With title hopes on the line, Harvard faces undefeated No. 22 Dartmouth | sport

As Dartmouth students light a massive bonfire Friday night as part of their annual homecoming celebration, the Harvard football team hopes to add water to the flames the next afternoon – the fire that will propel the Big Green to an undefeated 6-0 start has. heads into its matchup with the Crimson (5-1, 2-1 Ivy).

The Crimson will face Dartmouth (6-0, 3-0 Ivy) – the only undefeated team in the Ivy League – on Saturday in a crucial matchup for both teams' seasons.

Harvard enters the heavyweight showdown ranked second in the Ivy League, with a loss to Brown in the team's first conference match the only blemish of the season. The only realistic way for Harvard to achieve its goal of a full Ivy League title would be to win this game and then top the standings, hoping that Dartmouth and Brown lose at least one game the rest of their season.

If Dartmouth secures the win, they will be the clear favorite to win the league title, with their toughest goals already behind them.

Despite the game's importance, Harvard head coach Andrew Aurich said his players have had the advantage of being able to play every contest since the Brown game knowing their season was on the line.

“We've had our backs against the wall since Brown's game, so the mindset of these guys is no different than it was at Cornell and at Princeton,” Aurich said. “Because in this league it’s not very often that you have a championship with two losses, so you literally have to play with your back against the wall.”

Junior wide receiver Copper Barkate also said his mindset hasn't changed much since the loss to Brown.

“We screwed that up,” Barkate said Collapse at the last second against the bears. “Every week is a championship week for us, so it’s just about staying on track.”

Dartmouth head coach Sammy McCorkle said in a news conference Wednesday that he is taking a different approach with his team — avoiding talking about the game's broader implications.

“We never talk about these missions,” McCorkle said. “We just talk about preparing every week and we talk about trying to do everything we can to put ourselves in a position to be successful.”

The Big Green picked up a narrow win on the road against Columbia and are proving themselves in a season-deciding duel between the only two undefeated teams in the conference.

Dartmouth is no stranger to ending games. The Big Green has won its last five games by a total of 13 points, with its largest margin being just four points.

Running back Q Jones, who is currently second in the Ivy League in rushing, played a key role in the game against the Lions and finished the game with 182 rushing yards, a career-best. His role was even more important to the team when Dartmouth's starting quarterback Jackson Proctor was sidelined due to injury.

McCorkle gave little indication as to whether his leading signal-caller will return against Harvard.

“We’re still taking it day by day,” McCorkle said. “By Saturday we will have a better idea of ​​where we are with this.”

Aurich, for his part, recognized Jones as a threat, but noted that Jones could be contained as long as no player tried to be a “superhero” in his defense.

“He's a great running back, has great vision, patience and when he sees the hole, he has acceleration,” Aurich said. “So the most important thing is that we have to make sure everyone is doing their job. Because when someone tries to make a play outside of the called defense, they end up getting really big plays. But it’s more about eleven people doing their job.”

On Harvard's side, McCorkle sees junior quarterback Jaden Craig as the primary offensive threat. Craig is currently the most efficient quarterback in the league and has averaged 252.8 passing yards per game.

“We can’t have Jaden walking around back there and sitting back there,” McCorkle said. “And he has a lot of good targets, and he’s too good a quarterback. If you give him too much time now, he’ll tear you apart.”

McCorkle also talked about the depth of talent Craig will have to work with in Harvard's offense.

“They get a lot of players involved offensively,” McCorkle said. “It puts a lot of strain on the defense. The most important thing we have to do, of course, is make sure our assignments are solid. We can't shoot ourselves in the foot. We can't give them easy plays. We have to make them work for everything. And that is our plan for the future.”

McCorkle also said he is prepared to adjust his offense as needed against a strong Harvard defense — led by defensive coordinator and associate head coach Scott Larkee '99.

“Harvard is very good up front, very good up front and very good at the second level,” McCorkle said. “Their safeties and secondary staff are also very well integrated.”

“I mean, they have a very good defense,” he added. “They always have a very good defense.”

On Saturday, both teams will prepare for the most anticipated duel of the year in the Ivy League. Still, Barkate said he was happy with the Crimson's situation.

“We have so many weapons,” Barkate said. “The running back room has depth. The reception room has depth. Craig plays Lights Out. So I think we’re doing pretty well.”

The conference's top quarterback and wide receiver duo, along with the rest of the Crimson, will look to extend their win streak to five on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Hanover, NH. November 2, streaming on ESPN+.

– Staff journalist Jo Lemann can be reached at [email protected].

– Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at [email protected].