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Updated October 11, 2025, at 1:030 a.m.

In a closer than anticipated contest against a winless squad, the No. 22 Harvard football team battled past Cornell 34-10, proving the Crimson to be the superior shade of red.

Despite falling to an early 17-0 deficit, the Big Red clawed back to make it a one possession game before a controversial non-fumble call — one that would have turned the ball over from Harvard to Cornell — led to an insurmountable, multi-possession lead for the Crimson.

With the victory, Harvard (4-0, 2-0 Ivy) has won its sixth straight game against the Big Red (0-4, 0-2) — its longest winning streak against any Ivy opponent — to bring its record to 4-0 for the first time since the 2023 season.

“I walked back and forth between both sides of the ball and I was telling them ‘we have adversity, let’s see how we respond throughout the game’,” Harvard head coach Andrew Aurich said postgame. “Obviously, when you end up winning 34-10, it was a very good response that we had.”

On offense, sophomore receiver Brady Blackburn had his second straight 100-yard game, emerging as a primary option for senior quarterback Jaden Craig, who threw for 237 yards and accounted for two scores despite throwing his first interception of the year.

Senior defensive end Alex DeGrieck led a powerful defensive unit — which had a scoop-and-score and a pick-six — with two sacks, another tackle-for-loss, and a pass breakup to hold the Cornell offense to its lowest scoring game of its season.

DeGrieck credited each of the individual units with doing their respective jobs well to create a cohesive defensive powerhouse.

“All around, it was a good effort,” said DeGrieck. “Our coaches really helped us with this game this whole week, and they really prepared us well.”

On Cornell’s first offensive drive, the Big Red quickly witnessed the strength of the Harvard defense.

On second-and-long, Cornell running back Ricardo Lagares Jr. mishandled a backward pass from his quarterback, putting the ball on the ground and allowing Crimson junior cornerback Austin-Jake Guillory to scoop and score for Harvard’s first fumble return touchdown of the season. Before the offense ever saw the field, the Crimson held a 7-0 lead just 2:11 into the game.

Both teams continued to struggle early on offense, with four punts and a turnover on downs between the two teams before either side was able to get anything going.

In the second frame, Harvard continued to move down the field, with Craig connecting on passes to freshman receiver Ryan Tattersall and junior running back Xaviah Bascon, followed by two big runs from junior running back Jordan Harris. Rolling out to his right, Craig found Blackburn at the 1-yard line with 9:29 left on the right sideline.

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On second-and-goal, following a fake handoff, Craig lofted the ball into the hands of sophomore tight end Ben Alvarez’s arms to extend the lead to 14-0 with 8:17 left in the half.

The Crimson quickly marched into Cornell territory yet again with help from some trickery by senior wide receiver Cam Henry. However, Craig threw an errant deep ball that resulted in his first interception of the season.

With momentum on its side, the Big Red drove into Harvard territory, but was stifled on a fourth-and-four attempt from the Crimson’s 38-yard line.

In a 2-minute drill, Craig led the offense to Cornell’s 27-yard line. After two failed deep shot attempts, sophomore kicker Kieran Corr missed a field goal wide left as time expired, meaning that the Crimson would enter the locker room up 14-0.

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Looking to come out of the gates stronger, the Crimson opened the second half with strong runs from Bascon and Harris to position the offense in the red zone, utilizing 6-man sets to bolster its rushing attack. After failing to convert on a goal-to-go series, Corr drilled a 22-yard field goal with 9:31 left in the half to tack on to Harvard’s 17-0 lead.

The Big Red wouldn’t go down without a fight. After driving down the field, 6’5”, 230-pound frame, Cornell quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio powered into the end zone to narrow the lead to 17-7.

Forcing a quick three-and-out, Cornell once again drove down the field via a series of quick throws and runs, converting several third downs, including one where captain Ty Bartrum committed a pass interference penalty. The Crimson’s red zone defense only surrendered a field goal, making it a one possession game at 17-10.

On the ensuing Harvard drive, Craig finally found the deep pass he was looking for all game, completing a 48-yard pass down the middle to Blackburn to set the Crimson up at the Big Red 27-yard line.

After a few short plays, Harvard was facing a 3rd-and-6 on the Cornell 13-yard line when the controversially-called incomplete pass brought on Corr for his third field goal attempt of the game, a made kick from 30 yards that extended the Crimson lead once again to two scores at 20-10.

After a three-and-out by the Big Red offense, Craig and his unit drove the ball down the field once again, courtesy of two first-down receptions by senior receiver Dean Boyd. On second-and-goal, Craig scrambled out to his right, beating his man past the pylon for his first rushing score of the year to push the lead to 27-10.

On the very next play, junior safety Jack Donohoe picked off Bass-Supizio on a tipped pass, returning the ball to the house for a pick-six, and officially ending any hopes of a Cornell comeback with 4:58 remaining in the game.

“Ultimately, when you create takeaways and you score touchdowns on those takeaways, it’s very hard to lose a game,” said Aurich.

Up next, the Crimson will close out its homestand and non-conference play against Merrimack on Oct. 18 at 12 p.m.

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

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