Harvard-Princeton Highlights Four-Game Ivy Slate

This weekend, fans will descend upon Ivy League football stadiums in droves, filling every available seat and pushing the limits of the standing-room-only sections. Traffic will be a nightmare in Ithaca, Philadelphia, Hanover, and Cambridge as Ancient Eight supporters clog each and every road leading to the big games—alright, maybe not so much over in Ithaca.

Hours before the official start times, the tension and anticipation will be palpable. Tailgates will dominate the schools’ other athletic fields, and the smoke from the grills will blanket the surrounding areas. As the opening kickoffs sail through the air, the roar of the crowds will be heard for miles in every direction.

Maybe I’m hyperbolizing just a little bit. After all, this isn’t the SEC or the Big Ten. I guess we can only dream.

But why am I so fired up this week? Because it’s the start of the second half, baby. From here on out, only Ivy League matchups remain. Every game counts, and some teams will fight to stave off elimination starting this very weekend.

Here. We. Go.

YALE AT PENN

In the words of Markelle Fultz, Yale will be excited to head to (City) and face off against (Team Name) this Saturday.

The 76ers rookie muffed an Instagram post after being drafted first overall this past June, but he eventually corrected himself and made his appreciation for the city of Philadelphia known. Like Fultz, Yale will also appreciate a trip to the City of Brotherly Love. The Quakers have faltered the past three weeks, losing consecutive games to Dartmouth, Central Connecticut State, and Columbia.

The two Ivy defeats came in excruciating fashion. On the last play of the game against the Big Green, quarterback Jared Gerbino scored as time expired to secure the 16-13 victory for Dartmouth. A week after being doubled up by Central Connecticut State, 42-21, the Quakers took a red-hot Columbia squad to overtime when receiver Justin Watson caught a 17-yard touchdown pass. Penn even took the lead in overtime with a field goal, but on Columbia’s last-chance drive, quarterback Anders Hill tossed a 24-yard pass to secure the 34-31 win.

For all of Penn’s woes, Yale has had a polar opposite season. Most recently, the Bulldogs hosted Holy Cross and picked the Crusaders apart in a 32-0 drubbing.Yale has lost just once, and it was on one of Dartmouth’s miraculous nail-biter wins.

Look for Penn to lose a close league matchup once again.

Pick: Yale 24, Penn 21

COLUMBIA AT DARTMOUTH

Looking at this game from a football perspective, it’s hard to pick against either school. Columbia is a perfect 5-0, and it has defeated Ivy mainstays Princeton and Penn. Dartmouth also sits at 5-0 and 2-0 in the Ancient Eight, and it has defeated Penn and Yale.

The Lions do not have any outstanding rushers, but the combination of quarterback Anders Hill and receivers Ronald Smith II and Josh Wainwright give coach Al Bagnoli more than enough firepower. The Big Green has a more varied run game and receiving corps, with no true standout performers, but it still puts up 27.6 points per game.

However, using mascot logic, Dartmouth has this game in the books.

Dartmouth varsity sports’ nicknames are the Big Green, which I guess is supposed to represent that the entire region of New England is nothing but deciduous and coniferous north of Lowell, Mass. The Lions are, well, lions.

Lions are obviously more comfortable in warmer climates on the savannah. There is no possible, feasible way for a lion to defeat an entire forest. Advantage, Dartmouth.

Pick: Dartmouth 20, Columbia 17

BROWN AT CORNELL

Yikes.

Before the 2017 season started, few people (if any) had this game circled on their calendars. These two teams were projected to be bottom-feeders, and so far they have somewhat lived up to that reputation.

Brown’s first half has been rough to say the least. The Bears are being outscored by over 13 points per game on average. One major factor in this scoring disparity was last week’s rout at the hands of Princeton: the Tigers dominated Brown, 53-0, and held the Bears to just 170 yards.

However, Brown did beat Rhode Island, 24-21. Rhode Island upset the Crimson, 17-10, in week one. So is Brown technically better than Harvard by the transitive property?

The answer is no. But Cornell actually beat the Crimson head-to-head, and the Big Red has looked like an improved team over the past two weeks. Cornell is one of four Ivy teams tied at 1-1 in league record.

If this game disappoints in terms of quality football, at least Ithaca has good bagels. I am a huge proponent of halftime press box spreads, but when Harvard visited Cornell, the local bagel shop blew the Cornell buffet of subs and chips out of the water.

Pick: Cornell 34, Brown 10

PRINCETON AT HARVARD

Dartmouth’s bout with Columbia may be the main event this weekend, but this game will surely be the most entertaining.

Defensively, Harvard has the advantage. The entire defense has battled injuries, but recently key performers such as Charlie Walker, DJ Bailey, and Stone Hart have returned and have solidified the Crimson’s pass rush and run prevention, especially following a difficult loss to Cornell.

Offensively, look for Princeton to gain the edge. Quarterback Chad Kanoff is one of the best, if not the best, signal caller in the Ivy League, and he boasts a whopping 73.9 completion percentage. Running back Charlie Volker averages 94.8 yards per game on the ground.

Making this game all the more interesting, each team sits at 1-1 in conference play. Who will move up to 2-1, and who will suffer a crucial second defeat?

Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, has an affinity for shutting things down. For instance, in 2013 in a scandal known as “Bridgegate,” his staff was suspected to have shut down lanes on the George Washington Bridge to intentionally create traffic problems. Will Christie attempt to shut down Harvard’s running lanes in a similar fashion this weekend? Since the contest is in Massachusetts, far out of his grasp, I’ll bet on the Crimson.

Pick: Harvard 35, Princeton 34

—Staff writer Jack Stockless can be reached at jack.stockless@thecrimson.com.