Harvard Football topples No. 16/21 UNH with upset win | sport

After suffering a painful loss to Brown in its Ivy League season opener last week, Harvard's football team flipped the script Friday night, defeating the No. 16/21 University of New Hampshire Wildcats 28-23.

Buoyed by a strong second-half performance and two touchdowns from sophomore running back Xaviah Bascon, the Crimson dispelled any doubts about the team's ability to remain serious contenders for the Ivy League title.

After New Hampshire scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to pull within five points, junior quarterback Jaden Craig led the Crimson to the Wildcats' 41-yard line with two minutes to play.

Harvard probably needed another first down to put the game on ice, but the Wildcats' defense stopped Bascon on third down, just inches away from moving the chains.

Harvard's newly minted head coach Andrew Aurich had to make a decision: either try a field goal and give the Wildcats a chance to tie the game, or try it and secure the win.

Aurich didn't hesitate.

Bascon danced through the Wildcats' defense before sliding to the ground just shy of the end zone and giving up a third touchdown to secure the Crimson's victory.

The bold decision was one of many high-risk, high-reward fourth-down plays Aurich made at several crucial points in the second half, mostly with great success.

Sophomore running back Xaviah Bascon danced through the Wildcats' defense before deciding to slide at the 15-yard line to seal the win for Harvard. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

“I told Coach Fein every time, 'We're going to try because I want to win the game,'” Aurich recalled in a postgame interview.

“My goal is to win games,” he said. “I try not to lose games.”

The Crimsons' comeback win on Friday marked a remarkable turnaround after the Wildcats overwhelmed Harvard offensively and defensively early in the game.

In the first quarter, the Crimson's offense picked up where it left off in Providence – as the team struggled to make progress. With team captain and senior running back Shane McLaughlin on the sideline, the team relied on Bascon to run the ball, with little success at first.

Craig was under pressure on almost every snap as the offensive line seemed unable to stop the Wildcats. He threw several incompletions on Harvard's second possession and was also close to intercepting it.

On the defensive side, the Crimson — who were missing injured senior defensive back Gavin Shipman — were unable to stop UNH's short passes as the team scored a touchdown on the first drive and a 52-yard field goal on the second .

In the second quarter, Harvard made a key adjustment on the offensive side of the ball: It brought senior quarterback Charles DePrima onto the field.

On his first touch, he moved down the field and dashed outside for a 10-yard gain. On the next play, Craig faked a pitch to DePrima and launched a deep pass to senior wide receiver Scott Woods II, who evaded a tackle and sprinted into the end zone for a 65-yard touchdown, cutting the Wildcats' lead to 10-7 .

Senior wide receiver Scott Woods II evades a New Hampshire defender and scores the Crimson's first touchdown on Friday. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

The Wildcats responded with a field goal on the next drive after senior quarterback Seth Morgan made contact with junior wide receiver Caleb Burke, setting the team up at Harvard's 26-yard line.

After a three-and-out drive by Harvard that included two incompletions and a sack, UNH started with promising field position from its own 35-yard line. After a short pass for a first down, the Wildcats couldn't sustain the drive and gained just three yards on the next three plays, setting up a 4th-and-7 from their 48-yard line.

While trying to fend off the Crimson, the Wildcats attempted a fake punt and threw the ball to Morgan. However, Morgan was stuffed a yard short of the line for gain by senior linebacker Oreck Frazier and sophomore defensive back Austin-Jake Guillory, giving Harvard a new drive from their 46-yard line.

As the Crimsons gained momentum after the failed trick play, Harvard immediately capitalized on a fake handoff and a completion to junior wide receiver Cooper Barkate inside the 5-yard line. Bascon was able to run into the end zone and – with an extra point from freshman kicker Kieran Corr – Harvard increased the score to 14-13 and took the lead for the first time in the game.

Harvard managed to stop UNH's next drive, but several incompletions on Harvard's next possession allowed the Wildcats to take the lead by 94 yards with just under two minutes on the clock.

After a two-minute drill from its own six-yard line, UNH completed several quick passes before throwing a 46-yard ball to wide receiver Logan Tomlinson, setting up the Wildcats at the Crimson's 37-yard line. UNH advanced the ball to the 23-yard line before a key sack by Crimson senior linebacker Marcus Alexander set the Wildcats back and forced a field goal attempt. UNH scored a 43-yard field goal as time expired and entered the locker room trailing 16-14.

As the week progressed, Aurich stressed the importance of taking the ball away on defense, and that's exactly how Harvard opened the second half. On the first play of the half, senior defensive end Jacob Psyk forced a fumble after a quick pass that was recovered by senior linebacker Eric Little Jr. at the Wildcats' 13-yard line.

After the game, Aurich passionately described that moment as the defining moment for Harvard's defense.

“It was huge because we went into the game talking about how we needed to win the turnover margin,” Aurich said. “When I finally got one out, I was really excited.”

For Little, while the fumble recovery was exciting, the more important element of the defense was their ability to continue to execute every snap.

“We don’t believe in momentum,” Little said in an interview. “Each piece is an individual event. Nothing changes about that. Nothing changes that.”

“We have a motto: 'Let them compete again,'” he added.

On the ensuing possession, Craig escaped a collapsing pocket on third-and-8 and nearly pounced for first down. Aurich stopped the offense on fourth-and-1 from the 4-yard line and called an option pitch to Bascon, who failed to get to the edge and suffered a two-yard loss, giving up the ball returned to UNH with a deficit of 16-14.

Harvard made up for the missed opportunity on the next possession when Aurich turned to what worked all night: deep passes and an established running game. After a 21-yard spiral throw to Barkate, Bascon hit a 1-yard rushing touchdown to put the Crimson back in the lead, 21-16.

Sophomore Spencer Doan lifts running back Xaviah Bascon into the air to celebrate a touchdown against the New Hampshire Wildcats. By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

Bascon's touchdown marked a turning point for the Crimson's offense, which had struggled to score in the second half in the first two games of the season.

“They are a resilient group and of course we will see how it goes, but every week is a week-long season where you try to win 1-0,” Aurich said in an interview.

Meanwhile, Harvard's defense finally seemed to stabilize and UNH was unable to make anything happen offensively as the momentum swung in the Crimsons' favor – signifying a change in the physicality of the game.

The Crimson capitalized again on their next drive. On another four-and-1, Harvard went for it and barely secured the first down as fans waited with bated breath for the referees to spot the ball. On the very next play, Deprima entered the game at quarterback and attempted a run and Harvard's fourth touchdown, extending Harvard's lead to 28-23.

This time, UNH was able to respond and, with the help of some Harvard penalties, marched down the field to score a touchdown. With a little less than six minutes to play, Harvard took possession of the ball with a narrow lead of 28-23.

With another conversion on a fourth-and-1, Harvard was able to run out the clock and secure the upset victory.

Despite the team's strong win, Aurich said he focused on where the team still had room for improvement.

“We can’t think long about how great the game was,” Aurich said. “We have to learn from it.”

“We are not worried about the end of the season and the record in the Ivy League,” he added. “We’re worried that it’s now 1-0 against Cornell.”

Instead, Aurich preferred to think about the size of the home crowd on Friday night – the first big appearance of the season after a rainy Saturday afternoon kept many students from attending the home game against Stetson.

“The student section was great,” Aurich said. “We have to make sure they show up at every game.”

“They helped us win this game,” he added.

– Staff reporter Jo Lemann can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @Jo_Lemann.

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