The energy at the Yale Bowl this past November wasn't just typical Ivy League nostalgia. It was electric. For the 141st edition of "The Game," the Yale university football score became the most talked-about number in New Haven, ending in a dominant 45-28 victory over a previously undefeated Harvard squad.
It was a statement.
Yale didn't just win; they dismantled the Crimson's nine-game winning streak. Honestly, if you were watching the first 18 seconds, you knew it was going to be a long day for the visitors. Harvard fumbled on their very first play. Yale recovered. One play later, Dante Reno found Jaxton Santiago for a 21-yard touchdown.
Boom. 7-0 before most people had even sat down with their hot chocolate.
Breaking Down the 2025 Ivy League Title Race
This season was weird, but in a good way. Since the Ivy League finally decided to join the FCS Playoffs—a massive shift in tradition—every point felt heavier. Yale finished the regular season at 8-2, but that 6-1 conference record meant they shared the Ivy League crown with Harvard.
Because Yale won the head-to-head, they grabbed the automatic bid to the playoffs.
The Game: A Scoring Frenzy
Most people expect a defensive grind in these old-school rivalries. Not this time. The Yale university football score kept climbing because Josh Pitsenberger was basically a human bulldozer. He finished the day with three rushing touchdowns.
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Look at how the momentum swung:
- Early Dominance: Yale jumped to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter.
- The Response: Harvard’s Jaden Craig threw a 23-yard TD to Ryan Tattersall to make it 17-7.
- The Dagger: Less than two minutes later, Reno connected with Nico Brown for a massive 64-yard touchdown.
It felt like every time Harvard tried to breathe, Yale took the air out of the room. By halftime, it was 31-14. By the end of the third, it was 38-20. The final 45-28 scoreline actually makes the game look closer than it was, especially considering Harvard scored a late touchdown and a "trick play" two-point conversion just to make things interesting in the fourth.
Postseason Chaos: From Youngstown to Bozeman
Yale's season didn't end with the bonfire in New Haven.
They headed to Ohio for the FCS First Round against #15 Youngstown State. That game was a heart-stopper. Seriously. 43-42. Yale escaped with a one-point win, proving that the Ivy League could actually hang with the scholarship programs on the national stage.
The road ended in Montana.
Traveling to Bozeman in December is a brutal ask for any team. Facing #2 Montana State, the Bulldogs finally ran out of gas. They lost 21-13 in a game defined by freezing temperatures and a suffocating Bobcats defense. But finishing 9-3 overall? You've gotta respect that.
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Key Players Who Moved the Needle
Dante Reno has been the real deal at quarterback. He isn't just a "game manager" type. Against Harvard, he was surgical, throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns without a single interception.
Then there's Nico Brown.
He’s the guy who stretches the field. His 189 receiving yards against Harvard were a career-high and basically forced the Crimson to abandon their defensive game plan. On the other side of the ball, the defense was led by guys who don't always get the headlines but make the stops. Stopping a Harvard offense that had been averaging nearly 30 points a game is no small feat.
Why the Scoreboard Looked Different This Year
If you're looking at the Yale university football score trends from 2025, you'll notice they were much more aggressive. Coach Tony Reno and Offensive Coordinator Chris Ostrowsky leaned into a "pro spread" look that caught a lot of teams off guard.
They weren't just running the ball to kill clock.
They were attacking.
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Even in their losses—like the 17-16 heartbreaker against Dartmouth—they were moving the ball. That Dartmouth game was actually the only thing that kept them from an outright Ivy title. One point. That's the margin between a shared trophy and a solo parade.
2025 Yale Football Results at a Glance
- Holy Cross: W 28-10 (Started the season strong)
- Cornell: W 41-24 (Offense starts clicking)
- Lehigh: L 13-31 (The mid-season wake-up call)
- Dartmouth: L 16-17 (The one that got away)
- Stonehill: W 47-7 (Complete blowout)
- Penn: W 35-13 (Dominant conference win)
- Columbia: W 24-10 (Defense steps up)
- Brown: W 34-22 (Secured the winning season)
- Princeton: W 13-10 (A defensive slugfest)
- Harvard: W 45-28 (The masterpiece)
- Youngstown State: W 43-42 (Playoff thriller)
- Montana State: L 13-21 (The season finale)
What This Means for 2026
Yale is losing some key seniors, but the core of this high-flying offense is largely intact. The fact that the Ivy League is now part of the playoff conversation changes everything for recruiting.
Basically, New Haven is a destination now.
If you want to keep up with future games, remember that "The Game" moves to Cambridge in 2026. Usually, the home team has a massive advantage in this series, but after the way Yale played on the road in the playoffs, they won't be intimidated by the environment at Harvard Stadium.
For fans looking for actionable insights: watch the transfer portal. While Ivy schools don't take many transfers due to academic rigors, the 2025 success has made Yale an attractive spot for graduate students with an extra year of eligibility. Keeping an eye on the spring roster will tell you if they have the depth to repeat as champions.
Keep the 45-28 score in your head. It’s the benchmark for the "new" Yale football. High scoring, fast-paced, and unafraid of the big stage.