CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Crimson, which is ranked No. 25 in the FCS Coaches Poll and receiving votes in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, plays host to Brown on short rest, welcoming its Ivy League foe to Harvard Stadium for a Friday night showdown (ESPN+, 7 p.m.).
- Both teams come into their conference opener with 1-0 records after they emerged victorious on Saturday. Harvard dismissed St. Thomas, a team that was receiving votes in the FCS Coaches Poll, 45-13. Brown, meanwhile, found itself trailing by three with 1:03 to go in the fourth and pulled out the win with a TD with 13 seconds left to capture the 29-25 decision over Bryant.
- In its contest vs. St. Thomas, Harvard scored the game's first 38 points on the strength of five touchdowns from five different players. The Crimson's 45 points were its most in a season opener since it scored 51 vs. Rhode Island in the 2016 lidlifter.
- Quarterback Charles DePrima started his first career game and led all players with 113 rushing yards, which included a 69-yard rushing TD to open the second half. The junior's 69-yard rush was the longest by a Harvard quarterback since at least 2009, and his 100-yard rushing performance was the first by a Crimson QB since Colton Chapple (120 yds.) in 2012.
- DePrima also added 92 yards passing and an 18-yard touchdown to Tyler Neville vs. the Tommies. The quarterback was on the field for four of Harvard's six TDs and directed another drive that ended in a field goal.
- Harvard nearly had two players rush for 100 yards in a game for the first time since 2019, as DePrima finished 113 and junior running back Shane McLaughlin tallied 96 against St. Thomas. For McLaughlin, his 96 yards were more than he had in his career entering the contest (65) and his 79-yard first-offensive-play-of-the-game rushing TD was the longest by a Crimson back since at least 2009. The previous long on record was a 75-yard run by Paul Stanton at Penn in 2014.
- In addition to McLaughlin and DePrima's rushing TDs, Harvard also received explosive plays from running back Isaiah Abbey (25-yard rushing TD) and safety Ty Bartrum (96-yard interception return TD). Bartrum's return vs. St. Thomas is the longest interception return in the FCS and is the second-longest in Division I (FCS and FBS), entering this week's action.
- For his performance, Bartrum is the Ivy Defensive Player of the Week. In addition to his INT return for a touchdown, the Ohio native tallied a personal-record eight tackles (0.5 TFL). Bartrum is the first Harvard player to win the award since Nate Leskovec on Sept. 19, 2022.
- Harvard's defense, annually one of the best in the nation, was back at it on Saturday. The unit compiled 3.0 sacks, 9.0 tackles for loss, forced two fumbles and recovering both, broke up six passes, intercepted two, and hurried the QB three times. The Crimson enters this week ranked first in the Ivy League in interceptions, fumbles recovered and team tackles for loss.
- Garrett Sharp led the Crimson with a career-high 12 tackles vs. the Tommies to record his first double-digit tackle performance. Bartrum added a personal-record eight stops and a 0.5 TFL. Nick Yagodich and Alex DeGrieck, meanwhile, combined for 2.0 sacks, 2.5 TFL, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
- Harvard opens Ivy action against a Brown side that it has defeated 11 consecutive times. The Crimson also carries an 11-game home winning streak over the Bears into the contest.
- During Harvard's 11-game winning streak vs. the Bears, the Crimson has averaged 38.1 points, including six efforts of 40 or more points and nine with at least 30.
