WORCESTER, Mass. – No. 25 Harvard Football picked up its second road win of the campaign on Saturday, defeating Holy Cross, 59-24, at Fitton Field. The decision moved the Crimson to 3-0 on the season, while the Crusaders dropped to 0-6.

How It Happened

• Two plays after quarterback Jaden Craig booted a 49-yard punt to the Holy Cross 2-yard line, Xavier Agostino recovered a fumbled snap by Crusader QB Cal Swanson. Then on Harvard's first play, Craig found a wide-open Logan Reaska for the 22-yard TD. The 1-play scoring drive put Harvard up, 7-0, with 9:34 to go in the first quarter.
• Harvard capitalized on a Damien Henderson interception when Isaiah Bullock found paydirt with 2:50 left in the first. The 2-yard TD run marked the senior's third of the campaign and doubled the visitors' lead to 14-0.
• The Crimson defense continued to put the offense in awesome field position, with Riley Jenne deserving the credit in this instance. The wide receiver who plays on special teams blocked a Holy Cross punt, putting Harvard at the Crusader 27. After a Seamus Gilmartin 19-yard catch, Craig located first-year Tafari Moe, who made his way over the goal line for his first career TD. Harvard now enjoyed a 21-0 lead with 43 seconds left in the first.
• Kieran Corr added to the Crimson's lead with a 22-yard field goal with 8:32 remaining in the half. The boot pushed Harvard's lead to 24-0, capping a 9-play, 79-yard drive.
• The Crimson came up big on defense after the Crusaders marched down to the Harvard 16. On back-to-back Holy Cross downs, Agostino and Jaeden Kinlock batted down pass attempts, forcing a Crusaders 34-yard field-goal attempt. Luis Palenzuela was successful as the hosts cut its deficit to 24-3 with 6:21 to go in the second.
• Harvard answered the Holy Cross field goal with a 1-yard TD run by Xaviah Bascon. The junior running back was met with resistance up the middle, but then bounced outside for his second touchdown of the season, making it a 31-3 game.
• With 10 seconds left before the mid-game break, Craig hooked up with Brady Blackburn for the 13-yard TD reception in the back right corner of the endzone. After the Corr extra point, the Crimson went up, 38-3, with five seconds to go.
• QB Dante Torres replaced Craig at the start of the second half and calmly directed an 8-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 33-yard Blackburn touchdown catch. The TD pushed Harvard to a 45-3 advantage with just over 11 minutes remaining in the third.
• Holy Cross answered the Blackburn TD with a touchdown of its own on its next possession. The Crusaders moved 83 yards in just five plays, with 44 coming on a Swanson-to-Joseph Williams TD pass.
• As quick as Holy Cross responded, Harvard was even quicker, scoring in just one play – a 75-yard run by Jordan Harris. The TD rush increased the Crimson's lead to 52-10 with 8:27 to go in the third.
• The Crimson went exclusively to the run on its next scoring drive and exclusively to Maddux Reid, who rushed four times, with the final coming from two yards out. The TD and subsequent extra point gave Harvard a 59-10 lead (3^rd, 5:41).
• Holy Cross found the endzone with 8:56 left in the fourth quarter when Swanson connected with Lincoln Fisher for a 15-yard TD. The score made it 59-17 in favor of the visiting team. The Crusaders tacked on another TD just over three minutes later to provide the final margin.

Team Notes

• Harvard is 3-0 for the first time since 2023, which also came thanks to a win over Holy Cross. That season, the Crimson defeated the No. 5/6 Crusaders, 38-28, at Polar Park.
• The Crimson has won five straight road games, which is currently the longest active streak at the FCS level. Presbyterian and West Georgia have both won four in a row, with the Blue Hose idle this week and the Wolves kicking off at 4 p.m. ET at Austin Peay.
• Harvard has won nine consecutive non-conference games and seven straight non-Ivy League road games.
• Harvard improved to 48-26-2 all-time vs. Holy Cross (9-2 since 2012) and has won three straight in the series.
• The Crimson's 59 points this afternoon is the most it has scored in a game at Holy Cross. The previous high was 43 in 2003.
• The Crimson has won six straight games in October and improved to 60-17 during the month since the 2006 season.
• Harvard has scored at least 21 points in the first quarter in each of its first three games (28 at Stetson, 21 vs. Brown, 21 at Holy Cross). In the first quarter alone this season, the Crimson is outscoring its foes, 70-7.
• In second quarters this season, Harvard has outscored its opponents, 47-3. It had pitched a shutout this year until allowing a field goal with 6:21 left in the frame.
• The 59 points allowed by Holy Cross is its most since Boston College scored 62 in 2018. Among FCS programs, it is the most the Crusaders have allowed since Lehigh scored 62 in 1999.

Player Notes

Jaden Craig (19-27-0, 248 yards, 3 TD): Only played in the first half… Passed for multiple touchdowns in every game this season and in four straight dating to last season… Had a first-half punt that went 49 yards; has two punt this season (59, 49).
 
Brady Blackburn (5 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD): Caught the first touchdown pass of his career with his back-corner reception at the end of the first half… Became the first Harvard player this season to have multiple receiving TDs in a game after his third-quarter score… Became the first 100-yard receiving for Harvard this season… The 114 receiving yards were a career high and entered today with just 97 career receiving yards.
 
Xavier Agostino (1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery, 1 PBU): Recovered the first fumble of his career in the first quarter.
 
Logan Reaska (3 receptions, 48 yards, 1 TD): Made season debut… Scored his first touchdown of his career on his first career catch in the first quarter.
 
Damien Henderson (1 tackle, 1 interception, 1 QB hurry): Intercepted his team-best second pass of the season in the first quarter.
 
Isaiah Bullock (3 attempts, 4 yards, 1 TD): Rushed for this third TD of the season in the first quarter and his first since the opener at Stetson.
 
Riley Jenne (1 reception, 10 yards, 1 blocked punt): Blocked a punt with 1:23 left in the first quarter, with Ryan Mooney hopping onto the loose ball; The sequence set up Tafari Moe's 8-yard TD catch.
 
Tafari Moe (2 receptions, 25 yards, 1 TD): Found the endzone for the first time of his career in the first quarter on just his second career catch… His 25 yards marked a single-game career high.
 
Xaviah Bascon (11 attempts, 56 yards, 1 TD; 1 reception, 18 yards): Rushed for a 1-yard touchdown on the first play after the 2-minute timeout to record his second TD of the year… The 56 rushing yards were a season high.
 
Dante Torres (4-5-0, 68 yards, 1 TD): Threw for the first touchdown of his career when he connected with Blackburn in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
 
Jordan Harris (4 attempts, 91 yards, 1 TD): Rushed for the first TD of his career when he scampered 75 yards in the third quarter… Entering today's game, the junior had 65 career rushing yards; he finished with a team-best 91.
 
Xaden Benson (1 interception): Posted his first interception of the season in the third quarter and the second of his career… Returned the pick 31 yards.
 
Maddux Reid (14 attempts, 20 yards, 1 TD): Scored his second touchdown of the season and first since the game at Stetson… Led the team with 14 carries.
 
Alex DeGrieck (4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL): Recorded his first two sacks of the season after entering the game with three in his career… Shared team-high honors in tackles along with Jack Donahoe and Ty Bartrum.
 
Delian Bradley (3 tackles, 1 interception): Intercepted his first pass of his career and returned it 35 yards late in the fourth quarter.

Up Next

Harvard returns to Tim Murphy Field at Harvard Stadium on Friday, Oct. 10, when it welcomes Cornell to Cambridge. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, with the Ivy game airing live on ESPNU.