Harvard Aims to Complete Perfect Regular Season, Clinch Playoff Spot

After nine consecutive weeks of action-packed Harvard football, we have finally reached the season finale — a matchup in New Haven against the Yale Bulldogs that will have more riding on it than any game this season, and potentially in the Crimson’s history.

Thanks to wins last Saturday by both Harvard (9-0, 6-0 Ivy) and Yale (7-2, 5-1), the two teams now in first and second in the Ivy League. Due to new tiebreaker rules from league officials, the winner of this matchup will be the Ivy champion.

But the real incentive will be a chance at an automatic bid to the FCS’s 24-team postseason tournament. While both programs have won well over a dozen Ivy League titles each, neither has played in the FCS postseason, thanks to the 1945 Ivy Group Agreement. However, thanks to a reversal in that agreement late last year, the Ivy League winner will now have the chance to face perennial powerhouses such as North Dakota State, Montana State, and Montana.

With no real benchmark as to how the Ancient Eight stack up against the rest of the nation, many will see this year’s tournament as a test for some of the oldest programs in the country to see how they play against some of the strong teams of the FCS.

Still, Harvard and Yale may both be positioned this year to impress the skeptics.

One of the best statistics to use when comparing teams across divisions is ESPN’s SP+ metric, which utilizes advanced statistical tracking and considers the quality of a team’s opponents to hypothetically put all 766 college football teams on an even playing field.

In the most recent update, both the Crimson and the Bulldogs hold respectable rankings, with Harvard sitting ranked fourth among FCS teams and Yale at 14th.

With this year’s newfound stakes, it’s easy to forget how meaningful this matchup is among students and fans from both schools. For many students who root for the Crimson, this is merely the biggest game on the athletic schedule, but for some, it is the biggest university event of the year and calls for all-out pandemonium.

But for players on the team, such as senior quarterback Jaden Craig, the key to pulling away with a victory lies in the team’s dedication to its weekly standard.

“I understand what’s at stake, and it’s definitely in the back of my mind, but I’m doing my best to not even think about things like that,” Craig said. “I just out-prepare them and come out with my best effort.”

Crimson faithful will be rooting for one of the best offenses in the country, with its star quarterback leading the unit to 40.7 points per game, one of the top marks in the FCS. Alongside offensive weapons such as sophomore receiver Brady Blackburn and junior running back Xaviah Bascon, Harvard has pushed its point differential on the season to plus-230, the top mark in the Ivy League.

Harvard enters Harvard Stadium for its game against Brown. By Samuel A. Ha

Led by safety captain Ty Bartrum, the Crimson’s defense has allowed just 15.1 points per game on the season, the lowest in the conference and third lowest in the nation — though the team struggled last week to stop Penn’s offense.

With emerging stars such as junior linebacker Sean Line and junior defensive back Damien Henderson, Harvard has managed to lock opposing teams down into the red zone, allowing a .654 scoring percentage inside the 20 — second best in the country.

Yale won’t go down without a strong fight, though, as the team has the top rusher in the league by far in running back Josh Pitsenberger, who has 1,095 yards on the season. With the second ranked rushing offense in the conference alongside quarterback Dante Reno throwing just six interceptions on the year, the Bulldogs post the second most efficient offense in the league behind the Crimson.

Old Eli’s defense will try its best to limit the Harvard offense, and with the sixth ranked defense in the country, it will certainly be the toughest defense the Crimson has faced all season. Led by linebacker Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye — the Ivy leader in tackles with 91 — the Yale front eight gives opposing offenses little room to get things going, leading the conference in sacks and third down conversion percent allowed.

With Harvard and Yale both possessing strong offenses and the two best total defenses in the league, this matchup is sure to be one for the ages, and it will be the biggest Ivy League game in years.

Aurich and his squad hope to bring a level of focus into the match that will give the Crimson its best shot at leaving New Haven with its first win there since 2021.

“The reality is, you only have 24 hours in a day, so you can’t do weird things,” Aurich said. “The team that can lock themselves in and focus harder right from the get-go is gonna get themselves an immediate edge in the game, and that’s the area we’ve got to make sure we are ready to take.”

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