Box Score NEW YORK – Making his first-career start, Luke Emge went 17-of-225 for 227 yards and three touchdowns, while Aaron Shampklin and Aidan Borguet both rushed for two scores on the ground to lead the Harvard football team to a 49-21 victory at Columbia Saturday afternoon.

Kym Wimberly added eight catches for a career-best 109 yards and one touchdown, while Thor Griffith led the defense with 3.0 tackles for a loss, including 1.0 sacks.

Harvard (6-2, 3-2 Ivy League) opened the game with a seven-play, 76-yard drive, culminating with a five-yard TD run by Shampklin, at 12:31 of the first quarter. Later in the frame, Columbia (5-3, 2-3) missed a 21-yard field-goal attempt, keeping Harvard up 7-0.
 
The Crimson upped its advantage to 14-0 when Shampklin scampered into the endzone with a 1-yard rush, his ninth touchdown of the season. The previously play was a 48-yard flea flicker from Emge to James Batch, setting up first and goal.
 
In the second quarter, Emge sent a pass into the right corner of the endzone, finding Adam West for a two-yard score, giving the Crimson a 21-0 advantage at the 9:40 mark. Later in the quarter, the Crimson attempted a trick play, and Emge handed off to wide receiver Gavin Sharkey who passed the ball down the field to Batch for a 39-yard gain. On the next play, Emge threw a 15-yard TD pass to Adam Shepherd, making it 28-0 in favor of the Crimson. With 31 seconds left in the half, Emge hit Wimberly for an 11-yard TD play, making it 35-0 in favor of Harvard.
 
The Crimson continued to roll in the second half as Aidan Borguet dashed for a 22-yard touchdown on Harvard's first possession of the third quarter, 42-0, at 9:42. The Lions got on the scoreboard later in the third at 4:44 when quarterback Joe Green rushed for a six-yard score, 42-7.
 
The Lions added another score with 11:33 remaining in the fourth quarter, an 11-yard TD play from Green to Luke Painton, 42-14. Following a Crimson turnover, Columbia then scored on a 40-yard rush by Dante Miller at 10:24 to pull closer, 42-21. Harvar capped the scoring with 4:22 remaining, as Borguet posted his second touchdown of the afternoon, a 10-yard rush to make it 49-21.

Harvard Highlights

• Aaron Shampklin now has nine rushing touchdowns this fall.
• Making his first-career start, Luke Emge was 17-of-25 for 227 yards and three touchdowns and became 14th of last 16 Harvard signal callers to win their first-career start.
• Harvard's offensive showing was the third time this season the Crimson scored at least 40 points (44 at Georgetown and 49 vs. Brown) and matched its season-high in scoring.

Game Notes

• With the victory, Tim Murphy, The Thomas Stephenson Family Head Coach for Harvard Football, ties Columbia's Al Bagnoli for second with 127 career Ivy League victories.  
• The Crimson defense, which entered the week second in the nation in sacks, recorded 2.0 sacks against Columbia, with Thor Griffith and Jacob Sykes posting 1.0 sacks apiece. Sykes paces the team with 7.0 sacks on the year.
• Harvard improves to 63-15-1 all-time against Columbia.
• Harvard headed into the week with the country's top rush defense (56.4) and held the Lions to 49 yards on the ground.

Up next
The Crimson will host Penn on Senior Day Saturday, Nov. 13. The game will be at noon on ESPN+.