NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Team 150 is Ivy League champions.
David Pantelis' 12-yard touchdown reception with 5:47 left in the fourth quarter put the Bulldogs in front for good, and Yale's defense stopped Harvard twice from there to preserve a thrilling 23-18 victory before a crowd of 51,127 at Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field.
The victory earns the Bulldogs (7-3, 5-2) a share of the Ivy League championship. Yale has now won Ivy titles in four of the last six seasons. The back-to-back championships are the first for the Bulldogs since they won three straight from 1979 to 1981. It is the 18th Ivy League championship in the illustrious history of the program.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Yale scored the game's first 10 points.
Jack Bosman booted a 33-yard field goal late in the first quarter, and
Ryan Lindley caught a 5-yard touchdown pass early in the second. The Crimson scored its first touchdown late in the second on an 11-yard scoring reception by Tyler Neville. A 4-yard
Nathan Denney touchdown run increased the Bulldogs' advantage to 17-6 with 4:42 left in the third. Harvard answered with a pair of touchdowns early in the fourth, the first on a 7-yard scramble by quarterback Jaden Craig and the second on a 7-yard reception by Ledger Hatch.
Joseph Vaughn forced and recovered a fumble at Harvard's 14-yard line to set up Yale's winning score. The Crimson reached Yale's 33 on its final drive, but
Sean Guyton broke up a Craig pass intended for Cooper Barkate on fourth down to seal the win.
SPECIAL TEAMS COMES UP BIG
Yale blocked two Harvard punts, both in the second quarter. The first by
Wyatt Raymond set up Bosman's field goal.
Zion Dayne had the second block, but the Crimson forced a Yale fumble on the ensuing possession.
Ejiroghene Egodogbare added a blocked extra point following Harvard's first score.
KEY STAT
Harvard came into the game leading the Ivy League in rushing at 208 yards per game. The Bulldogs' limited the Crimson to 73 yards on the ground.
QUOTING RENO
"It was a heck of a game as it always is. We knew we were going to be in a battle. Our defense did a great job at the end of the game, and we were able to close them out," said
Tony Reno, Yale's Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach who has now guided the Bulldogs to four Ivy championships.
"I'm really proud of the team. It wasn't an easy season. We had to fight through so many things, and when we finally got a foothold, it was like we exploded. We had so many guys contribute. There are names you don't even know that made amazing contributions to this team whether it was on the scout team on a Tuesday or blocking a kick or running down on a kickoff. That's who we were. This team became elite because they were all one."
NOTES
• Prior to the game, the 26 seniors playing their final game in a Yale uniform were honored. They helped lead the Bulldogs to three Ivy League championships (2019, 2022, 2023).
• Quarterback
Nolan Grooms threw two more touchdown passes to give him 22 for the season, which is tied for the second most in school history.
•
Joshua Pitsenberger rushed for a team-high 99 yards. The Bulldogs had 170 rushing yards in the game.
•
Ezekiel Larry had three more sacks to give him five over the final two games of the season.
Jacob Biggs and
Abu Kamara also recorded sacks.
• Vaughn finished with a team-high 10 tackles, including seven solo stops and 1.5 for a loss. He also had an interception and a forced fumble.
• Yale closed the season by winning seven of its final eight games.
• Dartmouth, which beat Brown 38-13, and Harvard also finished 5-2 in Ivy games.
• Captain
Wande Owens, who did an outstanding job leading Team 150, was awarded the game ball by Reno following the victory.
