Harvard football eyes first-ever playoff berth in matchup against Yale

Harvard football has had an unbeaten season up to this point. But that all nearly came crashing down this past Saturday against Penn.

The game had already been a back-and-forth affair when the Quakers took a 43-42 lead with 22 seconds left in regulation. With almost no room for error, the Crimson’s offense moved the ball 40 yards down the field in just 17 seconds. That led to kicker Kieran Corr lining up for a dramatic last ditch kick with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

“Yeah, definitely one of the craziest games I’ve been a part of,” said quarterback Jaden Craig. He threw for a career high 390 yards that game, is Harvard’s all-time career passing touchdowns leader and is on the watch list for this year’s Walter Camp FCS Player of the Year award.

The kick kept Harvard’s undefeated streak alive. But as exciting as that game was, this week’s game against Yale will have even more on the line. If the Crimson win, they’ll be the outright Ivy League champions. If they lose, they’ll have to share the title. A win would also secure them a spot as the first-ever Ivy League representative in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

A change in tradition

Division I college football is broken up into two subdivisions: there’s the Football Bowl Subdivision, or FBS, includes schools like Boston College and other big-name programs like Ohio State or Alabama.

Then there’s the Football Championship Subdivision, or FCS, in which Harvard competes. And while it includes programs that are typically less followed than those in the FBS, it still features a high level of talent.

This year has been exceptional for Harvard: for the first time, they are ranked in the top 10 of the FCS’s two major polls.

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Until recently, the Yale game had been Harvard’s season finale, no matter how well the Crimson had done. That’s because in 1945 the Ivy League decided to prohibit its football teams from competing in the postseason, making football the only sport where Ivy League teams couldn’t compete for an NCAA title.

That changed when the Ivy League Council of Presidents voted last year to allow its teams to participate in the FCS playoffs, with the league’s winner getting an automatic bid. This was big news for Harvard head coach Andrew Aurich’s squad.

“Yeah, when it was announced, the guys were really, really excited,” Aurich said. “Now, with just how the Ivy League works, we knew it wasn’t really gonna change how we went about our business. ‘Cause you still gotta ultimately win the Ivy League championship to guarantee your spot.”

That makes this year’s matchup against Yale even more intriguing. The two teams are the top two squads in the Ancient Eight this year. And whoever wins on Saturday will get that coveted automatic playoff spot.

More on the line

The Harvard-Yale rivalry already carries the weight of history. Simply known as “The Game,” this will be the 141st matchup between the two foes.

And even though the Crimson are trying to treat this like just another week, the team’s practice on Wednesday was a little different. Music blared from Harvard Stadium’s speakers to simulate the crowd noise expected at the Yale Bowl on Saturday. The jumbotron featured a photo of Yale fans storming the field after the Bulldogs’ victory over Harvard last season.

And as good as his career at Harvard has been, quarterback Craig has yet to beat Yale: the school has won three straight against the Crimson.

Getting to be on the other side of that is a top priority.

“It’s a feeling I’ve been chasing, so I can’t say what it means to me,” he said. “But I know it’s everything to this school.”

Senior safety Ty Bartrum has also never beaten Yale — and he’s eager to break that losing streak.

“I can’t go 0-3 against Yale, it’s as simple as that,” he said. “So, I refuse to lose the game.”

The Crimson don’t need any extra motivation when it comes to playing Yale. But the chance to make some history as potentially the first Ivy League team in the FCS playoffs means something a little extra to Bartrum.

“Moreso for like the 10-0 Harvard Ivy League teams, the unanimous championship seasons, all the 10,000 Men of Harvard that kind of deserve that playoff run that they didn’t get,” he said. “I think we’re playing for them as well.”