Yale Athletics

When the Yale football team (0–0, 0–0 Ivy) takes the field this Saturday at 2:00 p.m., they will face a familiar opponent — the Holy Cross Crusaders (1–2, 0–0 Patriot).

Since 2017, the Bulldogs have always played their first game of the season against the Crusaders. They have won only two of those matchups and enter this year’s edition having lost the last three. 

The Bulldogs, however, are coming off a successful season, ending as 2023 Ivy League co-champions with Dartmouth and Harvard. This should bolster their confidence going into the game as they set their sights on their first victory against the Crusaders since 2019. 

Although they fell to the Crusaders last year, the Bulldogs had success with their offense running the ball, as Tre Peterson ’25 finished the game with 95 yards on 17 carries. The team might use this tactic again or focus more on long-range passes. 

Over the past few weeks of preseason and a summer spent in off-season training in New Haven, the Bulldogs have been preparing for this very moment. The high level of competition for a spot in the starting lineup has been motivating the Bulldogs to push each other and keep getting better every practice. 

The question of who will be this season’s starting quarterback has been a popular topic of conversation, but we won’t know for sure until the first whistle blows. 

The rest of this year’s lineup has also been under speculation as the Bulldogs are aiming to fill a couple of key positions on both offense and defense. The Bulldogs graduated some big playmakers on both lines of scrimmage in Kiran Amegadjie ’24 and Clay Patterson ’24. They’ve brought in 29 first years to help rebuild the roster. 

On the Holy Cross side, this team will look very different from the squad that the Bulldogs played last season. 

New head coach Dan Curran will lead the Crusaders, replacing former head coach Bob Chesney, who was hired away to James Madison last offseason. Curran secured his first win at Holy Cross last Saturday in a 43–22 win over Bryant. This followed a pair of close losses at the start of the season — 20–17 against Rhode Island and then 21–20 against New Hampshire. 

The Crusaders’ passing attack that gashed the Bulldogs defense for 275 yards last year is also nearly unrecognizable. 

Matthew Sluka, the 2023 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, is gone, starting for the undefeated UNLV team that upset Kansas last weekend. The Crusaders’ all-time leader in career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, Jalen Coker, has bounced between the Carolina Panthers active roster and practice squad.

One thing the Bulldogs’ defense will need to be ready for is the Crusaders’ balanced attack. Holy Cross averages 150 rushing yards per game and 209 passing yards per game. 

This weekend’s match will kick off at 2:00 p.m. at Holy Cross and will be streamed live on ESPN+.