The Yale football team will open its 2024 season this Saturday on the road against Holy Cross.
Spencer King and Sienna Tejpaul
Staff reporter and contributing reporter
Yale Athletics
When the Yale football team (0-0, 0-0 Ivy) takes the field this Saturday at 2 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 only won two of those encounters and are heading into this year’s edition with losses.
However, the Bulldogs are coming off a successful season, becoming joint Ivy League champions in 2023 with Dartmouth and Harvard, which should boost their confidence heading into the game as they seek their first win against the Crusaders since 2019.
Despite losing to the Crusaders last year, the Bulldogs found success with their offense by running the ball. Tre Peterson (’25) finished the game with 95 yards on 17 carries. The team could use that tactic again or focus more on long passes.
In the last few weeks preseason and a summer spent in offseason 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 motivated the Bulldogs to push each other and get better with each practice.
The question of who will be the starting quarterback this season is a popular topic of conversation, but we won’t know for sure until the first whistle blows.
The rest of this year’s roster has also been the subject of speculation, as the Bulldogs are looking to fill some key positions on offense and defense. The Bulldogs have developed some great playmakers on both lines of scrimmage in Kiran Amegadjie (class of 2024) and Clay Patterson (class of 2024). They have brought in 29 freshmen to rebuild the roster.
On the Holy Cross side, this team will look very different than the Bulldogs team played last season.
New head coach Dan Curran will lead the Crusaders, replacing former head coach Bob Chesney, who was hired away from James Madison last offseason. Curran secured his first win at Holy Cross last Saturday with a 43-22 victory over Bryant. Previously, there were two close losses earlier in the season – 20-17 to Rhode Island and then 21-20 to New Hampshire.
The Crusaders’ passing attack, which broke through the Bulldogs’ defense for 275 yards last year, is also barely recognizable.
Matthew Sluka, the 2023 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, is no longer with the team. He played for the undefeated UNLV team that beat Kansas last weekend. Jalen Coker, the Crusaders’ all-time leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, rotated between the active roster and the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad.
The Bulldogs’ defense must be prepared for the Crusaders’ balanced attack. Holy Cross averages 150 rushing yards and 209 passing yards per game.
This weekend’s game kicks off at 2 p.m. at Holy Cross and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
