Campus & Community

Big Red, no big deal for the Crimson

2 min read

Harvard cruises to first Ivy win this season

The Cornell Big Red, the last unbeaten team in the Ivy League, fell at the hands of a stronger, more talented Harvard Crimson team on Saturday (Oct. 11) by a score of 38-17. The Crimson (3-1; 1-1) got out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter and went into the half up 28-7. A demoralized Cornell team (3-1; 1-1) came out of the locker room trying to get back in the game, but, stifled and undermatched, Cornell just could not put enough points on the board.

This past weekend, Harvard looked more like the Crimson team that was predicted to finish first in the Ivy League Preseason Poll than the team that had only outscored their opponents 74-61 before Saturday’s win.

“We did what we said we had to do,” said Thomas Stevenson Family Head Coach for Harvard Football Tim Murphy about the Crimson’s game plan. “Number one, do a great job protecting the football and … make some big plays against the blitz. Two, some young guys are going to step up — we’ve got three wideouts down — and our defense [has to] just keep the ball in front of [them].”

The Crimson’s first score of the game came on a screen pass to freshman wide receiver Adam Chrissis on third down with four yards to go. Chrissis caught the ball, made a quick diversionary move, and scampered down the field for the 67-yard touchdown. The reception was the first of his career.

Trying to hold back a smile when talking about his first career catch, Chrissis said humbly, “It was really a lot easier than I thought it would be; I just kept behind my blockers and my line. The receivers downfield made it really easy. … It was awesome. It was really a team touchdown, I didn’t do anything special.”

Chrissis’ next touch was on the following possession, which was a run to the left side for 21 yards. His third touch came with 1:03 left in the first half on another screen, which resulted in a 22-yard touchdown.

For his efforts in his first game of the season, Chrissis was named Ivy Rookie of the Week. Senior Linebacker Glenn Dorris, who was also recognized this week, recorded a game-high 11 tackles and was selected as the Ivy Defensive Player of the Week.

The Crimson play Lehigh University at noon Saturday (Oct. 18) at Harvard Stadium.