No. 19/22 Harvard Steamrolls Columbia in 37-0 Shutout to Regain Ivy Lead

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — After losing its first game of the season last week to Dartmouth, No. 19/22 Harvard bounced back in masterful fashion, blowing out Columbia 37-0 to retake the top spot in the Ivy League with two weeks left to play in the regular season.

The Crimson (7-1, 4-1 Ivy League) scored touchdowns on all five of its first-half drives, building a dominant 37-0 halftime lead over the Lions (4-4, 1-4). The conference shutout was Harvard’s first since it defeated Columbia in a 45-0 clean sheet nearly 12 years ago to the day.

Following the Big Green’s 21-14 loss to Princeton on Saturday afternoon, Harvard sits tied atop the Ancient Eight with the Tigers, though the Crimson’s head-to-head advantage over Princeton will give it the tiebreaker at the end of the season if both teams win out.

In his third game back from injury, junior running back DJ Gordon nearly doubled the team’s previous season-high for rushing yards in a game despite resting for the entire second half, gaining 147 yards and two touchdowns on the ground on just 13 carries in a career-best performance.

Despite on-and-off rain and windy conditions, sophomore quarterback Charlie Smith picked up numerous chunk plays through the air. A week after throwing five interceptions against Dartmouth, Smith recorded 184 passing yards on 12-for-20 passing — more than nine yards per attempt — with two touchdowns and an interception, leading Harvard’s offense to 434 yards, 21 first downs, and seven-for-12 efficiency on third downs.

Smith found freshman wide receiver Nate Bailey for a 32-yard gain and sophomore wide receiver Ryan Tattersall for a 43-yard touchdown to open the scoring on the Crimson’s first drive, where the quarterback recorded 87 passing yards on three completions. He would later find senior tight end Logan Reaska for a 39-yard catch-and-run up the seam.

In the first quarter, Harvard senior linebacker Sean Line blocked a punt through the back of the end zone for the Crimson’s first safety since 2015, and the defense continued the strong performance throughout. Harvard held Columbia to just 261 yards of total offense, recorded two takeaways and pressured the Lions’ quarterback all game long.

Standout Columbia freshman receiver Bryce Coleman — named Ivy League Rookie of the Week five times thus far — was held to only 13 yards on 2 receptions despite entering the game with 51 receptions for 637 yards and 10 touchdowns, all top-two marks in the conference.

Any fans who braved the mist to stick around for the second half saw a much less entertaining 30 minutes of football. The teams combined for only 227 yards of offense and zero points as the Crimson turned to its reserves midway through the third quarter.

With the win, Harvard extended its winning streak over the Lions to four games, winning each of those contests by at least 14 points. The Crimson is 67-16-1 against Columbia all-time, and its 80 percent win percentage is its best mark against any Ancient Eight opponent.

Harvard will travel to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. EST. The matchup will continue a series that has been nothing short of cinematic in recent years.

The Crimson has claimed five straight wins over the Quakers, with the past three contests ending with a nail-biting program-record 53-yard field goal, a last-second game-winning chip shot despite injuries to the Crimson’s starting quarterback and kicker, and a triple-overtime walk-off play inspired by the Philly special.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

—Staff writer Connor Castañeda can be reached at [email protected].

—Staff writer Maxwell P. Friedman can be reached at [email protected].

—Staff writer Samuel S. Rudavsky can be reached at [email protected].