#19 Yale at Holy Cross
Saturday, Sept. 19 – 2 p.m.
Fitton Field (Worcester, Mass.)
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Yale Game Notes | Holy Cross Game Notes

The 2025 season was a historic one for Ivy League football, and Yale was at the center of it. The Bulldogs became the first member of the Ancient Eight to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs, securing the bid with a thrilling 45-28 victory over previously undefeated Harvard in the 141st edition of The Game.

Yale followed with another conference first, overcoming a 28-point deficit on the road against Youngstown State to earn the Ivy League's first FCS playoff victory. The Bulldogs enter 2026 atop the Ivy League Football Preseason Poll after receiving 15 of 16 first-place votes, with 2025 Ivy League co-champion Harvard receiving the remaining vote.

The Bulldogs enter a new era in 2026 under Kevin Cahill, who was named the 35th head coach in program history on Feb. 23, succeeding five-time Ivy League championship-winning head coach Tony Reno. Cahill returned to Yale after three seasons as head coach at Lehigh, where he compiled a 23-14 overall record and earned the 2025 Eddie Robinson Award as the top head coach in the FCS.

Bulldog Notes

• Yale enters the 2026 season ranked No. 19 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and No. 20 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
• The Bulldogs return to the gridiron after posting the Ivy League's second-best scoring offense (29.3 ppg) and top scoring defense (19.6 ppg) in 2025.
• Captain Abu Kamara was named to the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team, the Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List and was tabbed by Phil Steele as the Ivy League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
• Quarterback Dante Reno was named to the Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List.
• Yale returns six All-Ivy honorees from 2025: first-team selections Abu Kamara and Brandon Webster, second-team selection Zairion Jackson-Bass and honorable mentions Quinton Lewis, Phoenix Grant and Jaylin Tate.
• Kicker Noah Piper returns after going 13-for-15 on field goals and 31-for-32 on PATs during his first-year campaign.
• Yale will make three appearances on ESPNU in 2026: Oct. 10 vs. Dartmouth, Oct. 23 at Penn and Nov. 21 vs. Harvard at Fenway Park. The Bulldogs are 9-4 in ESPNU games dating back to 2018.
• Cahill is the first Yale head coach to enter the position with previous Division I head coaching experience since John Pont came to Yale from Miami (Ohio) in 1963.

The Series

• Yale kicks off the season against a local non-conference foe, hitting the road to face Holy Cross in the 40th all-time meeting between the two programs. The Bulldogs lead the series 31-8 dating back to 1903. Yale has faced the Crusaders in every season opener since 2018.
• The Bulldogs are 8-2 all-time when playing at Fitton Field in Worcester, Mass.
• The Bulldogs have won six of their last 10 matchups against the Crusaders. In 2025, Yale won its season opener decisively against Holy Cross 28-10 behind three rushing touchdowns from eventual Bushnell Cup winner Josh Pitsenberger.

Scouting Holy Cross

• Holy Cross was picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll.
• The Crusaders have started their season with three straight losses, falling 35-10 to Lehigh and Colgate and 45-7 to FBS opponent Miami (OH).
• The Crusader offense is led by junior quarterback David Lynch, who currently leads the team in passing yards with 718, and junior receiver Ty Curran, the team's receiving yards leader. Fifth-year offensive lineman Cam Nolan was Holy Cross' only selection to the 2026 Preseason All-Patriot League Football Team.
• Holy Cross' defense is anchored by senior linebacker Adam Due with 27 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Junior defensive back Braden Haas recorded the Crusaders' only takeaway of the season, an interception against Colgate on Sept. 5. The Crusader total defense is currently ranked No. 76 in the country, allowing 425.7 yards per game through three games.

Cahill's Corner
"We're excited to get the season started," Cahill said. "We look forward to the opportunity of representing Yale and the Yale football family. Team 153 is eager to get on the field and start the season."

Up Next
The Bulldogs will open their Ivy League schedule on the road against Cornell on Sept. 26 at 1 p.m. in Ithaca, N.Y.