Football

Ivy Football Week 9 Puts Title Race in Spotlight

WEEK 9 NOTES

PRINCETON, N.J. – Week 9 of the Ivy League football season features four conference matchups with the Ivy title race taking center stage Saturday. No. 19 Harvard and No. 23 Princeton enter the weekend tied atop the league standings at 4-1, with both teams having an opportunity to clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title. Brown and Dartmouth sit one game back at 3-2.
 
Harvard (7-1, 4-1 Ivy) travels to Penn (4-4, 2-3 Ivy) at 1 p.m. on ESPN+. The Crimson bounced back last weekend with a 37-0 win over Columbia, scoring all 37 points in the first half and totaling 434 yards of offense. DJ Gordon rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries in the win. Penn enters Saturday following a 14-13 road victory over Cornell, with Sean Williams Jr. scoring the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter. 
 
At noon, Princeton (6-2, 4-1 Ivy) travels to Yale (4-4, 2-3 Ivy) on ESPN+. The Tigers have won two straight games following a 21-14 victory over Dartmouth last weekend. Brown (5-3, 3-2 Ivy), which enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak, hosts Columbia (4-4, 1-4 Ivy) at noon. Dartmouth (4-4, 3-2 Ivy) travels to Cornell (3-5, 1-4 Ivy) at 1 p.m. to round out the Saturday slate.
 
TIME MATCHUP COVERAGE
12 p.m. Columbia at Brown ESPN+ | Live Stats
12 p.m. No. 23 Princeton at Yale ESPN+ | Live Stats
1 p.m. Dartmouth at Cornell ESPN+ | Live Stats
1 p.m. No. 19 Harvard at Penn ESPN+ | Live Stats

QUICK HITS 
  • Harvard and Princeton are both seeking to secure at least a share of the Ivy League title. Harvard can clinch a share with a win over Penn and a Princeton loss to Yale. Princeton can clinch a share with a win over Yale and a Harvard loss to Penn.
  • Harvard is the only team that can clinch the Ivy League’s automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs this weekend. The Crimson would need a win over Penn, a Princeton loss to Yale and a Dartmouth loss to Cornell.
  • The Ivy League has two teams ranked in both national FCS polls. Harvard checks in at No. 19 in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and AFCA Coaches Poll. Princeton is No. 25 in the Stats Perform poll and No. 23 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, while Brown received votes in the coaches poll.
  • Three Ivies rank among the top eight nationally in scoring defense. Harvard leads the FCS at 12.6 points allowed per game, while Princeton ranks third at 15.0 and Brown is eighth at 16.8.
  • At 17-7 (.708) against non-conference FCS opponents, the Ivy League ranks second in the FCS this season. The league has ranked among the top three conferences in winning percentage against FCS opponents in each of its last eight seasons of competition.
  • Harvard’s DJ Gordon was named Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries against Columbia. Brown linebacker Stefano Montella earned Defensive Player of the Week after recording a game-high 18 tackles in the Bears’ win over Yale. Princeton punter Brady Clark was named Special Teams Player of the Week, while Harvard wide receiver Nathan Bailey collected Rookie of the Week honors.
  • Brown linebacker Max Malo leads the FCS with 12.6 tackles per game. Harvard defensive back Xaden Benson leads the nation in both interceptions per game (1.13) and passes defended per game (1.88), while Yale running back Hugo Djeumeni Kemeni ranks fourth nationally with 131.6 rushing yards per game.
  • The Ivy League earned 16 Phil Steele Midseason All-America selections, tied with the Missouri Valley Football Conference for the second most among conferences. Harvard’s eight selections tied for the most of any FCS program nationally, while Yale’s four were tied for the third most.
  • For the fourth consecutive year, all eight Ivy League programs had a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented annually to the nation’s top scholar-athlete.