As Dartmouth students light a huge bonfire Friday evening as part of their annual homecoming celebration, the Harvard football team hopes to throw water on the flames — the one that has powered the Big Green to an undefeated 6-0 start — the following afternoon. heading into the matchup with the Crimson (5-1, 2-1 Ivy).

The Crimson will take on Dartmouth (6-0, 3-0 Ivy) – the only remaining undefeated team in the Ivy League – on Saturday in a defining game for both teams’ seasons.

Harvard enters the heavyweight showdown tied for second place in the Ivy League, with the loss to Brown in the team’s first conference game as the only blemish on the season. The only realistic way for Harvard to achieve its goal of an outright Ivy League title is to win this game and then take the lead, hoping that Dartmouth and Brown lose at least one game in the remainder of their seasons.

If Dartmouth secures the victory, they will become the clear favorites for the league title, with their toughest goals already behind them.

Despite the importance of the game, Harvard head coach Andrew Aurich said his players have had the benefit of playing every game since the Brown game knowing their season is on the line.

“We’ve had our backs against the wall since the Brown game, so the mentality of these guys is no different than Cornell and Princeton.” Aurich said. “Because in this competition, a championship with two defeats does not happen often, so you literally have to play with your back against the wall.”

Junior wide receiver Copper Barkate also said his mentality hasn’t changed much since the loss to Brown.

“We messed that up,” said Barkate of the collapse at the last second against the bears. “Every week is a championship week for us, so it’s just a matter of staying on track.”

Dartmouth head coach Sammy McCorkle said at a news conference Wednesday that he’s taking a different approach with his team — not talking about the broader impact of the game at all.

“We never talk about that deployment,” McCorkle said. “We just talk about preparing ourselves every week, and we talk about trying to do what we can to put ourselves in a position where we can try to be successful.”

The Big Green is coming off a narrow road victory against Columbia – proving themselves in a season-defining matchup between the only two previously undefeated teams in the conference.

Dartmouth is no stranger to close games. The Big Green has won its last five games by a total of thirteen points, with the largest margin being just four.

Running back Q Jones, who currently ranks second in the Ivy League in rushing, played a key role in the game against the Lions, finishing with a career-best 182 rushing yards. His role was all the more important to the team because Dartmouth’s starting quarterback Jackson Proctor suffered an injury.

McCorkle gave little indication as to whether his lead signal caller will return against Harvard.

“We’re still day to day,” McCorkle said. “By Saturday we will have a better idea of ​​where we stand with that.”

For his part, Aurich acknowledged Jones as a threat, but noted that as long as no player on his defense tries to be a “superhero,” Jones can be contained.

“He’s a great running back, has great vision and a lot of patience, and when he sees the gap he has an acceleration,” Aurich said. “So the most important thing is that we have to make sure that everyone does their job. Because if someone tries to make a play outside of the so-called defense, they end up getting really big plays. But it’s actually more about eleven men doing their job.”

On the Harvard side, McCorkle views junior quarterback Jaden Craig as the top offensive threat. Craig is currently the top-ranked quarterback in the league in terms of efficiency and is averaging 252.8 passing yards per game.

“We can’t have Jaden running around back there and sitting back there,” McCorkle said. “And he has a lot of good goals, and he’s too good of a quarterback. If you give him too much time now, he will tear you apart.

McCorkle also spoke about the deep talent Craig has to work with in Harvard’s offense.

“They involve a lot of players offensively,” McCorkle said. “It puts a lot of pressure on you defensively. Obviously, the most important thing we need to do is make sure our assignment is correct. We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot. We can’t give them an easy game. We have to make them work for everything. And that is our plan for the future.”

McCorkle also said he is prepared to adjust his offense if necessary against a strong Harvard defense – led by defensive coordinator and Associate Head Coach Scott Larkee ’99.

“Harvard is very good up front, very good up front and very good at the second level,” McCorkle said. “Their security services and secondary services are also very well involved.”

“I mean, they have a really good defense,” he added. “They always have a very good defense.”

On Saturday, both teams will prepare for the most highly anticipated game of the year in the Ivy League. Still, Barkate said he feels good about where the Crimson are.

“We have so many weapons,” Barkate said. “The running back room has depth. The reception room has depth. Craig turns off the lights. So I think we’re doing pretty well.”

The duo of the conference’s best quarterback and wide receiver, along with the rest of the Crimson, will look to extend their winning streak to five in Hanover, NH at 1:30 PM on Saturday. Nov. 2, streaming on ESPN+.

—Staff writer Jo Lemann can be reached at [email protected].

—Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at [email protected].