CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 20/18 Harvard Football took down in-state foe Merrimack, 31-7, Saturday afternoon at a sun-splashed Tim Murphy Field at Harvard Stadium. The victory was the Crimson's fifth in as many tries this season. The Warriors, meanwhile, fell to 3-5 on the year.

How It Happened

• After the Harvard defense forced a Warriors punt to open the game, Jaden Craig directed a 10-play, 88-yard drive that ended in him connecting with Ryan Osborne for the 14-yard touchdown. The Crimson led, 7-0, in the first quarter with 5:51 left and carried that advantage into the second.
• Harvard pushed its lead to 10-0 with 9:14 left in the second period when Kieran Corr split the uprights from 27 yards out. The big play during the 9-play, 71-yard drive was a 39-yard reception by Brady Blackburn.
• The Warriors dented the scoreboard when Galamama Mulbah rumbled 20 yards for the touchdown. The 11-play drive covered 75 yards and brought the visitors to within three at 10-7.
• Faced with just 2:35 left in the half, the Crimson marched the down the field with the help of a 42-yard catch by Cam Henry, bringing Harvard to the Merrimack 6-yard line. The Crimson, however, could not get the ball over the goal line and settled for a 22-yard field goal by Corr with 38 seconds left in the half. Harvard took a 13-7 lead into the locker room.
• With 7:40 left in the third quarter, the Crimson forced a Merrimack punt that covered 17 yards and took over at the Warriors 38-yard line. On the second play of the drive, DJ Gordon carried the rock 14 yards and Harvard went right back to him on the next play. In an impressive display of strength and will, Gordon rushed 24 yards into the endzone despite Nate Palancia Jr. hanging onto this facemask. The Crimson went for the two-point conversion and was successful, pushing its lead to 21-7.
• After a Merrimack failed punt attempt, Harvard began its drive at the Warriors 37-yard line. The Crimson, however, could not take full advantage of the good field position as it settled for another Corr field goal, with this one coming from 21 yards. The boot gave Harvard a 24-7 lead with 1:56 left in the third.
• Gordon put the game out of reach when he rushed for 19 yards to paydirt with 9:15 left in the fourth quarter. Gordon was responsible for 30 of the Crimson's 81 yards on the six-play drive. With the extra point, Harvard led, 31-7, and ultimately won by that margin.

Team Notes

• Harvard is 5-0 for the first time since 2023, and improved to 2-0 all-time vs. Merrimack in the process.
• The Crimson went undefeated against its non-conference opponents for the third straight season.
• Harvard has won eight consecutive games in the month of October.
• The Crimson has won four straight games against schools from the state of Massachusetts.
• Harvard held its third straight opponent scoreless in the first quarter. The Crimson has accomplished the feat four times in its five games this season.
• Harvard has picked off at least one pass in every game this season.

Player Notes

• DJ Gordon (8 carries, 104 yards, 2 touchdowns): Posted his first two-touchdown game of his career… Recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game… Led the team in rushing for the second time this season… Became the first Harvard player this season to post a 100-yard rushing game.
• Ryan Osborne (4 receptions, 91 yards, 1 touchdown): Caught his second touchdown of the season in the first quarter… The TD was the fifth of his career… Finished with 91 yards receiving, surpassing his previous best of 58.
• Brady Blackburn (4 receptions, 110 yards): Eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark for the third straight game… Fell four yards shy of his career high (114 at Holy Cross).
• Xaden Benson (5 tackles, 1 interception, 2 pass breakups): Picked off his second pass of the season as the first half ended… The interception was his second in his last three games and third of his career… Matched his career high with five tackles… Set a new personal best with two PBUs.
• Kieran Corr (3-3 FG): Set a career high with three field goals (27, 22, 21)… Today marked the first time he has made multiple field goals without a miss.
• Jaden Craig (17-29-1, 305 yards, 1 touchdown): Threw for his second-highest yardage total of the season… Tossed for one touchdown, bringing his career total to 38, which is three shy of the school record.
• Damien Henderson (6 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup): Totaled six tackles for the second straight game… Matched his single-game career high for tackles.
• Jack Donahoe (7 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss): Made a career-high seven tackles, surpassing his previous best of five… Matched his career high with 1.0 TFL.
• Seamus Gilmartin (7 receptions, 53 yards): Set a career high with seven catches.
• Ty Bartrum (11 tackles): Made a season- and game-high 11 tackles.
• Dorsey Benefield (9 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 0.5 tackles for loss, 1 quarterback hurry): Equaled his career high with nine tackles… Now has back-to-back game with nine stops. 

Up Next

Harvard returns to the road to face Princeton next Saturday. The Ivy League game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. ET start and will air live on ESPN+.