Harvard Stays Unbeaten, Overpowering Princeton 35-14 Behind Dominant Ground Game

Updated October 25, 2025, at 5:12 p.m.

PRINCETON, N.J. — In a clash between two of the Ivy League’s top teams, No. 17 Harvard (6-0, 3-0 Ivy) powered past Princeton (3-3, 2-1 Ivy) on Saturday afternoon to remain perfect on the season and extend its conference lead. Behind a bruising ground game and strong second half defense, the Crimson turned a tight first-half battle into a commanding statement victory.

“We were in a position where we were not executing at the level we needed to,” said head coach Andrew Aurich, who is a Princeton alumnus. “We finished that first half executing at an elite level, and then we carried it into the second half.”

Three different Harvard running backs each found the end zone — junior Xaviah Bascon, senior Isaiah Bullock, and sophomore DJ Gordon — with Bascon leading the way for 101 yards. Senior quarterback Jaden Craig turned in another strong outing under center, throwing for 216 yards and adding 29 on the ground with one touchdown and an interception.

“That’s the type of style we run with,” said Bascon. “It’s pretty hard to stop if you’re the opposing team because you don’t know what you’re going to get out of every back.”

The opening minutes of the first quarter suggested a defensive showdown. Harvard’s first drive sputtered with a quick three-and-out, and a kick-catch interference penalty gifted Princeton good field position. The Tigers failed to capitalize, after their own drive was undone by a personal foul that erased a big run from quarterback Kai Colón.

Then came the fireworks. Craig found his rhythm on Harvard’s third possession, connecting on back-to-back passes out of a no-huddle shotgun set — the second a 29-yard pass to senior receiver Cam Henry streaking down the middle with defenders far behind for the game’s first touchdown in a 69-yard play.

Senior Cam Henry powers through a tackle. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

After two no-score drives from the Crimson and the Tigers, Princeton’s Colón returned to the field and orchestrated a 97-yard march, aided by an untimely personal foul penalty on Harvard linebacker Christian Nwosu. He capped the drive with a short touchdown toss to wide receiver Aidan Besselman, tying the game at 7–7 late in the first quarter.

The second quarter brought more rhythm on the ground game for Harvard. Two rushes of more than 20 yards from Bascon and Henry pushed the Crimson deep into Princeton territory. But Craig and his crew failed to capitalize in the red zone, as the Princeton defense pulled off a big stop at the four-yard line forcing a Harvard field goal from sophomore kicker Kieran Corr.

On Princeton’s next drive, Harvard pulled off a fourth down stop and got the ball back mid-field.

But momentum swung back to the Tigers’ side again. On Harvard’s next possession, Craig — steady all season with just two prior interceptions — was picked off by Princeton’s Evan Haynie, setting the Tigers up near midfield.

The Tigers delivered payback to the Crimson almost instantly, with Colón finding Ethan Clark on a short route and Clark breaking loose down the sideline for a 51-yard touchdown that gave Princeton its first lead of the afternoon and marking the first time the Crimson had trailed its opponent all season.

Harvard responded with another drive deep into Princeton territory but was again stopped short, settling for Corr’s second field goal to cut the deficit to one.

With just over a minute on the clock, the Tigers looked poised to coast into halftime with a narrow lead — until Harvard linebacker Jack Kirkwood picked off Colón, giving Craig and the offense a chance to score from 32 yards out.

In a 26-second drive from Harvard, Bascon bulldozed through the Tigers’ defense, breaking a 28-yard run before punching in a four-yard touchdown. Junior running back Jordan Harris converted the two-point and Harvard headed into halftime up seven.

The second half got off to a quiet start, as both defenses tightened and drives stalled. Princeton opened the third quarter but failed to gain traction, turning the ball over on downs near midfield. Harvard punted it back after a brief possession, and Princeton followed with another short drive that ended in a missed 41-yard field goal attempt.

In a game full of rushing attempts by the quarterback, Craig scrambles for the endzone. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

From there on, Harvard made sure the Tigers barely touched the ball. The Crimson mounted a clock-chewing, 17-play, 71-yard drive that consumed over nine-minutes of game time. Bullock and Craig powered the offense with a mix of short runs and passes while the Tigers’ defense grew visibly fatigued. As the third quarter expired, Harvard stood inches from the goal line.

Bullock finished the job on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend Harvard’s lead to 28-14 after Corr’s extra point.

Princeton’s offense could not respond, going three-and-out on its ensuing possession against a rested and relentless Harvard defense. The Tigers trotted out their tired defense to face Harvard’s deep rotation of running backs yet again.

The Crimson methodically marched down the field with multiple short runs to drain the clock. Bascon grinded out 30 yards before letting Gordon get a turn, pushing for 15 yards and capping the drive with a nine-yard touchdown to give Harvard a decisive three-score lead.

Looking for a comeback, Colón and the Tigers pieced together a late drive that reached Harvard’s ten-yard line, but the Crimson defense came up with a crucial fourth-down stop that all but sealed the deal.

Turning back to their rushers, Harvard ran the ball five more times – including a 48-yard tear down the middle from Bullock – to close the game and return home still undefeated.

“We feed off one another, and we’re going to continue to build,” said Bascon about the running back room. “We’ve only gotten better every single week, so we’re going to continue to just produce.”

– Staff writer Connor Castañeda can be reached at connor.castaneda@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Saketh Sundar can be reached at saketh.sundar@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @saketh_sundar.