CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Football has climbed to No. 17 in both the AFCA Coaches and Stats Perform FCS Top-25 Polls, which were both released this morning. The Crimson jumped two spots in the coaches rankings and one position in the media poll.
 
Harvard is coming off a 41-29 road win at Cornell in what was a battle between two teams that entered the contest undefeated in Ivy League play. The Crimson yielded the first 10 points of the afternoon before rattling off 41 unanswered points in cruising to victory.
 
Quarterback Charlie Smith completed 23 of 27 pass attempts for 275 yards and three touchdowns. For his performance, which included a 200.0 passer rating and a career-high 85.2 completion percentage, the sophomore was named the New England Football Writers Association's Gold Helmet Award recipient. On the other side of the ball, Xaden Benson picked up his FCS-best sixth interception of the season.
 
The Crimson, which is one of four undefeated teams nationally, now turns its focus to Saturday's foe, Holy Cross, which will visit Harvard Stadium for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff. Tickets for the Youth Day game are available at GoCrimson.com. ESPN+, meanwhile, will air the game live.