The Particulars
After two weeks away from home, Harvard returns to The
Stadium on Saturday for an Ivy League contest against Cornell.
The game will be shown live on GoCrimson.com with Chris Villani
and Mike Giardi '94 on the call. The game is part of the football
season pass and can also be purchased as a one-time event.
Streaming is offered on computers, iPads and iPhones.
For those unable to watch the game live, it will also be
available as an archived event immediately following the game.
The game can also be heard live on the radio and over the
internet on AM 1120 (Boston), 1390 (Plymouth), 970 (Sturbridge), as
well as WHRB-FM 95.3 (Cambridge) with students Scott Reed and
Charlie Hobbs.
The Promotion
Saturday's game marks Cambridge Day at The Stadium. All residents
of Cambridge will receive free admission with an ID. As a reminder,
children are always free at Harvard's first four home football
games.
The Series
Saturday's game will be the 75th meeting on the gridiron between
Harvard and Cornell since 1890, and the Crimson holds a 40-32-2
series lead.
The Crimson owned the early series, capturing the first 10 games
(1890-1913), while Cornell won 11 straight from 1986-1996.
Harvard has won eight of the last nine contests while averaging
33.8 points in those eight wins compared to 14.8 for Cornell.
Harvard has scored at least 32 points in three of the last four
years against the Big Red with last season's 28-10 win being the
lone exception.
Last Year's Meeting
Gino Gordon
ran for 137 yards and a touchdown and Treavor Scales
ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns as Harvard outgained Cornell
251-62 on the ground in a 28-10 victory last season in Ithaca,
N.Y.
Quarterback Collier Winters
added a 15-yard touchdown run as the Crimson ran for four
touchdowns for the first time since 2007. That note would be erased
two weeks later as the Crimson ran for five TDs against
Dartmouth.
Then-freshman cornerback Brian Owusu had two
interceptions in the game, coming on the second and third defensive
downs of his career, and the Crimson allowed just 182 total yards
to the Big Red. The Crimson received more help from punter Thomas
Hull '10, who pinned three punts inside Cornell's five yard
line.
Harvard's Last Time Out
Gino Gordon gained 170 yards and two touchdowns on just 12
carries, leading Harvard over winless Lafayette 35-10.
With sophomore quarterback Colton Chapple
making his first start for the Crimson (2-1) in place of an injured
Andrew
Hatch, Harvard led 21-0 before the Leopards (0-4) scored on
Davis Rodriguez's 45-yard field goal 33 seconds before
halftime.
Gordon, who had 92 yards on 10 carries in the first half, ran 74
yards for a touchdown on third-and 15 to put Harvard ahead 28-3
with 8:59 left in the third quarter. He didn't play the rest of the
way and finished with a 14.2-yard average per carry.
Chapple was 6-for-11 for 82 yards and a touchdown for the
Crimson, who have beaten two Patriot League opponents this season
by a combined 69-16.
Ryan O'Neil completed 27 of 42 passes for 210 yards for the
Leopards but was sacked four times for 32 yards. Harvard's defense
also came up with 12 pass breakups in the game.
Cornell's Last Time Out
Cornell jumped out early hung on to defeat Bucknell, 21-12. The
winless Bison fell to 0-4 on the season and 0-2 against Ivy teams
(Dartmouth).
The Big Red (1-2) jumped out to a 14-0 lead after a two-yard
touchdown run from Nick Booker-Tandy and a 14-yard scoring run from
Luke Tasker.
A pair of field goals from Bucknell's Drew Orth made it a 14-6
game early in the second half before Cornell QB Jeff Matthews
scored on a one-yard run that capped an 11-play, 70-yard drive as
the Big Red pushed its lead to 21-6.
A 14-yard touchdown run from Brandon Wesley just before the end
of the third quarter kept Bucknell in the game, but a failed
two-point conversion made the score 21-12.
Cornell notched the victory despite being outgained, 372-306,
and turning the ball over four times (three fumbles).
Harvard Coach Tim Murphy
In his 17th season as Harvard's head coach, Tim Murphy enters
Saturday's game with a 106-56 record with the Crimson and a
138-101-1 overall head coaching record, which includes five years
at Cincinnati and two years at Maine. Murphy is one of just five
coaches to win 100 games since the formation of the Ivy League in
1954. Murphy has led Harvard to five Ivy League championships
(1997, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008). He is 10-6 all-time against
Cornell.
Cornell Coach Kent Austin
Kent Austin, who spent five years as a successful coach in the
Canadian Football League and the last two years as offensive
coordinator at the University of Mississippi, was named Cornell's
head coach on Jan. 27, 2010. Austin, 46, was most recently the
offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Mississippi, helping the
Rebels to an 18-8 overall record and a pair of Cotton Bowl
victories. Prior to his time in Oxford, Austin spent 15 seasons in
the CFL as a player, assistant coach and head coach, winning Grey
Cup titles at each step. In his only season as head coach, Austin
directed Saskatchewan Roughriders to a Grey Cup title in 2007 and
earned CFL Coach of the Year honors. Austin was a four-year letter
winner at Mississippi, graduating with a bachelor's degree in
business administration in 1985.
Ball Control
Harvard did not fumble against Lafayette on Oct. 2 and did not
turn the ball over. Since the 2000 season, Harvard is 26-0 when it
does not fumble and 21-0 when not committing a turnover.
300
Harvard had 311 rushing yards at Lafayette, giving Harvard a
300-yard rushing game in each of the past three seasons after
having just two from 2000-07.
Harvard's last five 300-yard rushing games have all come against
Lafayette (two) and Dartmouth (three).
With its win over Lafayette, Harvard has now defeated the
Leopards in nine of the last 10 meetings.
Success vs. Patriot League
Harvard has outscored its two Patriot League foes (Holy Cross and
Lafayette) by a combined score of 69-16 this season.
Success vs. Lafayette
When Harvard hosts Lehigh on Oct. 16, the Crimson will be going
for its sixth undefeated nonconference season since 2001.
The Crimson is 10-4 in its last 14 nonleague road games since
the 1999 season - all against Patriot League teams.
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Lafayette had 15 incomplete passes against Harvard on Oct. 2 and
the Crimson defense was credited with 12 pass breakups in the
game.
Gino on The Ground
Gino Gordon's 74-yard touchdown run at Lafayette was Harvard's
longest rush since Clifton Dawson '07, the Ivy League's all-time
leading rusher, had a 74-yard scoring run at Dartmouth in 2006.
Gordon's 170 rushing yards came on just 12 carries and he did
not play the final 23 minutes of the game.
Entering the Lafayette game, Gordon - a 2009 all-league
selection - had collected just 61 rushing yards in limited
opportunities.
Successful Signal Callers
Sophomore QB Colton Chapple became Harvard's third starting
QB in the last four games dating back to last season.
Seven of the last eight Harvard QBs to start a game have won
their first career start (Garrett Schires vs. Lafayette, Oct. 18,
2003; Richard Irvin at Holy Cross, Sept. 17, 2005; Liam O'Hagan vs.
Brown, Sept. 24, 2005; Chris Pizzotti vs. Holy Cross, Sept. 6,
2006; Jeff Witt at Brown, Sept. 13, 2006; Andrew Hatch vs.
Holy Cross, Sept. 18, 2010; Colton Chapple at Lafayette, Oct. 2,
2010).
Paper or Plastic?
Senior defensive tackle Josue Ortiz has
recorded a sack in all three games this season.
Complete Game Notes
For complete games notes in PDF format, click on the link
at the beginning of this page.
