CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - No. 20/18 (coaches/media) Harvard concludes its longest homestand of the season when it welcomes Merrimack College to Tim Murphy Field at Harvard Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Crimson's final non-conference game of the campaign is set for a noon ET start and will air live on ESPN+. Replica Harvard Football jerseys will be handed out to all fans in attendance, while supplies last.

Quick Hits

- Harvard is 4-0 on the season after defeating Cornell, 34-10, last Friday and enters this week as one of eight FCS teams with spotless records (Lehigh 7-0, Tarleton State 7-0, Montana 6-0, North Dakota State 6-0, Presbyterian 6-0, South Dakota State 6-0, Tennessee Tech 6-0). The Crimson, meanwhile, is 2-0 in the Ivy League and owns a half-game lead over 1-0 Penn and Princeton.

- Harvard enjoyed its biggest jump of the season in the polls when they were released on Monday. The Crimson had the second-biggest boost of any team in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, rising five spots to No. 20, and moved up four positions to No. 18 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. Harvard's AFCA ranking is its highest since it was No. 19 heading into its last game of the 2023 campaign. Its Stats Perform ranking, on the other hand, is its best since it checked in at No. 17 going into its final outing of 2024.

- Harvard's defense has been stellar all season long, giving up just 12.0 points per outing (No. 2 in FCS) and last Friday was no exception as the Big Red was limited to a season-low 10 points and 193 yards of total offense (127 yards passing, 66 yards rushing). The Crimson enters the week ranked first in the country in total defense (221.5) and second in rushing defense (69.0).

- Harvard's defense found the endzone twice vs. Cornell. Austin-Jake Guillory had a 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown and Jack Donahoe picked off a pass and returned it 39 yards for the score. The Crimson now has three defensive TDs on the year, ranking first in the Ivy League and No. 3 nationally. Eastern Kentucky and Tarleton State are first in the category with four.

- Offensively vs. Cornell, Jaden Craig threw for 237 yards and one touchdown, and rushed for another, which marked his first of the season. Brady Blackburn, meanwhile, recorded his second straight 100-yard receiving game (114 at Holy Cross) with 101 on the night and Xaviah Bascon matched his career high with 23 carries (also against Cornell in 2024 at Ithaca, N.Y.) and a season-best 94 yards on the ground.

- Harvard comes into this week's action among the best in several categories. Most importantly, the Crimson ranks in the top 10 in both scoring offense (3rd - 48.3) and defense (2nd - 12.0), and total offense (9th - 473.3) and defense (1st - 221.5). Not to be overlooked, Harvard is first in the country in time of possession (34:51), second in rushing defense (69.0) and third in turnover margin (2.00).

- Jaden Craig, despite seeing limited action due to convincing wins at Stetson and Holy Cross, ranks among the nation's top QBs. The senior is eighth in passing efficiency (175.8), 12th in passing yards per game (252.5), and 13th in both completion percentage (.685) and passing yards per completion (13.65). With 10 TDs on the season, he is just four away from matching Neil Rose '03 for most career passing touchdowns. Craig also has 4,215 career passing yards (5th at Harvard), with Rose sitting atop the leaderboard at 5,549.

- Harvard is 20-4 (.833) over the last three seasons (8-2 in 2023, 8-2 in 2024, 4-0 in 2025). The Crimson ranks second in the FCS in fewest losses during this time period, trailing only South Dakota State (3). In Division I altogether (FBS and FCS), Harvard is tied for second for fewest losses (South Dakota State - 3; Harvard, Oregon, Ohio State - 4).

- The Crimson has been one of the best road teams in the FCS the last two-decades-plus. Since 1996, Harvard sits behind only North Dakota State in road winning percentage. NDSU has won at a .739 clip (85-30), while the Crimson has emerged victorious 94 times in 132 tries (.712; 94-38). Among all Division I teams, Harvard is behind only Ohio State (.799; 107-27), Georgia (.768; 96-29) and North Dakota State in road winning percentage since '96.

- Harvard has won five straight away from home, which is tied with Presbyterian for tops in the country. Tarleton State and Tennessee Tech rank tied for third at four.