It’s the final weekend of Ivy League football, which means it’s that time of the year again when the Yale Bulldogs and the Harvard Crimson punctuate their respective campaigns with a rivalry matchup.
Harvard still has a shot at winning the conference title despite picking up a loss last Saturday, but the Crimson may have some company if Dartmouth and Penn win their respective games. As for Yale, the Bulldogs merely wants to end their eight-game losing streak to Harvard.
You can also click here for a breakdown of the matchup between Michigan and Penn State.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Yale Bulldogs vs. Harvard Crimson Preview
Where: Harvard Stadium, Massachusetts
When: Saturday, November 21, 2:30 PM ET
Line: Harvard Crimson vs. Yale Bulldogs – view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Network
Betting on the Harvard Crimson (8-1, 5-1 Ivy League)
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Failure hasn’t been part of Harvard’s lexicon over the last two years, but that changed last Saturday, when the Crimson lost to Penn, 35-25. It was Harvard’s first loss since October of 2013 but more importantly, it put the Crimson’s hopes of taking sole possession of the the Ivy League title in peril.
Harvard largely has itself to blame in the loss to the Quakers. The Crimson committed three turnovers, including a costly fumble by Semar Smith late in the game. Scott Hosch, meanwhile, passed for 246 yards and two touchdowns with an interception on 20 of 30 completions—way off Harvard’s average of 301.7 passing yards per game.
Hosch, however, was obviously slowed down by Penn’s pass rush that took him down five times—that’s equal to the total sacks allowed by Harvard in its previous seven games. Yale registers just 1.89 sacks per game, so Hosch can expect a clear pocket to operate in this Saturday. That said, he still can’t underestimate Yale’s passing defense that has recorded 10 interceptions this season.
If anything, running back Paul Stanton Jr. will have to get back to his dominant ways to complement Hosch and Harvard’s passing attack. Stanton is currently leading the conference with 89.9 rushing yards per game, but hasn’t rush for more than 74 in any of the last three outings.
Like Stanton, Harvard’s defense also needs to recover its mojo after allowing Penn to rack up 409 total yards. The Crimson are tops in the conference in scoring defense with only 10.1 points surrendered per game.
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Betting on the Yale Bulldogs (6-3, 3-3 Ivy League)
No team must have felt a stronger form of schadenfreude than Yale, when it saw Harvard fall to Penn. This time, the Bulldogs get their chance to inflict further damage on their bitter rivals, as they travel to Massachusetts, looking to end their eight-game losing streak to Harvard.
Yale is coming off a nice 35-28 win over Princeton, thanks in large part to the Bulldogs’ scorching rushing attack. Yale is averaging 132.2 yards on the ground per game, but generated 260 against the Tigers. More surprisingly, the Bulldogs did it with star running back DeShawn Walter rushing for only seven yards.
Dale Harris, playing in just his second game of the season, compensated for Salter’s lack of production by rushing for 177 rushing yards on 30 carries. Harvard, however, presents one of the best rushing defenses in the FCS, allowing just 91.1 yards per game, which means Yale can’t just freely pound the rock.
It won’t hurt the Bulldogs’ intent to run the ball, though, if Morgan Roberts does a good job under center to ease the pressure off the team’s backfield. Roberts passed for only 185 yards and a touchdown without an interception on 20 of 29 passing against Princeton. He’ll lead Yale’s passing game that is fourth in the conference with 252.2 yards per game.
Defensively, Princeton allows 22.7 points and 375.1 total yards per game.
Writer’s Prediction
Harvard wins, 32-21.
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