Harvard destroys Brown in Ivy League football opener
“I thought our kids played extremely hard, then we got on a roll.’’
Jake Smith threw for 299 yards and a career-high four touchdowns to help Harvard beat Brown 42-7 in the Ivy League opener for both teams at Cambridge on Friday night.
Smith finished 22 of 29 with an interception for the Crimson (1-1), who won their 19th straight home opener, a streak started in 2001.
Devin Darrington ran for 91 yards and a touchdown and Aidan Borguet added 84 yards rushing and a score.
“We struggled a bit out of the gate, but I thought our coaches did a great job in getting us what we needed to do,’’ said Harvard coach Tim Murphy. “I thought our kids played extremely hard, then we got on a roll.’’
“It all starts up front. I think our offensive line is maturing and played really well tonight.’’
The Bears (1-1) scored 34 seconds into the game, capping a three-play, 75-yard drive with Allen Smith’s 22-yard TD run.
Harvard tied it at 7 before the end of the first quarter on Smith’s 12-yard pass to Cody Chrest.
Smith’s 13-yard TD pass to Adam West make it 14-7 with 1:42 left in the first half. Brown went four-and-out to give Harvard a short field and Smith connected with Jack Cook for a touchdown with five seconds left in the half.
Smith threw his fourth TD pass to B.J. Watson on the Crimson’s opening drive of the third quarter. Darrington and Borguet scored in the fourth quarter.
“After coming off a tough road loss [at San Diego], I love how the guys responded,’’ said Smith. “I can’t wait to continue the season.’’
Harvard yielded just 267 yards, one week after the EJ Perry-directed Brown attack piled up 497 yards in a 35-30 win over Bryant.
