Crunch time is fast approaching for Harvard Football (2-1, 1-0) with two out of three out-of-conference tune-ups out of the way. Ivy League Football He chose not to participate in the Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs, making his seven contests in the regular season the only factor in determining conference glory, and nearly every snap going forward. becomes important. The Gauntlet kicks off Friday night, with the Crimson taking on Cornell in their second Ivy League game of the season at 7 p.m. in Ithaca, NY (2-1, 0-1).
“Without the playoffs … we understand that every Ivy League game is very important,” said Truman, a senior defensive lineman who was named Harvard Football’s 148th captain by his teammates this season. Jones said. “This is that point in the season, it’s time to sit back and all the work we’ve done in preseason and those previous out-of-meeting games come to fruition.”
After defeating the Big Reds 24-10 at Harvard Stadium last year, Harvard will face a Cornell team led by dominant quarterback sophomore Jameson Wang on Friday night. He beat Colgate 34-31 last weekend. Wang led the Big Reds on a go-ahead field gold live with less than two minutes remaining, and Cornell’s defense held the Raiders on the ensuing drive to secure the win. Overall, Wang put up his 284 passing yards, plus he added his two runs for 98 yards and on the ground. But thankfully for Crimson, he’s had some recent experience with King’s ability double-threat quarterback.
Harvard move to Ithaca following first loss of season. In a close battle with Holy Cross, Crusaders quarterback Matthew Surka burned Crimson 300 yards in the air and 63 yards on the ground. The team also had senior running back Aidan Borge, who scored for 80 yards and his two runs on 18 carries, and senior wide Kim, who was just under 100, and his Wimberley strong game. Regardless, it failed to produce an attack in the fourth quarter. Marking in receiving yards, he finished with nine catches and a score for 99 yards. After playing his football clean at Brown the previous week, the Crimson lost two of his fumbles and Hawley had a punt blocked against his cross.
If Harvard hopes to bounce back and give the Big Reds a second conference loss, it will have to rely heavily on the strength of their front seven, which forms the core of their stellar rushing defense. It allowed just 64.6 rushing yards per game, which was plenty of pace for the nation. So far this season, he is off to another strong start, ranking fourth in the nation with 76.7, even after allowing the Crusaders to put his 147 yards on the ground. In addition to a stout linebacker corps led by Senior Jack McGowan, Harvard’s Rush his defense features junior defensive Tall his Griffith in his tackle. Credit for the elite unit is due to his Scott Larkee ’99 in his defensive coordinator who consistently emphasizes fundamentals.
“For [the defensive line] Specifically, hand placement and how to attack offensive linemen, how to get off those blocks, flow technique, and play really healthy gaps,” Jones explained.
Run-heavy games show Crimson’s strengths, so Mr. Jones and his squad are hoping to get Wang out of the drop-back pocket. If you choose , it’s not easy. Senior Defensive His lineman Nate Leskovec led the nation in sacks per game (1.50) after an astounding performance in the opening game against Merrimack where he recorded 4.5 sacks. doing. As a unit, Harvard also ranks second in the nation with 4.67 sacks per contest. Complemented by playmakers like Jones.
The pass rushing unit is a big reason why the Crimson ranks a respectable 44th nationally in team pass efficiency defense (129.86) despite only recording one interception in the first three games of the year. is. The secondary was led by veterans, with starting cornerback Alex Washington and Khalil his Dorsey both seniors, as well as safety James Herring, who led the team in tackles against the Crusaders in his 10s. Last week, Harvard’s secondary struggled with pass interference penalties, with McGowan, Dorsey and Washington each flagged for his 1st time. Arguably the Ancients has to be better against Cornell’s offense, which boasts the best receiver in his eight.
Harvard may be looking to push Mr. Wang out of his pocket, but a product from Harvard University Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) hopes to make sure the chain keeps moving in the air. Wang reunited with one of his top targets in high school, senior wide receiver Thomas Glover. Thomas Glover connected with Wan in 2017 for 677 yards and his eight touchdowns at Harvard’s Westlake. Although he was his second target for the Wolverines, he enjoyed Big Red’s breakout campaign last year as the converted running back led the Ivy League with 767 receiving yards. 2022 is off to another brilliant start, gaining 160 yards on 7 passes and scoring 1 touchdown against the Raiders.
“Get the pass rush and make those throws nasty and sail the ball high,” Jones said of the key to containing Glover. Run fast, play well with your eyes, lock in technique and fundamentals.”
In addition to Glover, Wan has junior tight end Matt Robert, junior wide receiver Nicholas Laboy, who scored a touchdown against Yale on September 24, and senior tight end William Eneking, who found two end zones. can be targeted. Virginia Military Institute. Cornell’s rushing his offense starts off with 194 yards and one where he scored twice and he took 36 carries, but with Eddie Tillman and Ganon Carothers combined he has 199 yards and one touchdown. It also features running on his back. Head coach David Archer, under his guidance, wants to involve his playmakers in creative ways on Friday nights, a staple of his offense at Big Reds.
“They do well in terms of camouflaging plays with different formations,” explained Jones. “There are a lot of similar plays in different formations, so there’s not much to highlight that.”
Led by senior quarterback Charlie Dean, the Crimson offense is looking to find success against a Big Red defense struggling to reach quarterback early in the season. Cornell recorded six sacks in the season-opening victory over Virginia’s Military Institute, before failing to record a single sack in the last two games against Yale and Colgate. Another potential opening for him that Crimson is looking to capitalize on is the Big Red Rush defense. Yale and Colgate combined to rush the ball a total of 61 times against Cornell, averaging 4.0 yards per carry each and him 7.2 yards. With Borge averaging 6.3 yards per carry and 112.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 7 in the nation, Harvard fans can expect to see plenty of seniors on Friday night.
“They play us well all the time. It’s up to us.”
Dean completed 58% of his passes, tossed six touchdowns, and had only two interceptions in his first game against Merrimac. In addition to his special connection to Wimberley, his senior from Odessa, Florida, he made the most of his sophomore wide his receiver and deep his threat his ledger his hatch . Catch the previous week against Brown. If Hatch can get behind Cornell’s secondary, the Crimson will be able to replicate the winning formula they used against Brown this year and Big Red last year. touchdown catch.
However, finding a way to beat Cornell’s secondary is no easy task. The hosts will be led by two big safeties, 6-foot-4 sophomore Trey Harris’ older brother Will, who serves as a safety for the Detroit Lions, and 6-foot-2 fifth-year Demetrius Harris. Trey Harris led the team in tackles with the win over Colgate, with Demetrius Harris finishing second. Demetrius Harris also recorded an interception in the win over the Virginia Military Institute. Holt Fletcher has one each against VMI and Colgate, leading his team in picks. Cornell’s defensive front also includes his senior linebacker Jake Stebbins, who recovered a fumble against VMI and his two-time All-His Ivy his selection. Stebbins led the Ivy his league in 2021 with 95 total tackles. Between the two Harris, Fletcher and Stebbins, Big He Red has the size and athleticism to pose a problem for the powerful Harvard offense.
On Friday night, Cornell wants to prove he has what it takes to pull off an upset. The trip to Ithaca will be Crimson’s second longest trip of the year, so it’s helped by the benefits of the trip. On his six-and-a-half-hour bus trip to the Finger Lakes region, the Harvard players faced what promised to be bruises and physical battles with relentless conference opponents. , wants to relax.
“We go out into the aisle, watch a movie and focus, and stick to our game plan,” Jones said of the bus ride.
After a long journey, Crimson and Big Red clash under the lights of Sholkoff Field. The team will also be metaphorically in the spotlight, as it will be the first of his four nationally televised games Harvard will play this season, more than any Ivy school in his league. Harvard fans can catch the game on ESPNU or catch the broadcast on WRCA at 13:30 a.m., 106.1 FM, or 92.9 FM-HD2.
– Staff Writer Griffin Wong can be reached at griffin.wong@thecrimson.com. follow him on twitter @Wong_THC.
– Staff Writer Jack Silvers can be reached at jack.silvers@thecrimson.com. follow him on twitter @Jack Silvers 5.