Playing for More Than Just Pride: Football Travels to Face Columbia and Roar Back into the Ivy League Chase

Football is a game of inches, especially in the defensive-minded Ivy League. A whistle and a few feet are all that separate Harvard (5-2, 2-2) from an undefeated record and control of its Ivy League fate. But, a controversial timeout against Princeton and a narrow miss on junior kicker Jonah Lipel’s 53-yard field goal attempt later, the Crimson sits at the fringes of the conference title race, with Saturday’s crucial matchup against Columbia (5-2, 2-2) in New York City looming ahead. Playing for more than just pride, the Lions will host Harvard at Wien Stadium at 1 p.m. Fans can tune in via ESPN+ or hear it over the radio at WRCA (1330 AM, 106.1 FM) or WHRB (95.3 FM).

After getting off to its first 5-0 start since 2015, the Crimson has struggled in recent weeks, with Princeton and Dartmouth slowing down its high-powered running game. Against the two Ivy League powerhouses, Harvard has turned its 65 rushing attempts into just 115 yards (1.8 yards per carry). By contrast, the Crimson rushed for nearly three times as many yards in its first game of the season, pounding Georgetown for 335 yards on Sept. 18. Meanwhile, Columbia enters the game off a 37-30 shootout loss against Yale on Oct. 30. With the loss, the Lions fell two games behind Princeton in the Ivy League chase. The Tigers will travel to face the Big Green on Friday in Hanover, N.H.; while a Princeton victory would sew up at least a share of the conference title, a Dartmouth triumph would allow themselves, Harvard, and Columbia to re-enter contention.

In the Crimson’s loss last Saturday, it relied on two different quarterbacks to fill the void left by sophomore quarterback Charlie Dean’s season-ending injury, with senior quarterback Jake Smith in at signal-caller for the first three quarters and junior quarterback Luke Emge taking over in the final frame. Smith completed 11 of his 21 pass attempts for 82 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while Emge was six for eight, with 73 yards, including a 43-yard completion to senior wide receiver B.J. Watson.

In the Dartmouth contest, offensive coordinator Mickey Fein called just four passing plays in the first quarter, as the rain came down at Harvard Stadium. However, this will not be an issue on Saturday in New York City, when temperatures are expected to be in the mid-50s with no rain or wind. Whichever quarterback Coach Tim Murphy chooses to send out there, Harvard will need to present a balanced offense against the Lions.

Junior running back Aaron Shampklin remains the star of the Crimson offense, having rushed for 76 yards on 17 carries against the Big Green. He sits at exactly 2,000 yards for his Harvard career, becoming the eighth running back in program history to reach the milestone. Even after relatively slow games against Princeton and Dartmouth, he still ranks 14th nationally with 97.3 rushing yards per game. Sophomore running back Aidan Borguet has carried the ball 83 times this season, 19 fewer than Shampklin, and has complemented the 2018 All-Ivy First Teamer with 432 yards and five touchdowns.

Although first-year wide receiver Kaedyn Odermann has missed the last three games with an injury, whichever quarterback starts on Saturday will have plenty of weapons to target. Junior wide receiver Kym Wimberly leads the team in receiving yards with 246, and has used his breakaway speed to find the end zone twice this season. He is complemented by even more speed: two converted running backs in Watson and junior wide receiver Demarkes Stradford, who returned a kickoff 89 yards to begin the second half against Dartmouth, the first touchdown return since junior wide receiver Adam Scott took one to the house in 2017. Additionally, 6’7” senior wide receiver/long snapper Adam West and 6’4” first-year tight end Tyler Neville give the quarterbacks two big targets.

Harvard’s offense will have to face a strong Columbia unit, led by linebacker Scott Valentas, who has racked up 32 tackles this season and led the team with 12 against Yale. In addition, linebacker Cam Dillon is on a redemption tour this season, pacing the Lions with 37 total tackles after suffering an injury that kept him out of the final seven games of the 2019 season. Defensive back Ben Mathiasmeier has intercepted three passes, tops on the Columbia defense.

The Lions have done a good job keeping their opponents from moving the chains. In seven games, they have allowed just 123 first downs, which ties for the 11th-fewest in the nation. Additionally, Columbia boasts the country's 15th-strongest rushing defense, allowing 108 yards per game. Strong rushing defenses are a staple in the Ivy League: of the 20 stingiest teams in the country, five are in the Ancient Eight: Harvard (first), Princeton (second), Columbia (15th), Yale (16th) and Dartmouth (18th).

In total, the Crimson has allowed just 56.4 rushing yards per game, after holding Lafayette to negative-24 net rushing yards on Oct. 16. The key to Harvard’s first-placed ranking is its dominant front seven, led by sophomore defensive lineman Nate Leskovec and first-year defensive tackle Thor Griffith, who was named on Oct. 27 to the Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award Watch List, which honors the best first-year player in the country. Griffith, who has racked up 16 tackles, including three sacks and a forced fumble, is the only Ivy League player on the watch list. The Portsmouth, N.H. native has been a powerful force on a Crimson defense that ranks second nationally with 31 sacks.

Junior defensive lineman Jacob Sykes leads the team with six sacks, but Leskovec has contributed 5.5 of his own. Harvard also has intercepted 11 passes, good enough to place it in a tie for ninth nationally. Despite allowing 228.9 yards per game through the air, which ranks 70th and second to last in the Ancient Eight, it ranks eighth in team passing efficiency defense (102.2), an advanced statistic that takes turnovers into account. Junior safety James Herring plays a major role in keeping the defense steady, leading the team with 54 total tackles.

The Crimson excels when its back is up against the wall. It has allowed just 113 first downs this season, good for sixth in the Football Championship Series (FCS), but only 31 of those have come on third or fourth down. Harvard’s opponents earn a fresh set of downs on third down just 24.5% of the time, the third-lowest rate in the country. The Crimson is even better on fourth down, when teams only choose to go for it when the odds appear to be in their favor. Despite facing a lot of short yardages, Harvard’s defense has conceded a first down on just 22.2 percent of its fourth down opportunities.

On Saturday, defensive coordinator Scott Larkee ‘99’s unit will hope to slow down a Columbia offense that ranks as the 28th best rushing offense in the country, averaging 175.9 yards per game. Running back Dante Miller, despite a relatively sluggish performance against Yale on Oct. 30, has caused fits for opposing defenses all season, turning his 105 handoffs into 643 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Ryan Young led the team with 92 yards and three touchdowns against Yale, his first three of the season, to go along with 379 yards.

The Lions do not turn to the air much, ranking just 98th in the FCS with 163.1 passing yards per game. However, when they do, quarterback Joe Green has been effective. This season, he has completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 1,118 yards and four touchdowns while throwing just one interception. In Columbia’s signature win this season, a 19-0 victory over Dartmouth on Oct. 22, Green managed a 14/22, 98-yard, one-touchdown performance to help his team outduel the Big Green. When he does pass, his preferred target is wide receiver Marcus Libman, who leads the team with 202 yards.

Harvard has a commanding lead in the all-time series, 62-15-1. However, the Lions won the last matchup, a 17-10 overtime affair in New York City in 2019. After the loss, the Crimson lost its remaining two games and staggered to a 4-6 final record, its only losing season since the turn of the millennium. Both universities have brought different teams this time around, and the visitors cannot afford the same result. If Harvard wants any realistic hope of raising its tenth banner in Murphy’s 27-year reign, it absolutely must win on Saturday.

— Staff writer Griffin Wong can be reached at griffin.wong@thecrimson.com.