Craig Shatters All-Time Pass TD Record as No. 12 Harvard Rallies Past Dartmouth

Updated November 1, 2025, at 7:15 p.m.

Star quarterback Jaden Craig tallied four touchdowns on his way to shattering Harvard’s all-time passing touchdown record as the Crimson (7-0, 4-0 Ivy) overpowered the Dartmouth Big Green (5-2, 2-2 Ivy) on Saturday to remain undefeated.

Facing one of the best defenses in the Ivy League, Craig’s big night proved too much for the Big Green to handle as the senior continued to make his case to NFL scouts by throwing for a season-high 322 yards. Midway through the fourth quarter, Craig finally relented to the pleas from the crowd of 11,334 and took off his helmet to sign some midgame autographs for young fans.

When asked about his own performances, Craig credited the team.

“It’s just a testament to my coaches, my teammates, and everyone around me who’s lifted me up and made me a better player and person,” Craig said.

The dominating performance came on an afternoon when Craig was not even at his best. He threw 21-for-32 as Dartmouth’s defense intercepted Craig twice, the first time this season he has been picked off more than once in a game.

“We knew they were going to make some plays and they did,” said the senior. “That just can’t change our mentality, and you gotta stay in attack mode all game.”

Even with some offensive struggles, another defensive masterclass from Harvard held Dartmouth to just one touchdown and one field goal. The unit led by Defensive Coordinator Scott Larkee ’99 has now held opposing offenses to one touchdown in five out of seven games this season.

The win allowed Harvard to move to 7-0 for the first time since 2015. Head Coach Andrew Aurich is hoping to lead the Crimson to its second-straight Ivy League championship, and the first outright title in more than a decade. The Ivy League champion will receive a bid in the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 1945.

The win over Dartmouth, however, will also help Harvard make a case for an at-large playoff bid even if it fails to secure the Ivy title. At 7-0, the Crimson remains among only a handful of undefeated teams in the country.

Harvard opened the afternoon with a methodical six-minute march down field, weaving together short passes and runs. But it faced some pushback from the Big Green’s defense as Craig took a sack 30 yards out from the end zone — only the third surrendered by the Crimson’s offensive line all season — and the offense lost its sophomore right guard Brandon Sullivan to an injury for the rest of the game.

On the ensuing third-and-long, Craig pulled through with a 17-yard strike to junior receiver Cam Henry and found junior tight end Seamus Gilmartin for a 14-yard touchdown to punctuate a strong opening drive for the Crimson.

What followed was a back-and-forth of four drives that ended without a score.

Then the Crimson’s star quarterback uncorked a 61-yard bullet down field – the longest pass play of the season for the Crimson – to sophomore wide receiver Brady Blackburn, who bolted 13 yards down the sidelines to find the end zone.

After Harvard’s defense shut down Dartmouth’s offense once again to end the first quarter, Craig trotted back on field and found Blackburn 39 yards downfield on a run-pass-option play. The Crimson was able to thread together a series of short runs and passes but were shut down by the Big Green 20 yards out from the end zone. Sophomore kicker Kieran Corr drilled a 38-yard field goal into bad wind to put the Crimson up 17-0.

Continuing their dominant performance, Harvard’s defense kept Dartmouth from scoring on the next drive. But when it looked like Harvard was ready to score yet again after Craig connected on a series of short passes to set the Crimson up 30 yards out from the end zone, the Crimson’s quarterback was picked off by Dartmouth safety Sean Williams — Craig’s fourth interception in the past four games.

A personal foul penalty on the Dartmouth defense set the Big Green’s offense up at their own 30 as the clock ticked down to the two-minute warning. Saunier and squad answered with a strong two-minute-drill that brought Dartmouth within 20 yards of the end zone, but Dartmouth kicker Owen Zalc went wide right on the 37-yard field goal to keep his team scoreless in the first half.

The Big Green’s offense entered the second-half with some newfound momentum, mounting a 75-yard campaign with two passes of more than 20 yards from Saunier to find themselves within 10 yards of scoring a touchdown for the first time all game. And Saunier delivered, punching in a 1-yard run past the pylon to put Dartmouth on the scoreboard.

On the next Harvard drive, the Big Green’s defense only swung the momentum even more in their direction. A long pass from Craig bounced off the hands of Gilmartin to be picked off by Dartmouth free safety Harrison Keith — the first time Craig had been intercepted more than once all season.

The Dartmouth offense struck while the iron was hot, with Saunier rallying his troops downfield within scoring range. Though Dartmouth seemed like it was ready to notch yet another touchdown, a crucial sack on third down from senior defensive tackle Jacinto Lopez muffled the campaign, forcing a long field goal for the Big Green. Dartmouth kicker Zalc was good from 46 yards, putting Dartmouth only a touchdown away from tying the Crimson at 17-10.

Then Craig delivered a resounding response that blunted the Big Green’s momentum — and etched his name in the Harvard football team’s record books.

The Crimson quarterback completed two passes of 18 and 19 yards – interrupted by a sack and a run for a loss — and capped off the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Logan Reaska to put Harvard up 24-10. With that throw, Craig shattered the all-time passing touchdowns record of 41 for the Crimson, previously held by Neil Rose ’02 who led Harvard to an undefeated 9-0 season in 2001.

Junior tight end Logan Reaska celebrates as he runs into the endzone. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

As the sun set on Tim Murphy field, it also set on any hopes of a comeback victory for the Big Green shortly after.

Harvard’s defense asserted their dominance yet again, forcing a turnover on downs on Dartmouth’s first set of downs. On the very next play from the Crimson, Craig found Gilmartin for six on a 34-yard deep pass — the second time the duo had connected for a touchdown in the game. With a successful extra point from Harvard kicker Corr — perfect all day — Harvard was up 31-10.

As Dartmouth fans began leaving the stadium en masse, the Harvard defense forced another turnover on downs after defensive ends Christian Nwosu and Josh Fedd sacked Saunier twice. And the Crimson attempted to notch more points on the board while chewing out the clock, with a series of runs from running backs Xaviah Bascon and DJ Gordon propelling the Crimson to 3 yards away from the end zone.

Craig attempted to tie the Harvard record for passing touchdowns in a single game but an incompletion on fourth down turned the ball back over to Dartmouth with only seconds left.

With the win, Harvard sits at 4-0 in the Ivy League, one game ahead of both Yale and Penn as it looks ahead to the rest of its season. In the next three matchups, it faces Penn at home and will close out the season in New Haven, with both games being crucial in the Crimson’s fight for a higher seed in the FCS Playoffs.

Next up, the Crimson looks to extend its Ivy League lead next Friday as it takes on the Columbia Lions in New York City.

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

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