Teams: Harvard (4-5, 2-4 Ivy) at No. 24/25 Yale (8-1, 5-1 Ivy)
Date & Time: Saturday, November 23, 2019 – 12 p.m., ET
Location: New Haven, Conn.
Stadium: Yale Bowl (60,000)
Tickets: Buy Now
Series: Yale leads, 67-60-8
Last Meeting: Yale 27, Harvard 45 – 11/17/18 at Fenway Park
TV: ESPNU, Wes Durham, Roddy White, Jack Ford '70
Radio: WELI 960 AM, Ron Vaccaro, Jack Siedlecki
Live Stats: Click here
Game Notes: Yale -- Harvard -- Ivy League
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The No. 24/25 Yale Bulldogs (8-1, 5-1 Ivy) are on a five-game win streak and after its win over then-No. 18/19 Princeton last Saturday, the Elis have an opportunity at a second Ivy League Championship in three years when Yale takes on Harvard (4-5, 2-4 Ivy) this Saturday on ESPNU at the Yale Bowl.
 
The Series
College football's second oldest rivalry renews in New Haven with Yale leading the all-time series, 67-60-8. The Bulldogs have won two of the previous three meetings, including 2017's game at the Yale Bowl in which the Bulldogs improved to 9-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play to win the Ivy League Championship.
 
Into the Top-25
While the Bulldogs are in the top-25 rankings for the first time this season, it marks the 14^th straight week, that Yale has received votes in the STATS FCS Top-25 poll. The Elis are up to 24 in the STATS poll and tied for 25th in the AFCA Coaches poll which marks the 12^th week this season the Bulldogs are at least receiving votes in the coaches' poll.
 
Ivy & National Accolades
Senior quarterback Kurt Rawlings was selected as the Ivy League Offensive Player of the week for the fifth time this season as well as the New England Football Writers' Gold Helmet Award winner. It is the fifth-straight week and seventh time in the past eight weeks that Yale has been recognized with an Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week award. Yale now boasts eight Ivy weekly honors in 2019. Rawlings takes home the fifth-straight offensive award for Yale after JP Shohfi earned the honor last Monday. Rawlings set a Yale single-game record at Princeton as he threw six touchdown passes to help the Bulldogs down the Tigers, 51-14, tying the largest margin of victory over Princeton in 142 all-time meetings. Rawlings was also honored by by STATS FCS as a National Player of the Week Honorable Mention selection. Additionally, senior kicker Sam Tuckerman was honored as the Ivy Special Teams Player of the Week. Tuckerman drilled a 43-yard field goal and finished with nine points on the day as he put home six extra points.
 
Bulldog Breakdown
The Bulldogs boast the highest scoring offense among the Ivies (37.4 pts, ranked 10^th FCS), have won five-straight games and have scored 45-plus points in each of those games. They are coming off a blowout at then-No. 18/19 Princeton Stadium, which tied the largest margin of victory against the Tigers in program history, set in 1931.
 
Team 147 includes the most prolific passing trio in the history of the program in quarterback Kurt Rawlings and wide receivers JP Shohfi and Reed Klubnik. Those three senior names are etched throughout the school's record books with way too many accomplishments to list here. Between them, there are 13 league-leading stats categories this fall, something that could not have been accomplished without an amazing offensive line that includes senior offensive lineman, Sterling Strother, Dieter Eiselen, Steven Cepalia and Lucas Tribble.
 
Yale's defense is led by senior linebacker Ryan Burke who has 41 tackles in eight games. Sophomore safety Kyle Ellis, who had an interception last Saturday is tied for the league-lead in picks with three. Senior defensive lineman Spencer Matthaei is tied for the national lead with three blocked kicks and has been a force inside all season. They were key performers in holding Princeton, one of the top offenses in the FCS, to just 14 points.
 
Today is also the final game for 27 seniors who have led the Bulldogs to 25 victories and many memorable moments.
 
Scouting Harvard
The Crimson, coming off a loss to Penn at Boston, have now lost four straight heading into The Game, but those loses have come by a combined 18 points, including a Hail Mary loss vs. Dartmouth, and a six-point loss at Princeton.
 
The Harvard defense is it strength as defensive lineman Truman Jones ranks 11th in the FCS and tops the Ivies in sacks with .93 per game. He also leads the league with 1.6 tackles for lost yards per game.
 
Meanwhile, Harvard ranks 12^th in the nation in scoring defense (19.8 points), No. 1 in sacks (4.33) and is sixth against the run (85.6).
 
On the other side, quarterback Jake Smith ranks among the top four in the Ivies for all passing categories with numerous weapons to target.
 
Yale special teams must also be aware that the Crimson top the FCS this fall in blocked kicks with nine.