“Football falls to Brown on the Road, 31-28”.

Dylan Goodman

28

Harvard
HAR

1-1, 0-1

31

winner

Brown
BRN

2-0, 1-0

28

31

winner

Points by quarters

team	1	2	3	4	F
HAR Harvard	14	7	7	0	28
BRN Brown	0	10	7	14	31

Match Review: Football | 09/28/2024 4:01:00 p.m

PROVIDENCE, R.I — Harvard football suffered a 31-28 road loss in the final minutes at Brown on Saturday in both teams’ Ivy League openers. With this decision, the Crimson fell to 1-1 on the season and 0-1 in the conference, while the Bears moved to 2-0 (1-0 Ivy).

Brown, trailing 28-23, capitalized on a high Harvard snap on a field goal attempt with 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The error resulted in a loose ball that was eventually picked up by the Bears’ Nick Hudson. The fumble was returned 33 yards before Hudson fumbled it again and gained another 13 yards.

One play later, Jake Willcox found Mark Mahoney for a 27-yard TD and the two later converted the 2-point conversion. With 21 seconds left, the Crimson started at their own 25 but were unable to advance the ball to their 50 until time expired.

How it happened

• After forcing Brown to punt on its first two drives, Harvard took over the offense with good field position starting at the Brown 47-yard line. Jaden Craig attached to Cooper Barkate with a 27-yard pass that brought the guests to the 15-yard line. Four Shane McLaughlin later rush, including a 7-yard run to 3^approx-and-4, put Harvard on the scoreboard. McLaughlin’s two-yard dash into the end zone with 5:55 left in the first quarter was his second touchdown of the season.
• Harvard doubled its lead just before the end of the first period when Craig Barkate found the end zone for a 20-yard score. The eight-play, 67-yard drive was capped off by a 13-yard rush by Charles DePrima and a 15-yard reception from Scott Woods II before it peaked with the TD strike.
• On Brown’s first possession of the second quarter, Jake Willcox hit Solomon Miller for a 56-yard gain, putting the Bears at the Crimson 8-yard line. However, Harvard’s defense stood firm, allowing only a 22-yard field goal with 11:17 left in the half.
• Harvard answered the field goal with a methodical drive down the field, from its own 25 to the Brown 16. From there, Craig connected with Barkate again, this time for a 16-yard TD pass. The 14-play, 75-yard drive, which took 5:18 minutes, extended the Crimson’s lead to 21-3.
• The Bears took advantage of Harvard after Elias picked off Archie Craig and returned the interception 44 yards to the Crimson 1-yard line. Two plays later, Nate Lussier broke into the end zone to give Harvard a 21-10 lead with 1:55 left before halftime.
• Harvard was forced to punt early in the second half and the Bears appeared poised to take advantage. A 20-yard rush by Willcox brought Brown to the Crimson 12, but the Bears’ drive stalled at the 7-yard line and they settled for a field goal attempt. However, the 24-yarder was off target as Harvard maintained its 21-10 lead.
• The Crimson took advantage of the Browns’ mistake and went 80 yards for the win. After Harvard gained 11 yards on the first three plays, Craig threw a 52-yard pass to a rushing DePrima, setting up Harvard at the Brown 17-yard line. Five plays later, Craig fought through would-be tacklers for a 2-yard TD rush.
• Facing a 28-10 deficit, Brown needed just 19 seconds to find the end zone. Willcox and Matt Childs teamed up for a 75-yard touchdown pass to put Brown up 28-17 with 5:57 left in the third.
• The Harvard defense came up big early in the fourth quarter as it appeared that Brown had found his rhythm offensively. After starting at their own 36 with 4:42 left in the third, the Bears found themselves at a 4^Th-and-goal situation at Harvard’s 2-yard line. Brown attempted a gadget play, but his pass in the end zone was broken up by him Damien Hendersonwhich helped Harvard maintain its 11-point lead with just under 12 minutes left in regulation.
• The score remained 28-17 in favor of the visitors until Willcox and Mahoney capped a 13-play, 69-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown (5:07) in the third quarter. The TD brought the hosts within five points before the game was decided in the final seconds of the fourth period.

Player notes

• Shane McLaughlin (22 attempts, 48 ​​yards, 1 TD): Led the team in rushing attempts… His 22 attempts were a season high… Scored a touchdown for the second straight game.
• Xaviah Bascon (13 attacks, 63 yards): Led all players in rushing yards…Set a career-high with 13 rushing attempts.
• Cooper Barkate (6 rec., 90 yards, 2 TD): Set a season high for receiving yards and receptions…His two touchdown catches in the first half matched his 2023 season total of three…His two touchdowns were for the game was a draw – high honors among non-quarterbacks.
• Jaden Craig (12 comps., 178 yards, 2 touchdowns; 4 attempts, 16 yards): Passed for two touchdowns, giving him five scores on the season…Reached for a season-high four times for a season-high 16 yards.
• Marcus Alexander (11 tackles): Achieved a career high with 11 tackles…Started the season with 10 career stops…The 11 tackles were the most among any player.
• Damien Henderson (4 Tkls., 1.0 TFL, 3 PBU): Had a career-best three pass breakups, matching his total from a season ago.

Next

Harvard hosts New Hampshire on Friday, October 4th. The game at 7 p.m. ET will be broadcast live on NESN and ESPN+.