Box Score WORCESTER, Mass - Jake Smith threw three touchdown passes, and the Crimson defense intercepted three passes to lead the Harvard football team to a 38-13 win on the road at No. 24/RV Holy Cross Saturday afternoon at Fitton Field.
 
Khalid Thomas picked off two passes, and James Herring paced the Crimson defense with 12 tackles, as Harvard (3-0) held Holy Cross (3-2) to 254 yards of offense on the day.
 
Harvard opened the scoring on its first drive, as Smith sent a screen pass to the left sideline to Kym Wimberly, who danced around defenders and all the way down the field into the endzone for a 41-yard score at the 10:14 mark.
 
Following an acrobatic interception by Khalid Thomas, Harvard went on a 7-play, 58-yard scoring drive, culminating in a 17-yard pass play from Smith to Kaedyn Odermann, who made the two-handed grab despite defensive pass interference, making it 14-0 at 14:07 of the second quarter. Khalil Dawsey picked off a pass on the next Crusader play and returned it 55 yards for another Crimson touchdown, as Harvard went up by a score of 21-0 just 20 seconds later. With 2:49 left in the half, Jonah Lipel connected on a 22-yard field goal attempt, pushing Harvard's lead to 24-0.

In the second half, the Crusaders cut the Crimson's deficit to 24-6 when Ayir Asante took a hand off and rushed 59 yards for a score at the 9:59 mark of the third quarter. Holy Cross failed on the ensuing two-point conversion. Holy Cross added another score following a Crimson turnover on a muffed punt, as Matthew Sluka dashed into the endzone for a 7-yard score, 23-14, with 8:16 left in the third.
 
Early in the fourth, Harvard upped its lead to 31-13 when Smith found Adam Shepherd for a 29-yard TD strike with 12:26 remaining. Later in the quarter, Aidan Borguet ran through the Holy Cross defense for another Harvard TD, making it 38-13 with 7:42 to go.

Harvard Highlights

• Kym Wimberly's 41-yard TD catch in the first quarter was Harvard's sixth touchdown of 31 yards or more this season.
• Khalil Dawsey's 55-yard interception return for a touchdown was the first for a Crimson player since Cole Thompson against Brown in 2018.
• Harvard picked up its first victory over a ranked team since beating No. 22/22 Dartmouth, 14-13, in 2015.

Game Notes

• Jake Smith now has 31 touchdown passes and 4,406 passing yards in his career. Smith ranks fifth all-time in passing yards and is sixth in TD passes.
• Jon Sot posted a 64-yard punt late in the first quarter, pinning Holy Cross at its 2-yard line. In the second, Sot also pinned the Crusader to their 6-yard line after a 46-yard kick.
• Jonah Lipel is 2-for-2 on field goals this season.
• The Crimson is 3-0 for the first time since 2016.
• Harvard has now scored in an Ivy League-record 221 consecutive games.
• The Crimson is 2-0 on the year against Patriot League opponents and will play a third, Lafayette, on Oct. 16.
• Harvard improved to 47-12 in the month of October since 2006.

What's Next?
Harvard will return home for an Ivy League matchup against Cornell on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.