Harvard Demolishes Brown 41-7 in Ivy League Opener

Updated September 27, 2025, at 10:45 p.m.

For the first time in a decade, thousands of fans poured into Harvard Stadium for football on a Saturday night. With an entourage of students making the trip from Providence, Brown hoped to play spoiler in the Crimson’s Ivy League opener.

From the opening kick, they stood no chance.

Harvard’s senior quarterback Jaden Craig threw touchdown passes to four different receivers, the defense had three interceptions, and the Crimson thrashed the Bears to open Ivy League play with a dominant 41-7 win.

In a game Harvard (2-0, 1-0 Ivy) had circled on its calendar ever since last year’s heartbreaking loss to the Bears (1-1, 0-1), the Crimson defense made few mistakes, allowing just 157 yards and scoring a pick-six on their first play from scrimmage. With the win, Harvard is now 8-0 against the Bears in night games at Harvard Stadium.

Head coach Andrew Aurich — for whom the turnover battle has always been a priority — was impressed with his crew’s defensive performance.

“I always talk to them about the ball execution and attacking and playing violently, and it was very clear that we did all three of those things at a very high level,” Aurich said.

“It was a lot of fun. The crowd was great. They were into it,” he added.

Meanwhile, Craig finished his night with a statline of 24-for-31, 317 yards and four touchdowns in front of NFL scouts, looking comfortable in the pocket and utilizing his legs in his second straight game without taking a sack.

“I walk into every game with supreme confidence in myself and my teammates, just trusting that they'll do their job,” Craig said. “When you have full trust in all 10 others around, it's easy to get into that confident flow state.”

On its first play on offense, Brown was quickly overwhelmed. Junior quarterback James Murphy was hit by senior defensive end Alex DeGrieck, causing him to throw an easy interception to sophomore linebacker Dorsey Benefield. Running between multiple offensive players, Benefield returned the ball for a touchdown, Harvard’s first pick-six since week one of last season.

After trading punts, Brown found themselves backed up once again. On a tipped throw from Murphy, Harvard junior defensive back Austin Jake-Guillory snagged an interception along the sideline to gift the Crimson the ball in the red zone.

As more fans of both teams started to pile into the stadium, Craig and company took the field for the second time. Momentum continued to roll in the Crimson’s direction.

On the third play of the drive, Craig lofted a pass into the back left corner of the end zone. Senior wide receiver Dean Boyd came down with the impressive contested catch, extending Harvard’s lead to 14-0 just seven minutes into action.

Powered by five carries from sophomore utilityman DJ Gordon, the Crimson marched down the field once more for Harvard’s third touchdown of the quarter, eliciting roars from the Harvard side of the field as the first frame wound to an end. Gordon — listed as a quarterback — finished the game with 16 carries and 73 yards, highlighting his versatility as an offensive weapon.

As dusk turned to dawn, Harvard’s offensive machine kept rolling in the second quarter. Craig found tight ends Ryan Osborne and Seamus Gilmartin for big gains along the sideline. On the ensuing play, sophomore wide receiver Brady Blackburn slipped several tackles for a 23-yard gain. Taking significant pressure from the Bears defense, Craig threw a dart to junior tight end Seamus Gilmartin for the 16-yard touchdown to cap off a seven minute drive, putting Harvard up 28-7.

After a Brown three-and-out, Craig guided the team to a couple of quick first downs to bring the ball to the Brown 44-yard-line. Taking the snap in the shotgun and moving around in the pocket, Craig threw a beautiful pass to senior wide receiver Cam Henry for a 44-yard touchdown, the quarterback’s third of the half. After a missed point after, the lead extended to 34-7.

Yet another quick punt from Brown gave the Crimson time to drive down the field and set up a 36-yard field goal attempt that sailed to the right of the post to end the half.

After punting the ball on their first drive of the second half, Harvard’s senior captain Ty Bartrum caught an interception of his own to shorten the field for the Crimson offense. The Crimson immediately picked up 35 yards on another deep pass to Henry, who finished the night as Harvard’s leading pass catcher with 81 receiving yards. Subsequently, on a fourth-and-goal, Craig found Osborne in the end zone on a fake to extend Harvard's lead to 41-7.

“If you go three-nothing in a turnover margin, your chances of winning are ridiculously high regardless of what other stuff happens in the game,” Aurich said.

In a week, the team will aim to remain undefeated as it travels down I-90 to Worcester, Mass., where it will face off against perennial FCS powerhouse Holy Cross on Oct. 4 at 2 p.m.

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

—Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at praveen.kumar@thecrimson.com.