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Updated November 15, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

Harvard clinched a 45-43 win over Penn on Saturday in a nail-biting thriller with just seconds left on the clock.

Sophomore kicker Kieran Corr walked onto the field with five seconds remaining and drilled a game-winning 53-yard field goal in front of a silent stadium, securing the team a share of the Ivy League title for the third consecutive year, and marking the second straight year Harvard nailed a game-winning field goal against the Quakers.

Penn and Harvard were neck-and-neck throughout the fourth quarter, but the Quakers seemed ready to seal the deal in the game’s final minutes. Down 42-40 with 2:38 remaining, Penn’s dual threat quarterback Liam O’Brien led a sensational drive into the red zone, resulting in a 30-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining to give the Quakers the upper hand.

As a hush fell over Harvard Stadium, senior quarterback Jaden Craig took the field, delivering three strikes to receivers into Penn’s territory, putting Corr in a position to score.

“I was thrilled that they gave us that opportunity, and I had full faith in our offense getting us down the field,” Corr said. “That’s just what we’ve been training for all year, so that was the moment we were ready for.”

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Now, the Crimson (9-0, 6-0 Ivy) will face off against Yale (7-2, 5-1) in a game that will determine the conference’s first-ever automatic qualifier to the FCS playoffs.

“The only way we know we can 100% control our faith is by winning every single game,” Head Coach Andrew Aurich said. “And the only way we’re going there is if we beat Yale next week.”

Junior running back Xaviah Bascon had the game of his career with three total touchdowns, and star quarterback Jaden Craig threw for a career-high 390 passing yards to go with 3 touchdown passes as the Crimson offense totaled 537 yards on the day.

Harvard’s defense started off slow, with the Quakers scoring touchdowns on their first four offensive drives and totaling 229 yards of offense in the first half. It started to look better in the second half, forcing two punts early, but in the fourth quarter, the Crimson allowed a 10-0 run late to allow Penn to comeback with just 22 seconds remaining.

“Trying to get 11 guys to do their job every play is our goal,” captain Ty Bartrum said. “Definitely frustrating, but that’s when you’ve got to rely on your guys.”

After a calculated push to field goal range, and with the kick of the year as time expired, Corr made sure Harvard would keep its winning streak alive.

The Quakers came out guns-blazing, with a great kickoff return setting their offense up at the 35-yd line to start their opening drive. After a quick pass on first down, a quarterback option from Liam O’Brien moved the ball further down the field, and a face mask penalty on the Crimson quickly put Penn in opposing territory. Utilizing a mix of passes and options, the Quakers found the end zone, giving them a 7-0 advantage just three minutes into the game.

Facing just its second deficit of the season, the Harvard offense looked to answer, with two quick passes from Craig putting his unit near midfield. Utilizing big gains on third downs — such as a Craig pass down the sideline to senior receiver Dean Boyd — the Crimson soon saw itself in the red zone. Four straight runs by junior running back Xaviah Bascon then gave Harvard its answer, with a 2-yd touchdown evening the score at seven apiece nine minutes into the game.

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On its next drive, the Penn offense kept its momentum going, thanks to more untimely penalties on the Crimson. On a third-and-short call, O’Brien looked down the field to receiver Jared Richardson, who easily walked into the end zone for his tenth touchdown reception of the season, which leads the Ivy League. With a couple of minutes left in the first period, Harvard was once again facing a seven-point deficit, trailing 14-7.

Never fazed, Craig walked his offense back on the field looking to answer for the second straight drive, and answer the Crimson did.

Big runs by Bascon pushed the ball down the field, and after a sideline pass to Boyd put the Crimson on the Penn 12-yd line, Craig was able to throw a shovel pass to Bascon that he rolled into the end zone for his second touchdown of the afternoon. After another Kieran Corr extra point, the score was evened at 14-all.

As they have done all season, however, the Quakers came right back.

O’Brien continued to use his legs and make the Harvard defense look confused, finding short passes and options that moved the chains with ease. On a second-and-mid, O’Brien saw immense pressure from senior defensive end Alex DeGrieck, but O’Brien was able to evade his defender and whip the ball down to the 4-yd line. Two plays later, Penn once again established a one-touchdown advantage, leading 21-14 with five minutes left in the half.

A few plays later on their next drive, Aurich and his squad were facing a 4th-and-five near midfield, but rather than trying to pin the Quakers deep in their own territory with a punt, Aurich opted to go for it. From the shotgun, though, Craig couldn’t find anywhere to put the ball, missing his receiver down the middle to force a turnover on downs.

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With short field position in its favor, Penn moved the football as methodically as it had all day, and a few plays later, a second touchdown pass to Richardson gave the Quakers a two-score advantage. Thanks to a blocked kick on the point-after, the lead stayed at 27-14 with less than a minute to play.

In crunch time, Craig quickly got into a groove, with passes to Bascon and sophomore receiver Brady Blackburn moving the ball across midfield. With less than half a minute to play in the half, Craig found more short passes to bring the ball to the 2-yd line on fourth down. With another bold call from Aurich, he finally found his payoff, and Craig ran through the Penn defense to score his second rushing touchdown of the year, cutting the halftime deficit to 27-21.

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Coming out of the half, the Crimson moved the ball methodically through the Quaker defense, setting itself up deep in the red zone as it looked to find its first advantage of the matchup. On fourth down, however, Craig threw an incompletion that gave Penn the ball inside the Harvard 5-yd line.

On the Quakers’ drive, though, they managed just one first down, and the first punt of the game sent the Crimson offense onto the field with solid position.

A nine-play, 63-yd drive from Craig’s unit ended with a spectacular catch in the side of the end zone from Blackburn, and the Quakers saw their 13-point lead go away as quickly as they got it, and Harvard held its first lead of the game 28-27.

Two incomplete passes on its next drive left Penn forced to punt for the second straight drive, putting the Crimson back in its own territory.

After a holding call on second down pushed Harvard back to its own 18-yd line, Craig looked deep down the middle and found senior tight end Ryan Osborne for an 82-yd score, the longest pass for the Crimson all season. Eleven minutes into the third quarter, the Quaker’s six-point halftime lead evaporated into a 27-35 deficit.

On the following Penn drive, it found its rhythm once again, and a third touchdown reception by Richardson set the Quakers up for a 2-point conversion attempt down 33-35. On the play, O’Brien scrambled to his right, but he lost control of the ball and it bounced out of bounds to keep the Harvard advantage at 35-33.

The subsequent onside kick attempt was unsuccessful due to a kick catch interference penalty, and with short field position, the Crimson offense was able to drive down the field before Bascon found paydirt for his third score of the game.

With the Penn offense driving down the field and scoring another touchdown, however, they gave themselves a strong opportunity to come back. They did secure a lead with 22 seconds left after the 30-yard field goal, but the rest is history.

Next up, Harvard will head down to New Haven in what will be the biggest game in the Ivy League all season.

– Staff writer Connor Castañeda can be reached at connor.castaneda@thecrimson.com

– Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at praveen.kumar@thecrimson.com.