Yale Athletics

The quarterback competition for Yale was a tight one all spring and summer in anticipation of the season opener against Holy Cross this past Saturday, Sept. 21. At kickoff, it was settled. Grant Jordan ’25, a senior with great command of the offense and a strong arm, was the man for the job.

After the opening kickoff, Jordan led the Bulldogs on a stellar drive down the field, picking up back-to-back first downs and showing his ability to affect the game as both a passer and a runner. Then, after keeping the ball on a read option play, Jordan scampered for another first down but took a shot from a Holy Cross defender just after reaching the line to gain.

The Yale starting quarterback was pulled from the field with an injury on the first drive of the Bulldogs season, and on came the Bulldogs’ backup Brogan McCaughey ’26. No team wants to start its season losing its preferred starting quarterback, but here the Bulldogs were, with the job firmly McCaughey’s.

The issue for Holy Cross was that the Bulldogs’ so-called “backup” could not have played like less of a backup. McCaughey dazzled on the field, going 18-32 for 217 yards and a touchdown while also showing an ability to run when needed. 

The first quarter ended with the Bulldogs up 14–7 with touchdowns by McCaughey and Wilhelm Daal ’26 followed by Nick Conforti ’26 securing the extra point. 

At the start of the second quarter, the Crusaders came out hot with a new sense of determination which translated into a touchdown by Jayden Cleveaux in the first 5 minutes. Battling it out, both teams scored field goals later in the quarter, and were tied 17–17 going into the second half. 

The Bulldogs dug in and made some big stops in the third quarter. The first stop came on a massive strip sack fumble forced by Breylan Thompson ’28 that stopped a Crusader drive that had made it all the way to the Yale 14-yard line. 

This stellar defense paired with a fierce offense led to a scoreless quarter for Crusaders and a touchdown in the 7th minute for the Bulldogs by David Pantelis ’25. Pantelis caught a 24-yard pass from McCaughey and secured the Bulldogs lead once again.

The fourth quarter was packed with action, and both teams did everything in their power to secure the win. The quarter started out with a touchdown from the Crusader’s Cleveaux within the first minute of the game, putting the pressure on the Bulldogs to come up with a big play.

It proved to be a big day for Yale backups on offense. Just as McCaughey was put to the test, another backup put the Bulldogs over the top and into the win column for the day with just 12 seconds remaining in the game. 

When Nathan Denney ’25 powered through the Holy Cross defense into the endzone on a three-yard run with the game on the line, few would have predicted it would be him to do it. 

However, with star running back Josh Pitsenberger ’26 scratched from the lineup just before kickoff, the lead back position was given over to Denney, a senior with just 33 carries in his career before Saturday. Denney made the most of the opportunity, bruising Crusaders defenders all afternoon with 29 carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns.

Denney once again came in clutch and launched himself into the end zone on a 5-yard run making the score 31-24. Denney showed up for the team today after an unexpected start and not only scored one touchdown in the fourth quarter but two, carrying the Bulldogs to victory. 

The Crusaders tied the game in the last five minutes with another touchdown by Cleveaux, making the score 31-31. In the final minute of the game, after a 3:18 minute-long drive by the Bulldogs, every fan was biting their nails in anticipation. With 12 seconds to go, Denney was handed the ball by McCaughey and ran 3 yards into the endzone to cement the Bulldogs’ victory. 

“During the last minute, I had complete confidence in our offensive unit that we were going to get the job done to seal the win,” Denney told the News. “Then I really just took a second to appreciate the moment, as those are the type of games that us players dream about playing in as kids. Executing the final offensive play was simply a product of our preparation for the week.”

When asked what this win means to the team, Denney responded, “All that the win does is make us 1–0. We have to use the experiences we had from this week to carry on throughout the season, taking it one game at a time. The celebration from the game ended on Saturday night, now it is time to prepare for Cornell.”

For the first time in five years, the Bulldogs took down the Crusaders with an unexpected line-up full of spirit.

Coming up this Saturday, the Bulldogs will face their first Ivy League opponent of the season at 2 p.m. at Cornell.