WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sophomore wide receiver Ledger Hatch caught two touchdown passes, sophomore running back Shane McLaughlin rushed for two touchdowns, and the Crimson scored 24 unanswered points to start the second half as Harvard University football beat Howard University, 41-25, on Saturday afternoon at Audi Field.
 
Playing in the Truth and Service Classic at the home of Major League Soccer's D.C. United, the Crimson (4-1) opened the game with a 17-7 lead behind touchdowns from McLaughlin and Hatch before the Bison (1-5) tied the game at 17-17 just before halftime.
 
The Crimson scored a pair of touchdowns and blocked two kicks in the third quarter to move ahead 31-17 before adding 10 more points in the fourth quarter before Howard added a touchdown and two-point conversion inside the final minute of play. Harvard moved to 3-0 on the road this season with the victory.

Harvard Highlights

• Senior running back Aidan Borguet ran for 119 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He now has seven rushing touchdowns and eight TDs overall on the season. Borguet has gone over 100 yards in four games this season and rushed for a score in all five games.
• Sophomore running back Shane McLaughlin tallied 34 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 14 carries. He scored his first two collegiate touchdowns.
• Senior quarterback Charlie Dean threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-26 passing. He threw for over 200 yards without an interception for the fourth straight game. Dean has tossed multiple touchdowns in three games this season.
• Sophomore wide receiver Ledger Hatch grabbed four receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Hatch now has three receiving touchdowns on the season and posted his first collegiate game with two TDs.
• Senior wide receiver Kym Wimberly caught five passes for 84 yards. He has eclipsed 75 receiving yards in all five games this season.
• A pair of Crimson recorded their first collegiate interceptions as sophomore defensive lineman Dominic Young-Smith picked off a pass at the end of the first quarter, and sophomore defensive back Gavin Shipman came up with an interception in the fourth quarter.
• Harvard's special teams again impacted the game as senior defensive back James Herring blocked a punt, and senior defensive lineman Truman Jones blocked a field goal. Herring led the Crimson with eight tackles.
• Senior kicker Jonah Lipel hit 2-of-3 field goals and 5-of-5 extra points. Lipel made two field goals for the second straight game. 

 

How It Happened

• Senior kicker Jonah Lipel put the Crimson on the scoreboard as he connected from 27 yards with 7:10 to go in the first quarter. The kick capped an eight-play, 53-yard drive in 3:33.
• With 32 seconds left in the first quarter, sophomore defensive lineman Dominic Young-Smith came up with an interception to put the Crimson in scoring position.
• Following Young-Smith's pick, sophomore running back Shane McLaughlin bounced to the outside from one yard out for his first career touchdown, giving the Crimson a 10-0 lead with 13:44 left in the second quarter.
• The Bison pulled within 10-7 with 9:31 remaining in the second quarter as Ian Wheeler caught a 12-yard touchdown from Jaylon Tolbert.
• Harvard responded quickly as senior quarterback Charlie Dean found sophomore wide receiver Ledger Hatch behind the Howard defense for a 36-yard touchdown connection to push the Crimson ahead 17-7. The score capped a five-play, 75-yard drive at the 7:10 mark of the second stanza.
• The Bison scored the final 10 points of the first half with Tolbert connecting with Brennan Brown on a 14-yard touchdown with 4:06 left in the half, and Aaron Bickerton converting a 45-yard field goal with four seconds left until halftime to knot the score at 17-17.
• Harvard scored 24 straight points in the second half to gain separation from Howard.
• The streak started early in the third quarter as Dean again linked up with Hatch finding him for a 44-yard touchdown with 13:21 to go in the third quarter. The Crimson went four plays and 62 yards in 1:33 on the drive.
• The Crimson special teams set up Harvard's next score as senior safety James Herring blocked a punt to give Harvard the ball on the Howard 12-yard line. Senior running back Aidan Borguet finished the 12-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run, giving Harvard a 31-17 edge with 9:39 left in the third quarter.
• Harvard kept Howard off the board as senior defensive lineman Truman Jones blocked a Bison field goal attempt with 4:34 left in the third.
• Lipel connected on a 35-yard field goal with 10:32 left in the contest as his second field goal of the game extended the visitors' advantage to 34-17.
• Sophomore defensive back Gavin Shipman set up the Crimson's final score with his first career interception.
• McLaughlin capped the ensuing 34-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown plunge for his second score of the game. His TD gave Harvard a 41-17 lead with 6:19 left.
• Howard added a late score as Ja'Shawn Scroggins tallied a six-yard rushing score, and the Bison tacked on a two-point conversion with 40 seconds left.

Game Notes and Quotes

• Harvard improved to 2-0 all-time vs. Howard.
• The Crimson moved to 51-15 in October since 2006.
• Harvard bettered its all-time record to 891-406-50.
• The Crimson improved to 50-21 in its last 71 road games. Harvard has posted a 3-0 record on the road this season.
• Harvard registered points for the 233^rd consecutive game.
• The Crimson played on a natural grass surface for the first time this season.
• "It feels great. We did exactly the things we talked about. We wanted to be the more physical team and at the same time the more disciplined team. We made some huge plays on special teams. The defense played great in the second half, and the offense made very few mistakes. We are getting better every week. We are definitely a better football team than we were a few weeks ago." – Tim Murphy, The Thomas Stephenson Family Head Coach for Harvard Football
• "It feels good. The first few games it felt like we were playing well for a few quarters. This game it felt like we put everything together in the second half. It feels good to know what we can do ahead of next week which is a big game." – Shane McLaughlin

Next Up

Harvard begins a stretch of five straight Ivy League games to close the season when it hosts Princeton on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Harvard Stadium in a nationally televised game on ESPNU.