Holy Cross at Harvard
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Interstat) — Harvard will put its undefeated record on the line Saturday when it hosts Holy Cross in an NCAA Football Championship Division game at Harvard Stadium. The Crusaders are the visiting team, while the Crimson are the home team. The game is set for Saturday at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Mass.
Harvard (4-0) has opened with four straight wins and will face Holy Cross (2-4). Harvard remains unbeaten, while Holy Cross is seeking its third win of the season. The Crimson are coming off a 41-29 victory at Cornell in which quarterback Charlie Smith completed 23 of 27 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Smith also threw for 369 yards and two scores against Colgate and 205 yards and two touchdowns against Brown earlier this season. He is the player to watch for Harvard.
Holy Cross enters after a 41-14 win at William & Mary. Quarterback David Lynch completed 16 of 26 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns in that victory. Joseph Williams added 111 rushing yards on 16 carries, 39 receiving yards on three catches and a 24-yard kickoff return, while Datrell Jones ran 13 times for 77 yards and a touchdown. Holy Cross will lean on Lynch to build on that performance.
Lynch, the Crusaders’ player to watch, has been productive throughout the season. He threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores against Lafayette. He also passed for 144 yards and two touchdowns against Yale. Holy Cross will need a balanced effort to keep pace with a Harvard offense that has scored at least 14 points in every game and at least 20 in three of four.
Harvard’s defense has held New Hampshire to seven points and Brown to 10. Colgate scored 17, and Cornell scored 29. The Crimson will look to Smith to direct an offense that has topped 30 points twice. Holy Cross has scored 38 and 41 points in its two wins but has been held to 28 or fewer in its four losses, including 10 points twice.
The Crusaders’ other recent results include a 38-30 win at Lafayette, a 38-28 home loss to Yale, a 45-7 loss at Miami (Ohio), a 35-10 loss at Colgate and a 35-10 home loss to Lehigh. Harvard beat Colgate 20-17, Brown 14-10 and New Hampshire 31-7 before the Cornell win.
After Saturday, Holy Cross will host Bucknell, Richmond, Villanova and Fordham and visit Georgetown. Harvard will host Princeton, Columbia and Yale and visit Dartmouth and Penn.
Interstat’s game simulator projects Harvard to win 47-22.