Harvard Looks For First Non-Conference Win

This Week's Video: Harvard University Band Performance

Harvard football (1-1, 1-0 Ivy) returns to non-conference play this weekend with a trip down to Bethlehem, PA, where the Crimson will take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (0-3, 0-0 Patriot) in what could be a rainy affair.

Last time out for the Johnnies was the "Friday Night, Under the Lights" game against Ivy League opponent Brown. The Bears got off to a good start, but the Crimson trimmed the deficit to 14-10 at the half, and a dominant start to the second half saw Harvard take the lead to 24-14. With three minutes remaining, things got tense for the Crimson as Brown began a drive that would lead to a touchdown, followed by an onside kick recovery with 30 secs. left. After electing to not go for the 42 yard field goal that would have tied the game, Brown sent the offense out, and QB Kyle Newhall had his pass to the endzone batted down to seal the win for Harvard.

Lehigh is playing their second straight Ivy opponent, as they faced the Princeton Tigers (1-1) last weekend and lost 17-14. It was two big plays that hurt the Hawks- a 77 yard interception return and a 68-yard run for touchdowns put Princeton ahead 14-0. Lehigh had 332 yards rushing last week, compared to Princeton's 162 yards. The other interesting note will be to see who takes the majority of the snaps for Lehigh. Junior J.B. Clark threw for 89 yards and a touchdown, but also two interceptions, while Sophomore Chris Lum threw for 135 yards. Lum has been getting more playing time as the week's have passed, while Clark has more touchdowns (3) and interceptions (5).

The pregame, with Scott Reed and James Yoon, will have much more in-depth coverage of this game starting at 12pm on 95.3 FM and WHRB, so let's turn to the rest of the Ivy League.


Around the Ivy League

Lafayette (2-1, 1-0 Patriot) travels to the Yale Bowl to face the Elis (1-1, 0-1 Ivy). Last week, the Leopards knocked off Ivy League opponent Penn in OT 20-17. Concerning for Lafayette is that they were up 17-0 with a 1:05 to play in the first half, and let Penn back into the game behind Kyle Olson, who threw for two touchdowns. Yale is coming off a disappointing Tom Williams Day, as their new coach's home debut and first state holiday was marred by a 14-12 loss to Cornell. Yale's defense limited Cornell to only 166 yards, but Patrick Witt's 3 interceptions mired the Eli offense. Tom Mante kept the Bulldogs in the game with a 54 yard FG to make it 14-6, a kick that tied for the longest in Ivy League history. Yale scored a late touchdown, but failed their conversion attempt for the tie. Harvard plays Lafayette at Harvard Stadium on October 17th.

Penn (0-2, 0-0 Ivy) and Dartmouth (0-2, 0-0 Ivy) kick off their Ancient Eight campaigns against each other in New Hampshire today. Penn is coming off a tough 20-17 OT loss to Lafayette. Dartmouth faced UNH in the last, for a while, battle of New Hampshire and it was, predictably enough, a blowout, as UNH won 44-14. Dartmouth is winless in their rivalry game with UNH since 1978.

In the Battle of Rhode Island, the URI Rams (1-2, 0-1 CAA) are in Providence to face the Brown Bears (0-2, 0-1 Ivy). Brown will be looking for their first win after losses to Stony Brook and Harvard. URI played another rivalry game this week, against Division I-A rival Connecticut, and the Huskies took it to their Division I-AA opponents, beating Rhode Island 52-10.

In the Battle of Upstate New York, Cornell (2-0, 1-0 Ivy) travels just down the road to Colgate (4-0, 1-0 Patriot) in a rivalry game generally more associated with ECAC Hockey on the outside, but a fierce one in football none-the-less. Colgate looks to move to 5-0, coming off a win over Fordham 20-12, while Cornell seeks to remain undefeated after holding on for a road win at Yale. No word yet on if toothpaste or chewing gum will be thrown onto the field before the game.

And in the late game (3pm) today, it is the Battle of the Hudson (sort of) as the Columbia Lions (1-1, 0-0 Ivy) travel to southern New Jersey to take on the Princeton Tigers (1-1, 0-0 Ivy) in the conference opener for both teams. Columbia had a lead early last week against Central Connecticut State, but could not hold on, falling 22-13. Princeton grabbed their first win of the season with a 17-14 win over Lehigh.

That does it for the blog's preview of the game and this week's Ivy action. Don't forget, pregame coverage starts at 12pm, and then Alasdair Wilkins, Tom Brennan, and Kara Hollis will have the call live from Goodman Stadium starting at 12:30 on 95.3 FM and WHRB.org.