As October draws to a close and the end of football season nears, Harvard shares a conference-best 3-1 record with Princeton and Penn, while Cornell and Dartmouth sit at .500. Brown, Columbia, and Yale round out the rest of the conference, each with a 1-3 record.
BROWN
The Bears (4-3, 1-3 Ivy) dropped yet another conference game, losing 20-17 at Penn last Saturday. Brown failed to score until the very end of the first half off a field goal by junior kicker Alex Norocea. Trailing 7-3 in the second half, the visitors took the lead midway through the third quarter on a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Patrick Donnelly to senior wide receiver Tellef Lundevall. Penn took the lead back, scoring its second touchdown and bringing the game to 14-10 in the next possession. Penn led until the Bears took a 17-14 lead on a touchdown run by junior fullback Cody Taulbee. The Quakers tied the game on a field goal on the next possession and got the ball back quickly after Donnelly threw an interception on the Bears’ last drive. The interception gave Penn the field position and momentum it needed to win 20-17 on a last-minute field goal. After the loss, the Bears head back home to host Yale on Nov. 3.
CORNELL
Cornell (4-3, 2-2 Ivy) knocked off previously undefeated Princeton on a last-minute field goal in a 37-35 shootout game. Neither team managed to score during the first quarter, but Princeton broke the ice early in the second with a touchdown. Cornell scored on the next drive off a pass from junior quarterback Jeff Mathews. The Big Red took the lead later in the second off another Mathews pass, only to have Princeton notch things up before halftime with a touchdown of its own. Cornell took the lead three times on three touchdowns in the third, while Princeton responded twice with touchdowns. Since Cornell missed the point-after attempt on its last score of the third, the Tigers took a one-point lead midway through the fourth after scoring their fifth touchdown. Cornell managed to save the game with 50 seconds left as junior kicker John Wells connected from 23 yards out to put the Big Red ahead 37-35. Cornell next faces Dartmouth at home this Saturday.
DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth (4-3, 2-2 Ivy) was not able to pull off a homecoming win, losing 31-14 against Harvard. As the Crimson has done repeatedly throughout the season, Harvard opened the game dominating the opponent, held the Big Green scoreless through the first half, and took a 21-0 lead into halftime. Dartmouth came out swinging in the second half, scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter to narrow Harvard’s lead to 21-14. The Crimson defense shut down the Big Green offense in the fourth quarter, while the Harvard offense tacked on another 10 points to win 31-14. After the near comeback against Harvard, Dartmouth heads to Cornell this weekend.
HARVARD
After last weekend’s fourth-quarter meltdown at Princeton, the Crimson (6-1, 3-1 Ivy) returned to its winning ways at Dartmouth, defeating the home team 31-14, while earning back a share of the leading spot in the conference. The Harvard squad opened the game with a huge lead, scoring three touchdowns in the first half to take a 21-0 lead into halftime. The game became competitive in the third quarter, during which Dartmouth shut out the Crimson while scoring two touchdowns, making the match a one-possession game. Harvard opened the fourth with a touchdown run from senior running back Treavor Scales, extending the lead back to 14 points. The defense did its part for the rest of the game, keeping the Dartmouth offense at bay while junior kicker David Mothander added on a field goal in the last half of the fourth quarter to bring the game to its final score of 31-14. The Crimson next plays Columbia on Nov. 3.
PRINCETON
The Tigers (4-3, 3-1 Ivy) were defeated 37-35 by Cornell last weekend, marking their first conference loss of the season. Neither team scored in the opening quarter, but both teams scored two touchdowns apiece in the second quarter to go into halftime tied at 14-14. Cornell scored its third touchdown of the game in the opening minutes of the second half before the Big Red quickly retaliated to even the score at 21. In the middle of the fourth quarter, freshman running back Dré Nelson fumbled the ball while trying to break away from a tackle. Cornell made the Tigers pay for the fumble, cashing it in for the game-winning field goal. With less than a minute left after the field goal, the Tigers had one last chance to get into field goal range. However, sophomore quarterback Connor Michelsen threw an interception, the costliest of Princeton’s turnovers, allowing Cornell to run out the clock and secure the win. The Tigers head back to New Jersey to host Penn this weekend.
PENN
The Quakers (3-4, 3-1 Ivy) pulled off a close win for their homecoming crowd, beating Brown 20-17 on a last-minute field goal. Following a scoreless first quarter, Penn took the lead on a 22-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Billy Ragone to junior wide receiver Conner Scott. The Quakers kept the lead through the first half, allowing only a last-minute field goal on the part of the Bears. Penn took the 7-3 lead into the second half, but it was quickly eliminated when Brown scored its first touchdown of the game in the third quarter. Penn took the lead back later in the third on its second touchdown, another pass from Ragone, this time to senior wideout Jason Seifert. Brown answered with its second touchdown of the day, leaving the home team down by three at 17-14. Sophomore kicker Connor Loftus nailed two field goals, one to tie and one for the win, in the last two and a half minutes of play, including a career long from 45 yards out, securing the 20-17 homecoming win for Penn. The Quakers head to New Jersey this weekend to take on Princeton.
YALE
The Bulldogs (2-5, 1-3 Ivy) find themselves at the bottom of the conference after falling 26-22 at Columbia this weekend. The Bulldogs struggled on offense, with sophomore running back Tyler Varga playing quarterback since all three of Yale’s quarterbacks were sidelined due to injuries. Yale ended the game with only 52 yards passing and 314 yards of total offense, compared to Columbia’s 369 passing yards alone. Despite their offensive woes, the Bulldogs kept the game close. Yale had a 7-5 halftime lead, allowing Columbia only a field goal and a safety in the first half. The Bulldogs’ biggest lead of the day came in the third after going up 14-5 on Varga’s second rushing touchdown. Columbia began its comeback in the third, narrowing Yale’s lead to two by the end of the quarter. Columbia scored two touchdowns in the fourth, including the game-winner with just 45 seconds left on the clock, handing the Bulldogs their third Ivy loss. Yale is set to play Brown on the road on Saturday.
