It was a dark and stormy night. (OK, we got that out of the way.) As a nor’easter raged and the gales howled inside Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I., Harvard defensive back Xaden Benson had a game for the ages. His four takeaways—three interceptions and a fumble recovery—allowed Harvard, which came into the game ranked No. 21 in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), to escape with a 14-10 victory over plucky Brown in the Ivy League opener for both teams.
Benson had supporting actors, of course. Sophomore quarterback Charlie Smith bounced back from an underwhelming performance the previous week at New Hampshire with a sharp and efficient game, completing 30 of 37 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver Nate Bailey had a game-high nine receptions for 80 yards. Riding the winds, sophomore punter Brian Checkley averaged 53.5 yards on his four boots. On defense, junior linebacker Dorsey Benefield had a game-high 12 tackles, while senior defensive tackle Stephan Scourtis twice sacked gutsy Bears quarterback James Murphy.
But Murphy’s real nemesis on this howling night was Xaden Benson. Wherever the ball was, so was Benson. The six-foot, 185-pound junior from Atlanta became the eighth Crimson player to have three picks in a game, and the first since Ryan Barnes ’10 did so against Penn in 2008. In hockey and soccer, a three-goal game is called a hat trick. Let’s label Benson’s feat a helmet trick.
HARVARD FOOTBALL
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Interception No. 1: It came in the first quarter, and it was payback for Brown’s Alejandro Bello stealing the ball from Harvard sophomore running back Cole Allen on the Crimson’s opening drive. One good turnover deserved another, so when Bears quarterback Murphy, facing third and 12 from his 30, threw a mid-range pass, Benson, lying in wait, leaped high in the air and speared it.
This pick paid immediate dividends. Mixing runs and crisp passes, Smith led the Crimson on a 48-yard drive, culminating in a rainbow to sophomore wideout Ryan Tattersall in the far-right corner of the end zone. Junior Kieran Corr converted. Harvard 7, Brown 0.
In the middle of the second quarter, the Crimson doubled their lead. An 86-yard drive featured two successful fourth-down conversions on passes from Smith to sophomore tight end Teigan Pelletier. The latter toss was a three-yard loft to the end zone. Corr booted. Harvard 14, Brown 0. That was all the points the Crimson would get, and all they would need.
Interception No. 2: This one came with 1:28 left in the half and blunted a drive that had taken Brown to the Harvard 25. A pass from Murphy was intended for wide receiver Trevor Foley, but Foley tipped it into the hands of…guess who?
In the third quarter the Bears got onto the scoreboard courtesy of a 48-yard field goal by Drew Crabtree—an impressive feat of foot on a night when the winds were fierce, swirling and flukey, as proven a little while later when Corr missed a 42-yarder. Harvard 14, Brown 3.
The lead was narrowed in the middle of the fourth quarter when Bears running back Jackson Bennett finished a 76-yard drive by romping 29 yards off left tackle to the end zone. Crabtree kicked the point. Harvard 14, Brown 10. (Just wondering: Why didn’t Bears coach James Perry go for two to set up the potential tying field goal?)
After the kickoff, the Crimson took the ball but soon worked themselves into a fourth-and-31 pickle at their 28. Checkley’s punt was short—but it was also muffed by Brown’s Cap Davis. Who was there to pounce on it? Why, Xaden Benson, at the Brown 48. Four minutes and 41 seconds remained.
Interception No. 3: Brown got the ball back at their own 27 with 1:55 left. Plenty of time! But not on this night. On first down, Murphy threw to the left. Who was there? Xaden Benson. At this point, the question was, did Benson find the ball, or did the ball find Benson?
The game was not over. Harvard couldn’t quite run out the clock until senior running back and captain Xaviah Bascon scooted around left end for 14 yards and a first down, and smartly slid before he would go out of bounds to stop the clock. (Big night for Harvard guys with initials X.B.)
Winning on the road in the Ivy League is never easy, so the Crimson did well to pull this one out. Their next Ivy test comes in two weeks against Cornell…on the road.
Tidbits
PADDING THE MARGINS: With the win, Harvard is now 92-31-2 all-time against Brown. The Crimson has also won 11 straight Friday night games.
THOSE FABULOUS FRESHMEN: The nine receptions by wide receiver Nate Bailey were the most in a game by a Crimson first-year player since Justice Shelton-Mosley ’19 snagged nine against Dartmouth in 2015.
PRESTIGIOUS HONOR: Harvard defensive back Jack Donahoe, a senior from White Plains, N.Y., is one of 206 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Awards. Administered by the National Football Foundation, the awards are given to seniors or graduate student transfers who have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale; have outstanding football ability; and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The 12 to 16 finalists will be named on October 21.
COMING UP: At long last, the home opener! On Saturday evening, Harvard welcomes Colgate. Kickoff: 7 p.m. There will also be a halftime fireworks show. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and broadcast on Bloomberg 92.9 FM and WHRB 95.3 FM. In a series that began in 1952, Harvard leads 5-4. The Raiders have won the two most recent meetings, in 1998 (34-14) and 1999 (24-21). In 2026, Colgate is 4-1 and 3-0 in the Patriot League.
THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Harvard | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | ||
New Hampshire | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | — | 10 |
Attendance: 8,065
WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Columbia 20, Georgetown 17 (OT)
Cornell 38, Yale 25
Monmouth 31, Dartmouth 28
Lehigh 20, Penn 7
Princeton 22, Albany 0
THE SEASON SO FAR: follow Dick Friedman’s dispatches.
Preview: Can Harvard’s Football Team Repeat Its Ivy League Success?
