The Holy Cross football team will play its final non-conference contest of the regular season with a road contest at Harvard on Saturday, Oct. 19. Kickoff is set for noon at Harvard Stadium.
The Crusaders enter the matchup off of back-to-back Patriot League wins, most recently defeating Fordham on Oct. 12 in a comeback 19-16 win. In a matchup that has been high-scoring in recent history, Holy Cross and Fordham combined for just nine first-half points, with neither team scoring a touchdown until 5:59 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore running back Jayden Clerveaux had a career day, rushing for 159 yards on 30 carries (both career bests). He earned the Johnny Turco Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually by the Class of 1952 and the Varsity Club to the most outstanding player in the Homecoming Day game. He also earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Senior tight end Jacob Petersen caught a pair of touchdowns for Holy Cross, while sophomore placekicker Daniel Porto drilled a pair of field goals to round out the scoring for Holy Cross – he connected from 49 and 46 yards, besting his previous career best of 45. Porto was named the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.
Holy Cross’ defense held the Rams to just 262 total yards, including just 63 rushing yards — both season lows for a Crusader opponent. Senior linebacker Frankie Monte totaled 16 tackles on the day with 1.5 tackles for loss, including a sack for 11 yards — and a fourth-down pass breakup on Fordham’s final drive of the game to preserve the Holy Cross victory.
Sophomore linebacker Drew Spinogatti made five tackles, with 1.5 TFLs and a forced fumble. Sophomore linebacker Cam Santee and sophomore defensive lineman Brice Stevenson each made five tackles, with Stevenson recording two quarterback hurries and Santee hurrying the quarterback once. Sophomore cornerback Cam Jones broke up four passes, while senior safety Curtis Harris-Lopez had three PBUs.
