Good news comes in pairs for the Harvard football team.
A day after learning that ESPN’s College GameDay would set up shop in Cambridge for the annual Harvard-Yale game, the Crimson was promoted to No. 14 in the FCS Coaches Poll. The ranking marks the team’s highest since 2011, when Harvard claimed an outright Ivy League title.
At 9-0, the Crimson is one of two undefeated teams in the FCS. The other, Coastal Carolina, inhabits first place in the Coaches Poll after a 52-21 shellacking of Monmouth last Saturday.
An unblemished record is not the only attribute that distinguishes this season’s Harvard squad. Of the 121 teams in FCS football, Harvard boasts the stingiest scoring defense, allowing a measly 11.0 points per game.
In particular, the Crimson excels at stopping the run. By holding opposing rushers to an average of 2.64 yards per carry, Harvard has forged the second-best running defense in the nation. The team has allowed 82.6 yards per game and a national low of six touchdowns.
Success against running backs has led to general statistical excellence. The Crimson ranks second in first downs allowed and ninth in total yards conceded per game.
All this is not to downplay the strength of Harvard’s offense. Headlined by junior Paul Stanton, the Crimson running attack has accumulated 233 yards per game, good for the 15th most efficient ground game in the FCS. The team has reached at least 34 points in five of nine games.
National exceptionality has a precedent in the 2011 Harvard team. After a 30-22 loss at Holy Cross to open the season, the Crimson ripped off nine consecutive wins, including a 45-7 embarrassment of Yale in New Haven on the final game of the year. It was after this final victory that Harvard moved up to 14th in the national poll.
Like this year’s bunch, the 2011 team ranked high in several national categories. In addition to owning the country’s fifth most difficult scoring defense, Harvard’s 2011 offense averaged over 37 points per game, which put the team second in the FCS.
Statistical dominance translated to an Ivy League title. The Crimson clinched first on the second-to-last weekend of play and finished three games ahead of the nearest competition.
But with the game against Yale on Saturday, this year’s team has a chance to accomplish what the Crimson could not in 2011: go undefeated. The last time that Harvard completed a perfect season was in 2004, when the team scored 30 points in all but one game and drubbed Yale, 35-3.
This weekend, and this weekend alone, will determine whether the Crimson has enough talent, determination, and luck to match this impressive precedent.
