Harvard Rallies Past Penn to Claim Fourth Straight Ivy Title

Harvard erased a seven-point halftime deficit to beat Pennsylvania 38-24 in Philadelphia on November 14, 2026, and clinch its fourth consecutive Ivy League championship. The Crimson also earned the league’s automatic berth in the FCS playoffs. They are 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Ivy play, with one regular-season game remaining.

Quarterback Charlie Smith threw three touchdown passes and completed 18 of 28 attempts for 199 yards. Nate Bailey caught a 34-yard scoring pass in the third quarter, helping Harvard begin its comeback after a short Penn punt. The Crimson had trailed 24-17 at halftime.

Penn put three scores on the board during the half’s closing four minutes: a 69-yard pass from Karson Siqueiros-Lasky to Ronan Johannson, a touchdown on a blocked punt, and Zach Darche’s 37-yard interception return. Siqueiros-Lasky finished with 210 passing yards and a touchdown.

Harvard held Penn scoreless after halftime. A fourth-down sack by Ethan Carson helped set up Xaviah Bascon’s five-yard touchdown run, which put the Crimson ahead 31-24. Bascon rushed for 104 yards on 18 carries. Kise Flannery added a two-yard scoring run with 4:25 remaining.

Harvard sits one game ahead of Princeton and Brown in the Ivy standings and has beaten both this season. The Crimson will visit Yale at Fenway Park on November 21 to close the regular season; Penn will visit Princeton the same day.