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Harvard can clinch its 18th Ivy League title and first since 2015 when the Crimson engage the Yale Bulldogs in the 139th rendition of The Game on Saturday (noon) at Yale Bowl in New Haven, Conn.
No. 19 Harvard (8-1, 5-1) secured a share of the Ivy League title with a 25-23 triple overtime victory over Penn that ended on a gadget two-point play.
Yale (6-3, 4-2) can capture a share of the Ivy League title and spoil Harvard’s off-season in the process with a victory, an outcome the Bulldogs and their generations of followers would find most satisfying.
A Dartmouth (5-4, 4-2) win over Brown combined with a Yale win over Harvard would create the three-way logjam at the top of the Ancient Eight.
“There is so much parity in the league,” said Harvard head coach Tim Murphy, who is in his 30th season. “More than ever the competition is really challenging and the games and the scores this year shows anybody can beat anybody on any given day.
“We have not had an easy time of it for sure. We had to gut out a couple of wins here but we are happy to be where we are and happy to have clinched. But I know our kids want to end this on an extremely positive note.”
Murphy has enjoyed remarkable success in his three decades on the Harvard sidelines. Murphy is the winningest coach in Ivy League history with an overall record of 200-88, a significant accomplishment considering that Harvard plays 10 games, not 12 like other programs. The Ivy League does not hold a postseason championship game and Harvard, much to Murphy’s chagrin, does not compete in the FCS playoffs. Every season ends with Yale.
Murphy hit another milestone with the Crimson’s 17-9 home win against Dartmouth when he broke Yale legend Carm Cozza’s record of 135 wins against Ivy League opponents. Murphy has 138 conference wins.
“It was a huge thing for me personally and for us, we were happy to get coach Murphy those records and reach the pinnacle of Ivy League coaching,” said senior defensive tackle Thor Griffith, an All-Ivy league selection and potential NFL draft pick.
“To finish off the season with a win would just be the cherry on the top and end the season with a great win.”
Yale leads the series, which began in 1875, 69-61-8 and the Bulldogs created sizable separation during the Cozza years.
Murphy has contributed to the Crimson’s comeback with a 19-9 record in The Game. Murphy has accounted for 10 of Harvard’s 17 Ivy League titles since the league was formally incorporated in 1956.
“That is just a reflection of the thousands of great young men we have and the 60-plus assistant coaches we’ve had,” said Murphy. “We are the ultimate human resources industry and we have been very fortunate with great kids and great coaches.”
Harvard’s season could have gone sideways in the aftermath of a 21-14 loss at Princeton on Oct. 21. Starting dual threat quarterback Charles DePrima got dinged up against the Tigers and the undisclosed injury made him ineffective the following weekend against Dartmouth.
Sophomore Jaden Craig was obviously paying attention in the quarterback’s room because his transition up the depth chart has gone smoothly. The 6-2, 215-pound Craig was handed the offense and gutted out a tough win over Dartmouth. He made his first start the following Saturday with a win at Columbia and caught the two-point pass that beat Penn in triple OT.
Craig has appeared in six games, with two starts, and has completed 38-of-64 passes for 530 yards and two touchdowns. He has rushed for 140 yards on 48 carries with six touchdowns.
“All year I was mostly the two so being the one was a big step up,” said Craig. “With the attention to detail and film study, I had to prepare myself different and carry myself different but it’s been great so far.”
“In reality we expected him to play well but the level that he’s played at has been very high considering he has only started two college football games,” said Murphy. “He is going into the Harvard-Yale game to try and finish a 9-1 season and win an Ivy League championship so there is a lot on his shoulders.”
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