Dylan Goodman

Football
10/29/2024 9:34:00 AM

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard heads to The Granite State for a Saturday afternoon showdown at No. 22/22 Dartmouth. The Ivy League match has implications for the conference title, as the Crimson are one of three teams sitting at 2-1, while the Big Green sit atop the table at 3-0. It’s also a clash between two of the three teams that shared the 2023 Ivy League crown. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 PM ET, with ESPN+ broadcasting the game live.

Quick hits

– The Harvard-Dartmouth game is one of the best games in the country and the only two-team FCS game with one or fewer losses this season. In Division I (FCS and FBS), only three games feature two teams with one loss or less: Harvard (5-1) at Dartmouth (6-0), Ohio State (6-1) at Penn State (7-0) . ), and Pittsburgh (7-0) at SMU (7-1).

– The Crimson is having a perfect October, something the program hasn’t achieved since 2015. Harvard won 4-0, including a 28-23 home win over then-No. 1. 16-21 New Hampshire and its most recent win, a 45-13 decision vs. Princeton last Saturday at Harvard Stadium.

– Harvard is looking for its fifth straight win, which would match the program’s longest win streak (2021, 2023) since the 2015 squad opened the campaign with eight straight wins. The Crimson will look to accomplish the feat in a spot where they are 13-1 since early 1994, including a 28-13 decision in 2022.

Despite the recent one-sided nature of the games played in Hanover and the current two-game winning streak at Harvard, the advantage has tilted toward the Big Green in recent seasons. Dartmouth has won three of its last five matchups, but all five have been extremely close, with four decided by a total of 21 points (average winning margin – 5.3 points) and all five by 36 points (average winning margin – 7.2 points ). ). Dating back to the 2013 contest, which spanned ten games, eight were decided by a margin of eight points or less. The other two had margins of 11 points (2014) and 15 points (2022).

– In Harvard’s convincing victory over Princeton, quarterback Jaden Craig continued his excellent play. The junior completed a career-high 26 passes (26-33) for 345 yards and a personal-best four touchdowns. As of October 11, Craig leads all FCS signal callers (minimum three games) with a 77.6 completion percentage, 11 TDs (No. 1 in FCS and FBS), a 12.9 percent touchdown rate and a 208.7 QB rating . He also ranks fourth in yards per game (306.0) and fifth in yardage (918) (minimum three games).

– Junior wide receiver Cooper Barkate caught a pair of touchdowns (14.39 yards) and finished with a game-high 106 yards vs. Princeton. As of October 11, Barkate ranks first among FCS players (minimum three games) in touchdowns (5), and fifth in yards per game (106.7) and yards (320), and tied for 14th in receipts (19). Senior Scott Woods IIwho had a game- and career-high 10 catches for 81 yards versus the Tigers, ranks seventh nationally in receptions as of Oct. 11, with 23.

– Barkate and second-year tight end Seamus Gilmartin teamed up to post 100-yard receiving days against Princeton. Barkate had 106, while Gilmartin added 101 with one touchdown. The duo became the first Harvard teammates to have at least 100 receiving yards in the same game since Nov. 3, 2018. That afternoon saw Jack Cook rack up 107 yards on three catches (1 TD) and Henry Taylor rack up five receptions for 105 yards. yards and two touchdowns against Columbia.

-Harvard recorded six sacks, including 2.5 from seniors Jacob Psyk7.0 tackles for loss, one interception (Ty Bartrum) and five quarterback rushes against Princeton. The Crimson’s defensive performance gave the Tigers their largest margin of defeat since a 51–14 loss to Yale on November 16, 2019. Harvard also managed to snap a six-game skid to Princeton and post the largest margin of victory in the book series. since 2015 (42-7 win over Harvard).

– Bartrum has 22 tackles (14 solo), 1.0 sacks, 1.0 TFL, one fumble recovery for an 88-yard touchdown, one interception and one pass breakup in the last two games alone. Psyk, meanwhile, was a threat to the defensive line, tallying a team-best 4.5 sacks and a team-best 7.5 tackles for loss. The senior’s TFL total makes up half of his tackle count for the season (15). The two form a unit that ranks first in the Ivy League in third-down defense (.341), defensive TDs (2), yards allowed (206.0), rushing defense (108.3) and total defense (314.3).