WEEK 3 NOTES
PRINCETON, N.J. – Week 3 of the Ivy League football season features a pair of league matchups, with Princeton and Columbia squaring off at noon in New York and Penn and Dartmouth meeting at 1:30 p.m. in Hanover. Saturday’s non-conference slate is highlighted by a matchup of nationally ranked teams, as No. 20 Harvard hosts No. 22 Colgate at 7 p.m.
Harvard and Cornell opened Ivy play with wins last week. The Crimson topped Brown, 14-10, on Friday night, while the Big Red earned a 38-25 victory over Yale. Following the win, Cornell received votes in the Stats Perform media poll.
QUICK HITS
- The Ivy League has ranked among the top three FCS conferences in winning percentage against FCS opponents in each of its last eight seasons of competition, including leading the nation in 2018 (.750) and 2022 (.792). Ivy teams went 17-10 (.630) against FCS opponents in 2025, ranking third nationally behind only the MVFC and Big Sky.
- Harvard up moved in both national polls following its 14-10 win over Brown. The Crimson jumped one spot to number No. 20 in the Stats Perform Poll and three spots to No. 22 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
- Four Ivy League teams rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense: Harvard (1st, 8.5), Princeton (3rd, 10.5), Brown (4th, 12.0) and Penn (7th, 13.5). In five of the last seven seasons, the league has had multiple teams finish in the top 10 nationally in the category.
- Ivy League players earned ESPN College Football Final Helmet Stickers in each of the first two weeks of the season. Yale QB Dante Reno earned the honor in Week 1 after throwing for 454 yards and five touchdowns, while Harvard DB Xaden Benson followed in Week 2 after accounting for four turnovers.
- Harvard DB Xaden Benson was named the Stats Perform National Defensive Player of the Week after recording three interceptions, a fumble recovery and four tackles in the Crimson’s 14-10 win over Brown. He accounted for all four Harvard takeaways.
- Yale DB Abu Kamara and Harvard DB Damien Henderson are on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, while Yale QB Dante Reno is on the Walter Payton Award Watch List.
- Cornell TE Ryder Kurtz and Kamara earned First Team Preseason All-America recognition from Stats Perform, FCS Football Central and Phil Steele.
- Six Ivy standouts were named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000: Kurtz, Cornell WR Samuel Musungu, Dartmouth S Harrison Keith, Harvard OL Spencer Doan, Henderson and Kamara.
- For the fourth consecutive year, all eight Ivy League programs are represented among the semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented annually to the nation’s top scholar-athlete.
- All eight Ivy League head coaches entered their current positions with previous experience in the league as a player, assistant coach or both. Brown’s James Perry, Harvard’s Andrew Aurich and Princeton’s Bob Surace also played football in the Ivy League.
- Last season marked the first postseason appearance by an Ivy League school since 1934 and the first postseason eligibility since 1945. Yale then delivered the league’s first FCS playoff win, rallying from 28 points down to defeat No. 15 Youngstown State, 43-42.