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Entering the home stretch of the season, newly-ranked No. 24 Harvard football (6-1, 3-1 Ivy) will welcome the Columbia Lions (5-2, 3-1 Ivy) to Cambridge for a showdown between two teams tied atop the Ivy League standings.

The Crimson — which remains undefeated at home — hopes to break its tie for first in the Ivy League standings against Columbia. Much like Harvard, the Lions are no stranger to close games.

Columbia’s last three games, against Penn, Dartmouth, and Yale, have each been decided by one possession.

Against the Bulldogs last Friday, the Lions stormed to a 13-10 victory after entering the final frame down 3-10. Junior quarterback Cole Freeman launched a 44 yard pass to senior wide receiver Bryson Canty with 4:39 left in the game to put Columbia up for good.

The Lions, who now have their best start since 2017, are led by first-year Head Coach Jon Poppe, who spent 10 seasons with the Crimson across two stints — from 2011-14 as secondary coach and from 2017-22 with the special teams. As special teams coordinator, Poppe’s unit ranked third in blocked punts and fourth in blocked kicks in the FCS during the 2022 season.

After a short stint as head coach of Union College, Columbia hired Poppe in December following the retirement of former Head Coach Al Bagnoli.

Despite an early loss to Georgetown, the Lions have found success by relying on a defense that ranks sixth in the FCS in points allowed (16.3), with a particularly strong secondary that ranks first in the Ivy League in passing yards allowed (200.4).

In the secondary, senior defensive backs Hayden McDonald and Carter McFadden lead the Ivy League with four interceptions and 12 pass break-ups respectively, posing a major problem for Harvard’s junior quarterback Jaden Craig - who’s relied on the deep ball throughout the year.

Coming off of a thrilling 31-27 win over a previously undefeated Dartmouth team, Harvard looks to solidify itself as the best team in the Ivy League — one with reinforcements potentially on the way.

Running back Shane McLaughlin — the team’s first offensive captain since quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2004 — is “very close” to making his return to the field after being sidelined for three games with a leg injury.

“We’re hoping Saturday,” Head Coach Andrew Aurich said when asked about McLaughlin’s potential return.

“This is his most he’s done for a couple weeks now,” Aurich added.

In McLaughlin’s absence, junior wide receiver Cooper Barkate and senior utilityman Charles DePrima have especially stepped up, with Barkate catching seven passes for 124 yards and DePrima rushing for three touchdowns against the Big Green.

Against the Lions, Harvard will need its skill players to continue performing. Aurich said that he intends to continue to use DePrima as a runner, receiver, and quarterback as needed on Saturday.

“He’s going to be everywhere,” Aurich said.

On the defensive side of the ball, junior safety Ty Bartrum’s injured thumb won’t stop him from taking the field on Saturday. Bartrum, the reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week, has been vital for the Crimson’s defense.

Bartrum, who recorded a career-high 16 tackles against the Big Green, is ranked 27th in the FCS in total defense.

“He epitomizes what I pictured Harvard defense looking like when I got here, because he just plays so fast,” Aurich said. “He’s so confident in his reads and his reactions that he’s just flying all over the field, and he plays so violent.”

Poppe’s old unit, special teams, is one to keep an eye on in the coming games. After a botched snap in the Crimson’s game against Brown led to Harvard’s only loss for the season, freshman kicker Kieran Corr has gone largely untested this semester.

Corr has made all three of his field goal attempts this season but on a team that’s committed to going for it on fourth down and boasts a 70% conversion rate, he hasn’t had much of a chance to prove himself. The rookie missed two extra point kicks against Holy Cross — though he has been consistent on extra points in the weeks since.

Aurich said that his decision to trust his team to convert on fourth down has everything to do with the team’s analytics and nothing to do with his faith in his kicker.

“I’m always ready for him to kick it,” Aurich said. “He’s going to be good from 55 plus.”

Aurich’s confidence in his team is key as Saturday once again marks a make or break game for the Crimson’s season. Harvard likely must beat Columbia to keep its chances alive for winning a share of the Ivy League title.

But for Deprima, the high-pressure situation is just another Saturday for the Crimson.

“Every week is a championship week.”

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

—Staff writer Jo Lemann can be reached at jo.lemann@thecrimson.com.