No. 22 Harvard Football Looks to Carry Momentum Against Cornell, Stay Undefeated

As temperatures fall, and the green in Harvard Yard turns to red and orange, the Crimson looks to keep one thing consistent this weekend: its undefeated record.

Coming off of a successful crusade against Holy Cross, No. 22 Harvard football will seek to record another statement victory under the Friday night lights of Cambridge against the winless Cornell Big Red.

The Crimson (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) remains the last unbeaten team in the Ivy League and one of eight left in the nation, courtesy of stellar play by senior quarterback Jaden Craig and incredible depth across both sides of the football.

Head coach Andrew Aurich said that while last year’s team typically targeted star wide receiver Cooper Barkate, who is now at Duke, the versatility of this roster has allowed Harvard to attack its opponents everywhere on the field. The depth was particularly evident in last week’s runaway 59-24 win over Holy Cross where seven different Harvard players snagged touchdowns.

“We can roll more guys through, which keeps them fresher, which allows them to play faster, and which allows them to get open more,” Aurich said.

While Harvard has run the table in each of its games so far this season, Cornell (0-3, 0-1 Ivy) cannot say the same, coming to Cambridge seated last in the Ivy League. Last week, the Big Red fell in a disappointing fashion to Yale 24-41, following victories in their matchups against the Bulldogs for the past two years.

Despite a challenging start to the Big Red’s season, this Friday’s game could mark a competitive matchup for the Crimson. Across the Ivy League, Cornell holds the third highest offensive efficiency and the second highest defensive efficiency — and this week, they’ll hope to piece together the puzzle to get their first win.

Offensively, Harvard’s team is as strong as it has ever been, scoring its most points in three games since 1887. Craig has been an all-star for Harvard and attracted hype as a potential NFL draft prospect. Meanwhile, junior defensive back Damien Henderson got his second pick of the season against Holy Cross, making a name for himself as a key member of the Crimson’s formidable defense.

The team’s formidable performances have caught the eyes of NFL scouts from eleven teams at practices and games — including the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins at last week’s blowout in Worcester.

The offensive line has been an essential unit for the Crimson's success this season. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

One group, however, continues to make an impact without seeing the spotlight.

The offensive line, which returned four starters from last year, has yet to give up a sack through three games, and it has given Jaden Craig more time to throw the ball than just about anybody else in the country.

Aurich, who was previously an offensive line coach at Rutgers, praised the line as being a “model of consistency” since the summer training camp — and credited the protection with helping the rest of the offense play their best.

“That’s a really good feeling to have as a quarterback, when you’re sitting back there and you don’t have to worry about any pressures, any free guys,” Aurich said.

But with 10 turnovers from the Crimson’s defense, the offensive line had little time to rest in last weekend’s game. Senior Aidan Kilstrom said Harvard’s coaching staff makes sure that the offensive linemen “keep fresh legs” and are constantly ready to get back on the field.

A quick recovery will be especially critical with one less day between the Saturday and Friday games for The Crimson this week. But Kilstrom said Harvard’s team has been able to stay healthy given their series of blowout performances.

“We just don’t have as many cumulative reps on our guys like so the game being a day closer should not impact us,” Aurich said.

Harvard’s defense tops the Ivy League with 10 takeaways, is first in the nation in first downs allowed, and second in opponent third-down conversion rate.

Kilstrom said he also finds motivation in the strength of the defense, aiming to convert the unit’s successes into big plays down the line.

“It makes me all the more excited to go out and compete for them and make sure that those turnovers and those takeaways that we’re getting are not wasted, and we’re turning all those into scoring opportunities for our offense,” Kilstrom said.

Forcing turnovers has been a big priority for the Crimson so far in this season’s three matchups. Harvard currently has the second highest turnover margin in the FCS and has averaged 17 points per game off of turnovers.

According to junior defensive end Josh Fedd, Aurich tells players that the turnover margin makes all the difference.

“Like Coach A hammers, if we win the turnover margin, we win the game,” said Fedd. “If we’re getting the turnovers, we know our offense is going to go down and score.”

– Staff writer Connor Castañeda can be reached at connor.castaneda@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @castanedasports.

—Staff writer Elyse C. Goncalves can be reached at elyse.goncalves@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @e1ysegoncalves.

—Staff writer Akshaya Ravi can be reached at akshaya.ravi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @akshayaravi22.