Yale at Holy Cross
Sat., Sept. 17 – 2 p.m.
Fitton Field – Worcester, Mass.
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NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The wait is over for Team 149. The Yale football team kicks off the 2022 season on Saturday against Holy Cross at 2 p.m. at Fitton Field in Worcester, Mass. The Bulldogs face a big test in the opener as the Crusaders enter ranked No. 12 in the FCS national coaches' poll and are coming off a thrilling 37-31 upset of FBS Buffalo last weekend.
 
"It's a great challenge for us," said Tony Reno, The Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "Holy Cross has a ton of experience and is battle tested."
 
Nevertheless, Reno is optimistic as Yale embarks on its 2022 journey. The Bulldogs feature a talented, deep and experienced roster led by captain Nick Gargiulo, who returns to anchor the offensive line after missing the last six games last year due to injury.
 
There also are seven returning All-Ivy players – defensive end Clay Patterson (first team), cornerback Wande Owens (second team), wide receiver Mason Tipton (second team), punter Jack Bosman (second team), offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie (honorable mention), defensive end Reid Nickerson (honorable mention) and safety Miles Oldacre (honorable mention).
 
Patterson, who also earned All-America recognition last year, was named to the preseason watch list of 35 players for the 2022 Buck Buchanan Award which Stats Perform presents to the national defensive player of the year in Division I Football Championship Subdivision. Paterson led the Ivy League with 11.5 sacks a year ago and ranked fourth nationally with 1.15 sacks per game.
 
The Bulldogs also welcome back quarterback Nolan Grooms, who started the final five games last year. He was twice named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week, including after throwing for a career-high 330 yards and three touchdowns in a victory at Brown. Against Harvard in the season finale, he totaled 313 yards, including 262 in the air, and threw for three scores. Grooms finished the year with 1,569 passing yards and 14 touchdown passes.
 
The Bulldogs are coming off a 2021 season that saw them finish with a 5-5 overall record. Four of the five losses came by seven points or less.
 
Yale was picked fourth in the Ivy League's official preseason media poll, which was voted on by 16 media members that cover the league. Harvard and Dartmouth were voted preseason favorites, and just three points separated the top three teams. The Crimson and Big Green each had 108 points in the poll, while Princeton ranked third with 105.
 
The Bulldogs play their first two games on the road as they travel to Cornell for the Ivy opener next week. The home opener at Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field is set for Oct. 1 against Howard.
 
SCOUTING HOLY CROSS
 
The Crusaders are playing their third game of the season. They opened with a 31-17 victory over Merrimack on Sept. 2 and then earned a last-second victory at Buffalo last Saturday when quarterback Matthew Sluka heaved a 46-yard pass to the end zone that wide receiver Jalen Coker outjumped defenders to catch as time expired. Holy Cross had rallied from an early 14-0 deficit. Sluka rushed for a career-best 146 yards, while also throwing for 238 yards and three touchdowns. Coker finished the night with a pair of touchdowns and a career-best 147 receiving yards. Sluka was named the National Offensive Player of the Week by Stats Perform. The Crusaders were the Patriot League preseason favorites after winning the conference title last year and advancing to the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
 
HISTORY LESSONS
 
Saturday's matchup is the 36th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and the Crusaders. Yale leads the series 29-6. Last year at Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field, Holy Cross escaped with a 20-17 victory when Derek Ng booted a 47-yard field goal with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter to snap a 17-17 tie. After a scoreless first quarter, the Bulldogs grabbed a 14-0 lead by scoring two touchdowns in a 2:10 span, including a 19-yard touchdown reception from Jackson Hawes. Yale's last visit to Worcester came to open the 2018 season, and it was another close affair. Ng's 45-yard field goal in overtime provided the winning margin in a 31-28 Holy Cross victory. In 2019, Yale opened its Ivy League championship season with a 23-10 victory over the Crusaders in New Haven.