­­CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In a late-game thriller capped by a field goal from junior Jake McIntyre as time expired, Harvard (3-2) bounced back to beat Holy Cross (1-6), 33-31, at Harvard Stadium on Friday night.

Harvard totaled 540 yards of total offense, led by 131 on the ground from sophomore Aaron Shampklin. Sophomore Tyler Adams had a career-high seven receptions for 84 yards, while senior Tom Stewart threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns. McIntyre connected on four field goals, including the game-winner.

Opening play for the Crimson, Shampklin broke through the Crusaders' defensive line to score a 57-yard touchdown just a minute into the game, giving the Crimson an early 6-0 lead. Holding off the Holy Cross offense, the Crimson returned to the red zone, allowing McIntyre to tally a field goal to put Harvard up 9-0 to end the first quarter.

The Crusaders' Martin Dorsey opened up scoring in the second half, collecting a touchdown to cut down the Crimson lead to 9-7 with 12:48 on the clock. After McIntyre drilled in a 21-yard field goal for the Crimson, sophomore James Batch dove for a career-first touchdown pass to push the Crimson to 20-7 with just 38 seconds left on the clock.

After seven scoreless minutes, the Crusaders found the gap for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 20-14. The Crimson responded with a 30-yard field goal from McIntyre to push the score to 23-14, Harvard.

Gaining possession in Holy Cross territory off a fumble recovery from senior Jordan Hill, Adams took a pass to the house from 28 yards for his career-first touchdown, capping the third with a 30-14 lead.

With a quarter left to play, the Crusaders continued to encroach on the Crimson's lead, putting up 17 unanswered points to claim a 31-30 lead with just 8 minutes left to play. After an aggressive late-game push, the Crimson secured a nail-biting victory in the final seconds as McIntyre drilled in a 25-yard field goal to lift Harvard past the Crusaders, 33-31.

Harvard Highlights

• Sophomore wide receiver James Batch recorded his first career touchdown on a 35-yard pass from Tom Stewart.
• Making his first start of the season, Tom Stewart went 20-for-36, throwing for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns.
• Tonight's 128-yard game marks Aaron Shampklin's third of the season with 100 or more rushing yards.
• Late in the third, sophomore Tyler Adams collected his first career touchdown to push the Crimson to a sixteen-point lead over the Crusaders.
• Stone Hart led the defense, collecting seven tackles, 1.5 for loss, and a forced fumble. 

Game Notes

• With tonight's victory, the Crimson moves to 3-2 on the season.
• The Crimson combined for 540 total yards, just four short of its season high 544 (vs. Brown).

What's Next
The Crimson returns to Harvard Stadium to host the No. 21/22 Princeton Tigers next Saturday, Oct. 20 at noon.