CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University football hosts No. 23 Princeton University in a Friday night showdown on ESPNU on Oct. 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Harvard Stadium for Fan Appreciation Night in a match-up of teams with undefeated records in Ivy League play.
 
The Crimson (4-1, 2-0 Ivy) has won four of its first five games in 2022 with victories over Merrimack (28-21, OT), Brown (35-28), Cornell (35-28), and Howard (41-25) alongside a narrow setback against then No. 11/10 Holy Cross (30-21). The nationally ranked Tigers, (5-0, 2-0 Ivy) have tallied wins over Stetson (39-14), Lehigh (29-17), Columbia (24-6), Lafayette (23-2), and Brown (35-19). Harvard trails Princeton in the all-time series, 48-58-7.
 
As part of Friday night's game, Harvard will host its Fan Appreciation Night which will feature giveaways, special contests, promotions, and more. As part of the evening, the Crimson will recognize Dr. Chester Pierce '48, M.D. '52 – a standout tackle on the Harvard football team who became the first Black student-athlete to play against a then all-white college south of the Mason-Dixon Line. In recognition of the 75^th anniversary of that game against Virginia in 1947, Harvard will honor the family of Dr. Pierce and give commemorative t-shirts to the first 500 fans in attendance.

What to Know

• As part of Friday night's game, Harvard will host its Fan Appreciation Night which will feature giveaways, special contests, promotions, and more.
• As part of the evening, the Crimson will recognize Dr. Chester Pierce '48, M.D. '52 – a standout tackle on the Harvard football team who became the first Black student-athlete to play against a then all-white college south of the Mason-Dixon Line. In recognition of the 75^th anniversary of that game against Virginia in 1947, Harvard will honor the family of Dr. Pierce and give commemorative t-shirts to the first 500 fans in attendance.
• The Crimson is also set to recognize its 2007 Ivy League championship team at the end of the first quarter. The 2007 team posted an undefeated 7-0 record in Ivy League play, capping the season with a 37-6 victory at Yale.
• Senior defensive back James Herring earned Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week after recording a blocked punt and eight tackles in the Crimson's 41-25 win at Howard (Oct. 15). He tallied his sixth career blocked kick. Against the Bison, the Crimson also blocked a field goal.
• As a team in the NCAA FCS rankings, the Crimson ranks second in blocked kicks (five), second in blocked punts (four), fifth in passes had intercepted (two), 13^th in red zone offense (0.889), seventh in rushing defense (78.0 yards per game), 10^th in sacks allowed (1.00 per game), first in tackles for loss allowed (2.80 per game), second in team sacks (4.00 per game), and third in team tackles for loss (8.6 per game).
• In the NCAA individual rankings, senior running back Aidan Borguet ranks sixth in points per game (9.6), third in rushing yards per game (124.0), 12^th in all-purpose yards per game (134.60), and 16^th in rushing touchdowns (seven).
• Senior wide receiver Kym Wimberly sits 15^th in receiving yards per game (91.6) and 11^th in receptions per game (6.8) while sophomore receiver Ledger Hatch ranks 14^th in yards per reception (20.93).
• Senior quarterback Charlie Dean stands 32^nd in points responsible for per game (13.5), and senior defensive lineman Nate Leskovec ranks 16^th in sacks per game (0.90).
• Senior running back Aidan Borguet has rushed for 620 yards (124.00 yards per game) and seven rushing touchdowns – alongside a receiving touchdown – on 104 carries this season. He leads the Ivy League in rushing attempts (104), rushing yards (620), rushing yards per game (124.0), and second in rushing touchdowns (seven).
• Senior wide receiver Kym Wimberly has made 34 receptions for 458 yards and three receiving touchdowns on the season. He paces the Ivy League in receptions per game (6.8) and ranks second in receiving yards per game (91.6).
• Senior captain and defensive lineman Truman Jones has earned selection as a semifinalist for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football's premier scholar-athlete award. Jones stands as one of 37 nominees for the award from the Football Championship Subdivision.
• Senior quarterback Charlie Dean captured the NEFW Gold Helmet Award after leading the Crimson to a 35-28 win over Brown on Sept. 24. Dean completed 20-of-29 passes for career highs in passing yards (282) and passing touchdowns (four) with no interceptions in the victory.
• Following its victory over Brown on Sept. 24 – under Tim Murphy, The Thomas Stephenson Family Head Coach for Harvard Football, Harvard holds a 23-5 (.821) record in its Ivy League openers since 1994.
• Senior defensive lineman Nate Leskovec earned national recognition after posting a school-record 4.5 sacks and seven tackles in the Crimson's win over Merrimack, taking home FedEx Ground Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week and NCAA FCS Player of the Week honors. Leskovec also garnered Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week.
• Senior running back Aidan Borguet gained both Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week and NEFW Gold Helmet weekly honors following his performance against Merrimack. Borguet accounted for 166 all-purpose yards (127 rushing, 39 receiving) and three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) to help propel the Crimson to the overtime victory.
• Junior defensive tackle Thor Griffith gained an honorable mention nod on the FedEx Ground Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week list after he posted nine tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks in Harvard's win over Merrimack.
• Senior defensive back Max Jones gained a spot on the prestigious Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes 22 college football student-athletes and an honorary head coach for outstanding contributions to their communities. Off the field, Jones started the Project Proximate fellowship program, which aims to help Black and Latinx college students acquire and develop the tools necessary to be change agents in closing the racial wealth gap.

Next Up

Harvard plays at Dartmouth on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1:30 p.m. (ESPN+/NESN+) in Hanover, N.H., at Memorial Field.