As if the mountain wasn’t already steep enough to climb with four straight road games against tough opponents, the Merrimack College football team will also needs to avoid an avalanche when they visit Tim Murphy Stadium at Harvard University on Saturday (12 p.m., ESPN+).
At the FCS level, the Crimson Tide currently rank No. 20 in the latest poll, No. 1 in total defense allowed (221.5 yards), No. 2 in rushing yards allowed (69.0) and are riding a five-game home winning streak which is tied for the top mark in the country.
On top of that, Harvard (4-0) is averaging 48 points per game compared to giving up 12, and is averaging 473 total yards of offense per game compared to giving up an average of 221.
The Crimson Tide has not given up a single QB sack all season!
To make matters worse, Harvard is also 20 of 23 from the Red Zone, including 16 of 23 for touchdowns. Quarterback Jaden Craig is the real deal with 4,215 career passing yards. This season, he has completed 74 of 108 attempts for 1,010 yards with 10 TDs and just one interception.
Running back Xaviah Bascon — who was the Salem News Player of the Year in 2021 after leading the Big Blue to the Division 5 Super Bowl win and breaking the program’s single season rushing record with 1,509 — is coming off a season high 95 rushing yards in the team’s 34-10 thumping over Cornell.
The Warriors are coming off a disappointing 20-13 loss to UMaine and are also entering this game with a 0-3 record on the road, losing to a pair of FBS teams in Kent State and Kennesaw State, as well as a strong Stony Brook team.
Offensively, Merrimack needs a top-notch performance from not only QB Ayden Pereira, but his surrounding cast. He leads the team with 488 rushing yards with three TDs and certainly will need the offensive line and the running backs to have their best collective game of the season.
The team’s running back by committee of DeMarcus McElroy, Brendon Wyatt and Matthias Latham have combined for just 517 yards and three scores.
The wide receiver group of Seth Sweitzer, Jalen McDonald and Keshawn Brown have just 36 receptions for 483 yards, which includes MacDonald’s 116 yard game against Kennesaw State.
Before the Cornell win, Harvard blew away Stetson University (59-7), Brown (41-7) and former Merrimack head coach Dan Curran and his Holy Cross Crusaders (59-24).
“Harvard is rolling, and they have a ton of talent. They have a dynamic player at the quarterback position; they have good skill on the perimeter and defensively they are one of the top teams in the Ivy League,” said Merrimack head coach Mike Gennetti. “It sounds like this is their best team in a while, at least that’s what a lot of people have been saying. We must find a way to compete and come away with a win.”