Craig helps Harvard to its first Ivy League victory with a 38-20 win over Cornell sport

Junior quarterback Jaden Craig threw four first-half touchdowns as he led Harvard to a 38-20 victory over Cornell on Friday in Ithaca, N.Y., giving the Crimson their first conference win and their first road win.

The lights shone brightly as Harvard took on Cornell in front of a national audience on Friday night, but no one shined brighter than Craig, who consistently found senior wide receiver Scott Woods II and junior wide receiver Cooper Barkate, who caught 10 and 7 passes. each for a total of 206 yards.

It was an impressively balanced performance for the Crimson Air Raid, with a number of normally unsung contributors taking the spotlight; Eight different receivers recorded at least one reception. Sophomore tight end Seamus Gilmartin had the best performance of his college career, catching two passes for 74 yards – both of which were worthwhile.

The victory was a milestone for Andrew Aurich, Harvard’s first-year head coach. Aurich earned the first win of his career in the Crimson’s season opener against Stetson University at home, but a surprising last-minute loss to Brown University on September 28 forced Aurich to wait until the fourth week of the season to get his first win against the Crimson’s Stetson University defeats an Ivy League opponent.

Harvard’s strong offensive performance dispelled any doubts about the team’s ability to compete in the Ivy League this year, and the road win against Cornell will give the Crimson an important confidence boost ahead of their Oct. 26 game against Princeton University – a team that Harvard last played in 2015.

Despite easily defeating the Big Red on home soil, there is some concern about senior captain and running back Shane McLaughlin, who limped off the field in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury. McLaughlin was sidelined for the Crimson’s surprise win last week over the University of New Hampshire, and his return to action this week was quickly cut short.

In his absence, sophomore running back Xaviah Bascon, a rising star for the Crimson, continued to hold down the fort in the backfield as he recorded 22 carries for 94 yards against the Big Red.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

—Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at [email protected].