CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - No. 19/21 Harvard, one of three remaining undefeated teams in the FCS, steps back into Ivy League action against Cornell on Friday night in front of a national television audience (ESPN2; 7 p.m. ET).
- The Crimson is coming off an impressive 38-28 road victory last Saturday vs. then-No. 5/6 Holy Cross at Polar Park, the home of the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate Worcester WooSox. The victory was Harvard's first over a ranked opponent since it defeated the No. 25/RV Crusaders in Worcester on Oct. 2, 2021. It was also the highest-ranked opponent Harvard has beaten since it took down No. 11/11 Yale on Nov. 17, 2007.
- Entering this week's action, Harvard is joined by No. 1/1 South Dakota State and No. 5/6 Southern Illinois as the only undefeated FCS teams. The Crimson, in fact, is the lone undefeated Division I team (FCS and FBS) in New England, which has 16 teams of its own.
- The Crimson finds itself at No. 19 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, marking its highest coaches ranking since it was No. 16 on Oct. 18, 2021. Its No. 21 ranking in the Stats Perform Top 25 is Harvard's first appearance in that poll since Nov. 7, 2016 (No. 24).
- AJ Lopez had quite a Monday as he was named the FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week and the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week. The sophomore helped the Crimson snap Holy Cross' 19-game winning streak vs. non-conference opponents by recording a pick-6 just before halftime, forcing a key fumble in the fourth quarter, making five tackles and adding a pass breakup.
- Lopez and the Harvard defense forced five turnovers, including three interceptions (and a fumble) of Holy Cross quarterback Matthew Sluka, who only threw four picks a year ago. The unit also limited the Crusaders to seven second-half points after they entered the ballgame averaging 25.7 points in the second halves of their three games against FCS competition.
- The Crimson defense, which leads the FCS in turnover margin (2.33), also featured nine players with at least five tackles (Matt Hudson led the team with eight stops and an interception; Ty Bartrum added six tackles and his second interception of 2023), and totaled three sacks and four tackles for loss.
- Offensively, Harvard enjoyed its second-highest scoring output of the season against a Holy Cross side that entered only giving up 20.5 points per outing. The Crimson enters the Cornell contest ranked eighth nationally in scoring offense at 39.0 points per game.
- Harvard employed a balanced attack against the Crusaders with quarterback Charles DePrima throwing for 151 yards and two touchdowns, while addding a team-high 89 rushing yards. Running back Shane McLaughlin totaled 82 yards and a touchdown on the ground, with wide receiver Cooper Barkate hauling in five passes for 73 yards and a TD. Wideout Dean Boyd, meanwhile, caught his first career pass on a 26-yard TD strike.
- With Harvard stepping back into Ivy League action, Tim Murphy, The Thomas Stephenson Family Head Coach for Harvard Football, has a chance to tie the Ivy League record for most conference victories. He currently has 134 Ivy wins, one shy of Yale's Carm Cozza (135). Murphy is already the Ivy record-holder for most overall wins with 195. He originally set the standard with his 180th victory in 2021.
- The Crimson heads into its clash with the Big Red in search of its first 4-0 start since 2021, and its second such start since the start of the 2017 campaign. Prior to 2017, Harvard opened with 4-0 marks from 2012-16. The Crimson is also looking to open Ivy play with a fourth straight 2-0 record.
