On the last weekend of non-conference play, Ivy League standings remained predominantly intact, setting the stage for showdowns among the top four teams Oct. 26.
The University of Pennsylvania and Princeton both improved to 2-0 in the league with victories over Columbia and Brown. The Quakers and Tigers are now tied atop the league standings with Harvard, which suffered its second defeat at home to Division I-AA No. 14 Northeastern.
Dartmouth became the third consecutive Ivy League team to defeat Holy Cross this season while Cornell’s struggles continued with a huge loss to Colgate.
Penn 44, Columbia 10
The Quakers held the Lions to only 10 rushing yards and blew open a 3-point game with a 24-point third quarter.
Leading 13-10 at halftime, Penn scored on its first drive and then turned two quick turnovers — an interception and a fumbled kick return — into points as well.
Stephen Faulk rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown while Kevin DeSmedt had two rushing scores. Penn quarterback Mike Mitchell threw for 196 yards in the win, which was Penn’s 13th consecutive home victory.
Columbia has lost four straight and is tied for last in the league (1-4, 0-2 Ivy). Penn (4-1, 2-0) comes to New Haven next weekend.
Princeton 16, Brown 14
Jay McCareins intercepted two passes in the final four minutes as the Tigers kept the Bears winless.
Chisom Opara caught 11 passes for 152 yards and Cam Atkinson chugged out 174 yards on the ground to prevent Princeton (4-1, 2-0) from blowing a 16-0 halftime lead.
The Tigers’ four-game win streak is the program’s longest in five years, and they will try to end a streak Saturday when Harvard brings its nine-game league win streak to New Jersey.
Brown (0-5, 0-2) is still the league’s only winless team but will have a chance for its first win next weekend at home against a struggling Cornell squad.
Northeastern 17, Harvard 14
Harvard’s eight-game home winning streak came to an end against the 6-1 Huskies, but the Crimson (3-2, 2-0) remained tied atop the league standings.
Quarterback Neil Rose returned to the lineup for the first time since the second week of the season, but he only completed six of 19 passes, yielding to his replacement Ryan Fitzpatrick midway through the second quarter.
Carl Morris caught nine passes for 108 yards, but Harvard’s last drive, which started at its own 12-yard line, ended with a fumbled pitch on the Huskies’ seven with 39 seconds remaining.
Harvard travels to Princeton Saturday in a matchup of two teams with perfect league records.
Dartmouth 44, Holy Cross 36
The Big Green jumped out to a 30-3 early lead and then had to hang on to defeat the Crusaders in Hanover, N.H.
After dropping their first three games of the season, Dartmouth (2-3, 1-1) has rebounded with two home victories, including last week’s 20-17 win over Yale.
Brian Mann led the league in passing on the day with 233 yards and was also fourth in rushing with 84 yards. Mike Giles added 135 yards on the ground and Jay Barnard caught 11 passes for 132 yards as the Big Green rolled up over 500 yards of total offense.
Dartmouth travels to Columbia Saturday.
Colgate 44, Cornell 13
Cornell scored the game’s first touchdown and then watched the Raiders score 35 unanswered points in Ithaca, N.Y., on Saturday.
Marcus Blanks rushed for 85 yards and Mick Razzano threw for 164 in the losing effort for the Big Red (1-4, 0-2).
Cornell travels to Providence, R.I., Saturday to meet Brown in a pairing of Ivy League cellar dwellers.