After just one week of non-conference play, half of the teams from the Ancient Eight jumped headfirst into Ivy action last weekend. Harvard and Yale vaulted themselves to the front of the pack, while Brown and Cornell find themselves in the cellar. Fortunately for the Red and the Bears, they still each have six conference games remaining to make up that ground.
Harvard 52, Brown 14
Is there a better player in the Ivy League than Harvard quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick? After breaking the Crimson’s single-game offensive yardage mark a week ago, Fitzpatrick put up 410 yards against the Bears. The junior racked up 361 yards through the air, while gaining 49 more on the ground. Oh, he also had six touchdowns.
One bright spot for Brown — running back Nick Hartigan. Hartigan currently leads the league in rushing, and even in defeat, he ran for 127 yards on 15 carries.
Penn 31, Lehigh 24
In a battle between two top-25 Division I-AA teams, Lehigh looked like the superior team in the first half of play. The situation looked bleak for Penn, as only one team had beaten Lehigh at Goodman Stadium since 1999. On this night, however, the Quakers would make that number two.
Led by wide receiver Dan Castles, the Quakers rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to win the battle of the Quaker state. Castles became the first Penn receiver since 1986 to haul down three touchdown catches in a game. He also career highs with 12 catches and 153 yards.
New Hampshire 41, Dartmouth 17
After a tightly played first half, the Wildcats broke away from the Green in the second half, led by running back R.J. Harvey’s 130 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Mike Granieri also hurt Dartmouth, throwing for a pair of scores in the blowout win.
In the losing effort, Dartmouth wide receiver Jay Barnard tied a career high with 12 catches. Dartmouth’s all-time leading receiver also accumulated 124 yards on those 12 grabs.
Columbia 19, Bucknell 16
The good news for Columbia — after week two, the Lions have already matched last year’s win total. The bad news — that number is one. Leading late in the fourth quarter, Bucknell had a chance to ice the game. However, Columbia senior safety Steve Cargile made a critical stop at midfield and forced the Bison to punt.
On the ensuing drive, the Lions drove the length of the field for the game-winning score. Columbia quarterback Jeff Otis connected with receiver Travis Chmelka for the decisive touchdown with 22 seconds left.
Lafayette 28, Princeton 13
Lafayette ran off the first 28 points of the game and never looked back, winning by more than a two-touchdown margin. Running back Joe McCourt ran for 108 yards and three scores in the win.
The Tigers actually outgained Lafayette with 393 yards compared to just 302 for their opponents. Blair Morrison caught seven balls for 111 yards for Princeton, while Jon Veach and Branden Benson each ran for 55 yards. But in the category that mattered most, the score, Lafayette had the edge.
The loss dropped Princeton to 0-2 on the year, while Lafayette improved to 2-1.
Archived article by Alex Ip