WEEK 8 NOTES
PRINCETON, N.J. – Week 8 of the Ivy League football season features a pivotal matchup in the Ivy title race as Dartmouth travels to Princeton at noon Saturday on ESPN+. The Big Green and Tigers are two of three teams tied atop the league standings at 3-1, along with No. 19 Harvard.
Dartmouth (4-3, 3-1 Ivy) enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak following a 24-14 upset of then-No. 13 Harvard last Friday. The Big Green forced five interceptions and rushed for 229 yards to hand the Crimson its first loss of the season. Princeton (5-2, 3-1 Ivy) rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat Cornell, 21-20, last Saturday. WR Josh Smith caught four passes for 107 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score with 1:33 remaining.
Also at noon, Brown (4-3, 2-2 Ivy) travels to Yale (4-3, 2-2 Ivy) in a matchup between two teams looking to stay in the Ivy title race. The Bears enter on a two-game winning streak, while the Bulldogs earned a 26-8 road win over Columbia last weekend. At 1 p.m., No. 19 Harvard (6-1, 3-1 Ivy) looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it hosts Columbia (4-3, 1-3 Ivy), while Penn (3-4, 1-3 Ivy) travels to Cornell (3-4, 1-3 Ivy).
QUICK HITS
- At 17-7 (.708) against nonconference FCS opponents, the Ivy League ranks second nationally 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, including leading the nation in 2018 (.750) and 2022 (.792).
- Harvard is ranked No. 19 in the Stats Perform Media Poll and No. 22 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Princeton and Dartmouth are receiving votes in both major polls, while Yale received votes in the coaches poll.
- Three Ivy League teams rank among the top seven nationally in scoring defense. Harvard ranks fourth in the FCS, allowing just 14.4 points per game, while Princeton ranks fifth (15.1) and Brown is seventh (16.3).
- Princeton WR Josh Smith earned Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors after catching four passes for 107 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers' 21-20 win over Cornell. Smith caught the game-winning eight-yard touchdown pass with 1:33 remaining, completing Princeton's comeback from a 13-point second-half deficit.
- Harvard DB Xaden Benson leads the FCS in interceptions per game (1.29) and passes defended per game (2.0). Benson recorded three interceptions against Dartmouth last Friday, tying Harvard's single-game record and setting the program's single-season record with nine interceptions. He earned his second Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season.
- Columbia WR Bryce Coleman and Harvard WR Nathan Bailey were two of 30 players named to the Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award Watch List, presented annually to the top freshman in the FCS. Coleman ranks third nationally in receiving touchdowns (10) and has caught a touchdown pass in seven consecutive games. Bailey ranks second nationally in receptions per game (7.6). Coleman has earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors five times this season, including each of the last four weeks.
- Several Ivy League players rank among the top 10 nationally in multiple statistical categories. Brown LB Max Malo leads the FCS in tackles per game (12.3), while Yale RB Hugo Djeumeni Kemeni ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards per game (131.6). Columbia WR Bryce Coleman ranks among the top 10 nationally in four statistical categories.
- The Ivy League earned 16 Phil Steele Midseason All-America selections, tied with the Missouri Valley Football Conference for the second most among FCS conferences. Harvard's eight selections tied for the most nationally, while Yale's four were tied for the third most.
- For the fourth consecutive year, all eight Ivy League football programs have a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented annually to college football's top scholar-athlete.