Junior running back Paul Stanton dashed for a career-high 180 yards on the ground against Dartmouth, as the Crimson remained undefeated in Ivy play.

Four down, three to go.

In a battle of the two undefeated teams in the Ivy League, Harvard (7-0, 4-0 Ivy) came to Memorial Field and outlasted the Big Green (5-2, 3-1) in a defensive struggle to escape victorious, 23-12.

With the win in Hanover, N.H., the Crimson now holds sole possession of the top spot in the conference for the first time since 2011.  

Crucial to Harvard’s success was its plus-two turnover margin. The Crimson’s defense forced four fumbles—recovering two—and picked off Dartmouth’s backup quarterback, Alex Park.

“On the season, believe it or not, we’re minus on the turnover margin, something that’s very rare for a Harvard team,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “That’s something we needed to turn around, and that’s something that was a key statistic for this game.”

Late in the first half, Dartmouth was down by a score and was looking to even the game when quarterback Dalyn Williams connected with wideout Victor Williams for a first down. But cornerback Chris Evans collided with Williams after the catch, popping the ball out, and senior defensive tackle Ryan Delisle fell on top of it to give Harvard possession deep in Big Green territory.

A few runs by junior running back Paul Stanton later, and the Crimson made the game a two-possession contest.

“You can’t make [mistakes] against a team like that,” Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens said. “Three turnovers, one kind of late in the game, but the first one hurt us, put us in a real bad situation defensively…. That shakes you a little bit.”

A last-ditch Big Green comeback attempt whilst down nine points ended in a controversial turnover. A pass to receiver Bo Patterson put Dartmouth in the Harvard zone for the first time since its opening drive of the half, but when Patterson hit the turf, the ball popped out, and Harvard captain Norman Hayes emerged from the scuffle with it. After a lengthy discussion, the referees ruled it a turnover, much to Teevens’s dismay.

The Big Green would not put any more points on the board after its first drive of the second half, when it managed to tally a field goal, as the ensuing drive ended with a Park pick by junior cornerback Jordan Becerra.

The Crimson’s defensive front was dominant all game, limiting Dartmouth’s rushing attack to just 94 yards on 28 carries and pressuring both quarterbacks throughout the contest.

“Right now we’re playing a really special kind of defense, a defense we haven’t seen since probably the ’97 team,” Murphy said.

 

TROUBLE UNDER CENTER

After senior quarterback Conner Hempel was sidelined for the majority of the season thus far from a back injury, likely the last thing he wanted to do was watch junior playcaller Scott Hosch take his place in the most important game of the season to date for the Crimson.