CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Holy Cross football team erased a 20-point third-quarter deficit but fell in a heartbreaker to Harvard, 35-34, on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Harvard Stadium. 

Sophomore running back Jayden Clerveaux rushed for a career-best 165 yards on 27 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. Junior receiver Max Mosey had a career-high 149 receiving yards and two touchdowns — his first multi-touchdown game as a Crusader. Senior tight end Jacob Petersen made four catches for 53 yards and scored a touchdown as time expired in regulation. Junior running back Sam Slade rushed for a season-high 62 yards. 

Senior safety Jake Jarmolowich and sophomore linebacker Drew Spinogatti tied for a team-high eight tackles; senior linebacker Frankie Monte had six tackles on the day. Senior defensive tackle Kevin Gillis finished with a pair of sacks for a loss of 15 yards. 

The Crusaders (3-5) totaled a season-high 523 yards of offense to Harvard's (4-1) 355, including a 246-81 margin in rushing yards. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• The Crimson capitalized on a Holy Cross miscue early; the Crusaders had the ball at the Harvard nine-yard line at the start of the second quarter, but a Holy Cross fumble was returned 88 yards by Harvard for a touchdown and a 7-0 advantage with 14:40 to go in the second. 
• Holy Cross responded with a 10-play drive that concluded with a 12-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Joe Pesansky to Mosey to knot up the score at 7-7 with 9:12 left in the first half. 
• Harvard scored with less than a minute left in the first half but missed the point after to carry a 13-7 lead into halftime. With two more touchdowns in the third quarter, the Crimson built a 27-7 advantage with 2:02 left in the third. 
• Pesansky and Mosey connected again before time expired in the third, this time for an 84-yard completion to help Holy Cross cut within 27-14 with 18 seconds left in the frame. 
• After a three-and-out by the Crusader defense, a short punt by the Crimson put Holy Cross at Harvard's 27-yard line. Three rushes by Clerveaux, capped by a 13-yard touchdown, brought the Crusaders within 27-21 with 7:47 left in the fourth.
• A fourth-down stop by Jarmolowich on Harvard's next drive gave Holy Cross the ball in Crimson territory once again. Clerveaux again found the end zone on a two-yard score, and the Crusaders took a 28-27 lead with 1:44 to go in regulation. 
• Harvard marched down the field to score and converted on the two-point attempt to take a 35-28 lead with 45 seconds to go. 
• Holy Cross responded in the final seconds of the game, with Pesansky finding Petersen for a 25-yard touchdown as time expired. The Crusaders lined up for a two-point conversion, but Pesansky's pass attempt was incomplete, giving Harvard a 35-34 win. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE: 

• Mosey's 84-yard touchdown was the longest reception by a Crusader since 2017 (Martin Dorsey, 86 yards vs. New Hampshire) and just the ninth completion over 80 yards in Holy Cross history. 
• Petersen now leads the team with five touchdown receptions on the year; Mosey has a team-best 536 receiving yards. 
• Jarmolowich's eight tackles were a season high and one shy of his career high. 

UP NEXT: 

• Holy Cross resumes Patriot League play with a matchup at Lafayette on Saturday, Oct. 26. 
• Kickoff in Easton, Pa., is set for 1:30 p.m. 

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