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Updated October 4, 2025, at 6:03 p.m.
No. 25 Harvard cruised past Holy Cross 59-24 Saturday, spoiling the Crusaders’ hope of securing their first win in their homecoming in Worcester.
After last year’s close finish in Cambridge, the Crimson’s (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) first-string defense ensured the team would avoid another tight game and remain the only undefeated team in the Ivy League, forcing four turnovers and allowing just 13 first downs to keep Harvard securely in the lead from the opening kickoff.
“Another great first half of elite execution on both sides of the ball, which led to the game getting completely out of hand,” said Head Coach Andrew Aurich.
In just one half of action, Crimson senior quarterback Jaden Craig delivered another masterclass, throwing for 248 yards and three scores a week after being named the FCS Player of the Week.
“He’s playing at an elite level. He’s seen things really well,” Aurich said of Craig’s performance. “I don’t see a better quarterback in FCS football right now.”
Harvard won the toss and deferred to the second half, and the teams traded punts on their first drives. On the second play of the next Holy Cross drive, the quarterback mishandled the handoff, putting the ball on the ground and allowing senior defensive tackle Xavier Agostino to recover it for the first Crimson takeaway of the game and the seventh of the season.
With Harvard back on offense from the Crusaders’ 23-yard line, Craig found junior tight end Logan Reaska wide open on the left for an easy touchdown, giving Harvard the early 7-0 advantage five minutes into the first quarter.
After trading three-and-outs, Holy Cross got a quick first down before throwing an interception to junior defensive back Damien Henderson for his second pick of the season. On offense, Craig threw for a couple of first downs to get the ball to the two-yard line, setting up a rushing touchdown from Isaiah Bullock to push the Crimson advantage to 14-0.
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“If we’re getting turnovers, we know our offense is going to go down the score,” junior defensive end Josh Fedd said. “We got guys like Brady and Craig on the other side, so we know they’re going to get in the end zone and make those turnovers points.”
After three plays of no gain, the Crusaders looked to punt before junior defensive end Josh Fedd came out of nowhere to block the attempt, giving Harvard’s offense great field position yet again at the Holy Cross 27-yard line.
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With excellent field position, Craig fired off two completions, the second being a screen to freshman receiver Tafari Moe, who dodged a tackle and ran in the left edge for another touchdown.
The Crimson kept racking up the points, with sophomore kicker Kieran Corr securing a field goal and junior running back Xaviah Bascon rushing for his second touchdown of the year to give Harvard a 31-3 advantage with two minutes left in the first half.
After the defense forced three straight incompletions, Jaden Craig and his unit saw the field with just 1:18 to play in the half.
Across eleven plays in just 73 seconds of action, Craig pushed the offense down the field in crunch time, throwing for 54 yards and soaring the ball to the right side of the end zone for a touchdown to sophomore receiver Brady Blackburn.
“We want to get the great players the ball, and we have a lot of good depth on our team, a lot of good receivers, a lot of good running backs, and Craig will throw it everywhere, so that makes us really dangerous,” Blackburn said.
Going into halftime with a 38-3 lead, the Crimson came out with guns blazing after receiving the opening half kickoff.
Junior backup quarterback Dante Torres led the team down the field before throwing a 33-yard touchdown pass to Blackburn, who ended the game with five catches for 114 yards and two scores of his own.
Harvard scored two more touchdowns in the second half, including a 75-yard rushing touchdown by junior running back Jordan Harris, and it ended the game with an advantage of 59-24.
The team now holds a differential of plus-121 on the season, holding opponents to an average of just 15 points and boasting a turnover differential of plus-seven through three games.
The defense, led by star defensive backs Henderson and senior captain Ty Bartrum, has three turnovers in every contest this season and has posted an Ivy-League high six interceptions.
On offense, the line has yet to give up a sack to Craig, eight different receivers have caught a touchdown, and six rushers have punched in touchdowns of their own.
Next up, the Crimson will look to remain undefeated as it faces Ivy-rival Cornell on Friday night at Harvard Stadium.
“Every time we step onto the field, we want to dominate our opponent.” Fedd said.
“Now it’s on to the next team,” he added.
– Staff writer Connor Castañeda can be reached at connor.castaneda@thecrimson.com.
– Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at praveen.kumar@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @praveen4560k.
