Harvard Football Handles Bucknell, 42-3

Coming into Saturday’s game, the quarterback question loomed large over Harvard football.

But junior Colton Chapple answered that question, coming up big in his fourth consecutive start of the year.

The Crimson (4-1, 2-0 Ivy) controlled the afternoon, easily beating Bucknell (4-2, 1-1 Patriot), 42-3.

In just over two quarters of play—Chapple was pulled early in the third quarter when Harvard led by 35—the junior quarterback had another performance that landed him in the Crimson’s history books.

Chapple’s five touchdowns tied for the most ever by a Harvard passer in a single game. The first and only other time it happened was in 1953 (544 games ago). Chapple is also the first quarterback to ever throw for four touchdowns in back-to-back games.

After a prolific first half, sophomore Michael Pruneau came into the game rather than senior Collier Winters, perhaps an indication that Chapple is the clear starter going forward.

Harvard’s offense wasn’t the only dominant element of its game. The Crimson controlled on all fronts, nearly holding the Bison scoreless. At half-time, Bucknell had just 31 yards of total offense, rushing for -5 net yardage.

Even Harvard special teams handily outplayed its Bison opponents. All day, sophomore kicker David Mothander squibbed the kickoffs, and on one particularly bizarre play, the Crimson recovered a ball that trickled into the red zone, giving Harvard excellent field position and leading to a touchdown.

Though the Crimson controlled the pace early on, it couldn’t score until the last play of the first quarter. Chapple hit junior tight end Kyle Juszczyk in the end zone to give Harvard the 7-0 edge at the end of the quarter.

But two early touchdowns early in the second quarter—a 27-yard pass to senior Alex Sarkisian and a nine-yarder to sophomore tight end Cameron Brate set up by the recovered squib kick—put the game out of reach early on.

On the day, Chapple threw for 176 yards, completing 13 of 23 passes.

—Check thecrimson.com for updates.