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Even Harvard head coach Andrew Aurich could barely watch the final seconds of the Crimson’s heart-stopping 35-34 victory over Holy Cross on Saturday.
Down 35-28 with one second left in regulation, Crusaders quarterback Joe Pesansky scrambled out of the pocket and desperately heaved the ball 25-yards downfield to the end zone, straight into the arms of wide receiver Jacob Peterson.
But Holy Cross still needed one more miracle to stun the Crimson at home. With no time left on the clock, the Crusaders opted to go all-in and try for a game-winning two-point conversion instead of the safer extra point attempt.
Pesansky threw the ball to the end zone, hoping a receiver would be there to haul in the pass on a two-point conversion to secure the win for Holy Cross. Instead, the Crimson’s sophomore defensive back Damien Henderson was there providing coverage that saved Harvard from a last-second loss and sealed the 35-34 win.
The thrilling final seconds of the game left coaches and fans alike with heart palpitations.
“I’m not gonna make it 30 years like Coach Murphy with those games like that,” Aurich said in a postgame interview with ESPN, referencing the longtime head coach he succeeded earlier this year.
“That was a battle,” Aurich added.
It was a battle that the Crimson (4-1, 1-1 Ivy) twice almost let slip away in the final seconds of the game. Despite being up by 20 points in the third quarter, the Crimson allowed three unanswered touchdowns by Holy Cross (3-5) to give the Crusaders the lead with less than two minutes to go.
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A Harvard offense that had been struggling all game suddenly found life in its last two-minute drill, as junior quarterback Jaden Craig found his roommate Cooper Barkate, the team’s star wide reciever, four times during the drive, totalling 71 yards, including an 18-yard strike to put the Crimson up 33-28.
Keeping the offense on the field for a two-point attempt, Craig pitched the ball to sophomore running back Xaviah Bascon, who cut across the middle of the field and tumbled into the end zone, giving the Crimson a 35-28 advantage with only 45 seconds left.
But Holy Cross refused to give up, quickly making its way down the field. As Holy Cross receiver Byron Shipman jumped up in the air and collected a throw from Pesansky in the end zone, shock initially filled the air in Harvard Stadium. However, a massive offensive pass interference call reversed the touchdown and left little opportunity for Holy Cross to tie the game.
One play later, Pesansky threw up the ball for another Hail Mary attempt and watched as both teams juggled it. The pass was initially ruled incomplete but officials sought a replay review.
Harvard fans looked on anxiously as the decision came. The ruling on the field stood, but one second was put back on the game clock — just enough for one more Hail Mary attempt.
On his third try, Pesansky finally struck gold as the Crusaders found the end zone as the clock expired. But Henderson ensured that Holy Cross’ crusade ended one point short.
It was an exhilarating end to the game, and one that provided some redemption for Harvard after their collapse against Brown University earlier in the season.
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Despite the win, Harvard looked vulnerable for much of the game, with the defense largely unable to stop Holy Cross’ run game and the offense failing to deliver much until Harvard’s final drive.
Freshman kicker Kieran Corr also struggled — missing two extra kicks in mistakes that nearly cost the Crimson the game.
Aurich noted the team’s errors in an interview after the game, but also emphasized that his squad had fought hard to come up with the win.
“There’s obviously a ton of things we got to get cleaned up on both sides of the ball,” Aurich said. “We should not be in that situation. But the reality is when it came to the two-minute drive for the offense, they executed and got the ball all the way down the field, and the defense ultimately got the stop they needed to get the win.”
The adjustments will be especially important this week as Harvard prepares for its matchup against Princeton. Aside from being a conference game, the game will be a chance for Harvard to secure a win against their rivals for the first time since 2016.
Even with the mistakes of the game, Aurich said the win would give the team confidence heading into the Princeton game.
“Everybody that’s in that room I’m sure they had it creep in their mind, ‘Oh, Princeton’s next week,’ just as I did, because that’s human nature,” Aurich said.
“So the ability now to go in there and tell them we are on to Princeton felt really really good,” Aurich said.
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Harvard got off to a slow start in the first half, but unforced fumbles by the Crusaders allowed the Crimson to pull ahead while looking like the weaker team.
After relatively uneventful first drives from Holy Cross and Harvard, the Crusaders managed to march down the field as the first quarter came to an end. The Crimson was unable to slow the Crusaders’ momentum and Holy Cross started the second half looking set to score.
But on the very first play of the quarter, Holy Cross sophomore running back Jayden Clerveaux fumbled. Junior safety Ty Bartrum recovered the ball and ran 88 yards for an electrifying first score of the game.
The defense retook the field looking to capitalize on the momentum to stop the Holy Cross offense. The Crusaders were undeterred by the error and continued cutting through Harvard’s defense — almost exclusively running the ball as they managed to tie the game 7-7.
With Harvard offense's second drive, the Crimson was unable to make anything happen — looking weaker offensively against Holy Cross’ defense than it had in the past few weeks.
After senior defensive end Jacob Psyk recovered another botched Holy Cross handoff at midfield, the Crimson had its opportunity to strike. A quick pass from Craig to Barkate for 19 yards set Harvard up at Holy Cross’s 26-yard line.
A large negative rush by senior wide receiver Scott Woods II left the Crimson with a bleak third-and-16 from the Crusaders’ 32-yard line. Needing a big play to generate momentum for the struggling offense, Craig escaped the pocket as it collapsed and delivered a strike down the right sideline to senior wide receiver Kaedyn Odermann, who was brought down at the 2-yard line.
Bascon punched the ball into the end zone on the next play to give Harvard the 13-7 lead with 46 seconds remaining in the half. In a rare sight, Corr missed the extra point wide and to the left.
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At the start of the second half, the Crimson seemed to have found its footing — and some energy — as it finally made a stronger impression against the Crusaders’ defense.
Freshman wide receiver Brady Blackburn was an unexpected asset for the Crimson on Saturday, catching two passes through five minutes of the third quarter.
After senior running back Malik Frederick managed to pick up 20 yards running down the middle, the Crimson scored its third touchdown of the game via a spiral from Craig to senior tight end Scott Giuliano.
On the ensuing two-point attempt, senior Charles DePrima motioned across the field, Craig flipped him the ball and watched as the quarterback-turned-utility man waltzed into the end zone to give Harvard a 21-7 lead.
On a critical third-and-2 from the 45-yard line, Harvard attempted a flea flicker, but a wide open Caydon Coffman dropped the ball as it slipped through his fingertips. Continuing to be fearless and going for it on fourth-and-2, a flip from DePrima to Frederick ended with the running back being wrapped up short of the line to gain, giving Holy Cross another breath of life.
With two minutes left in the game — and nine yards away from taking the lead — the Crusaders’ rushing attack continued to deliver. Clerveaux took the ball into the end zone with 1:44 left in the final frame to give Holy Cross a 28-27 lead.
The heroics from Craig and Barkate and Holy Cross’ failed two point conversion staved off a loss for Harvard.
But in a postgame interview, Barkate said he doesn’t want next week’s game against Princeton to go down to the wire.
“Our objective is to put 40 on them,” Barkate said. “We want to kill.”
—Staff writer Jo B. Lemann can be reached at jo.lemann@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @Jo_Lemann.
—Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at praveen.kumar@thecrimson.com.
