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Harvard Football gameday at New Hampshire (Sept. 19, 2026)
31
Winner Harvard HAR 1-0 , 0-0
7
New Hampshire UNH 1-3 , 0-1
Winner
Harvard HAR
1-0 , 0-0
31
Final
7
New Hampshire UNH
1-3 , 0-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
HAR Harvard 0 21 0 10 31
UNH New Hampshire 0 7 0 0 7

Game Recap: Football |

No. 25 Football Takes Down New Hampshire, 31-7, in Season Opener

DURHAM, N.H. – Harvard first-years scored the first three touchdowns of the game to power the No. 25 Crimson to a 31-7 road win at New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon. The Crimson moved to 1-0 on the season, while the Wildcats fell to 1-3 overall.

How It Happened

  • After a scoreless first quarter that saw both teams combine for 66 yards of offense, the Crimson wasted little time in the second frame to get on the scoreboard. Harvard opened its first drive of the new quarter on the UNH 32 thanks to a 28-yard punt return by first-year Nate Bailey. Jordan Harris followed with a 25-yard scamper to get the Crimson to the seven-yard line. Three plays later, first-year QB Kise Flannery found the endzone, scoring from one yard out, to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.
  • New Hampshire answered with a five-minute, three-second drive to knot the score at 7-7. The Wildcats connected on a 40-yard pass from Brooks Bentley to Ty Carlson to get them to the Harvard 12. With UNH firmly in the red zone, the Wildcats rushed the ball on five consecutive plays and broke goal line on the fifth try when Bentley scored from one yard out.
  • The Crimson ended up taking a 14-7 lead right before halftime when Bailey took a reverse 23 yards for the score. The TD run put an exclamation point on a nine-play, 71-yard drive that took 2:01 off the clock.
  • The Harvard TD gave New Hampshire 53 seconds to play with before halftime, but the visitors took away any hope on UNH's second play as Bentley was picked off by DJ Vincent-Thomas, who returned it 30 yards. Then with 18 seconds left, first-year QB Charlie Smith found Bailey in the endzone for a 13-yard TD strike. As a result, Harvard went into the half with a 21-7 lead.
  • Harvard opened the second half with possession and its drive stalled on a missed 55-yard field-goal try. Interceptions highlighted the next two drives as Harvard's Xaden Benson picked off a Bentley pass in the endzone and UNH's Jackson Stone intercepted Smith, putting the hosts on the Harvard 45. New Hampshire got down to the Harvard 10, setting up a 4th-and-1 situation only to have the Crimson stand tall to force a turnover on downs with 3:48 left in the third quarter. Harvard eventually took a 21-7 advantage into the final 15 minutes of regulation.
  • The Crimson added three points to its cushion when Kieran Corr connected on a 24-yard field goal, which was aided by three Xaviah Bascon rushes (24 yards). The boot gave Harvard a 24-7 lead with 11:34 left in the fourth.
  • After a quick three-and-out that led to a 16-yard punt by New Hampshire, Harvard took over at the UNH 25. Smith quickly found Maddux Reid for a 22-yard reception and went back to Reid, who rushed for two yards, helping the Crimson get to the one-yard line. From there, Bascon scored for the first time this season, pushing Harvard's advantage to 31-7 and a lead it would not relinquish.

Team Notes

  • Harvard won its sixth straight season-opening game. It is the first time the Crimson has won six straight lidlifters since doing so from 2001-06.
  • Harvard has won 11 straight regular-season non-conference games.
  • Harvard has won 14 straight non-conference games against unranked foes.
  • Harvard has won eight straight regular-season non-conference road games.
  • Harvard improved to 21-4 in its last 25 season openers.
  • Harvard improved to 9-0 all-time vs. New Hampshire and 8-0 in Durham.
  • Harvard rushed for 188 yards and limited UNH to just 49.
  • Eight Harvard players rushed for positive yards and eight caught at least one pass.
  • Harvard finished with 7.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss.

Player Notes

  • Nate Bailey: Finished with 73 all-purpose yards, which led all players… Carried the ball three times for 29 yards and one touchdown… Had two catches for 16 yards and a TD… Added one punt return for 28 yards.
  • Sean Line: Led all players with 10 tackles… Posted a game-high-tying 2.0 sacks (Josh Fedd)… Had a game-high 3.5 tackles for loss.
  • Cole Allen: Led the team with 62 yards rushing… Had the second most attempts (12)… Added one catch for five yards.
  • Xaviah Bascon: Carried the ball a team-high 15 times… Finished with 51 yards rushing and one touchdown.
  • Maddux Reid: Led the team with 22 yards receiving.

Up Next

Harvard faces a short week and opens Ivy League play on Friday, Sept. 25, against Brown. The contest will take place at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and will air live on ESPN2.
 
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