

Aurich has been consistent in saying that he plans to ensure that Deprima continues to get touches — though perhaps not always as quarterback.

“Charles, being one of our best players, we need to make sure he’s just not standing on the sideline,” Aurich said.

The Crimson — with coach Mickey Fein calling the offense — ran a few plays last week that featured both Craig and Deprima on the field. Aurich said that the team would “continue to use that” on Saturday.

Despite the strong showing overall last week, McLaughlin said the offense is working on addressing some of the weaker aspects of their play.

“The first thing that we’re emphasizing is just the ball security,” McLaughlin said. “Obviously, some tough conditions, but there's no excuses for dropping, fumbling the ball six times.”

McLaughlin also noted that the game against Brown last year was “a little bit of a dogfight” and said the offense needed to make sure not to repeat last year’s mistake of coming out slow offensively.

With these challenges ahead though, McLaughlin said that the team’s preparation and focus have remained consistent.

“We can play the Patriots or a Pop Warner team, the way we prepare is going to be the same,” he said. “It's going to be 110 percent each week.”

—Staff writer Jo B. 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.