Image courtesy of Holy Cross Athletics
The Holy Cross program and its fan base find themselves in unfamiliar territory heading into Thanksgiving.
Usually – at least for the last six years – Holy Cross was battling for the Patriot League title, or already making plans for the postseason. But, 2025 has been a rare down year and there will be no playoff appearance for Dan Curran’s crew after this Saturday.
But, after getting a win on the road over Bucknell last weekend, the 2-9 Crusaders can build some serious momentum heading into the offseason with a victory over Georgetown. It wouldn’t just be any Patriot League victory, this one is a little bit more special.
Holy Cross is hosting the Hoyas at Fenway Park Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. This is the first time the program will play at the home of the Red Sox since 1956.
It’s more than that though.
During his weekly media availability on Tuesday, Curran talked about the opportunity that lies ahead to reward heard work and dedication.
“There’s a little bit of that,” Curran said when asked specifically if this feels like a defect bowl game or an unofficial kickoff to the 2026 season. “There’s different polls they have for FCS football. Some are more ideal than others, or more legitimate I should say. There was at one point – yesterday we were joking – there were six teams on our schedule that were on Top 25 (polls) in some capacity. So, this group has certainly seen some good football teams. With the exception of the Harvard and Lehigh games, we’ve had an opportunity to be in every one of them.
“But, we did. The first thing we did is talk about beyond the senior piece – which is so important, it’s been such a great group of young men and guys I’ve really enjoyed coaching – is the importance of rewarding this group. There’s not a lot of teams…some teams, you get in that position, maybe your win-loss record isn’t what you want…if you came to our practice on a Thursday and you’ve seen the energy and the focus this group has, it’s an unbelievable testament to not only the culture of this program, but to the character of the young men that are a part of this team and this program. They’ve done a great job preparing the right way every week and going out and competing every week. They’ve really stuck together.
“So, getting this group rewarded, because there’s really nothing better…it’s the ultimate team sport. There’s nothing like it. That feeling in the locker room afterwards when you beat a good Richmond team, a good Bucknell team, there’s nothing like it in the world. Those kids have earned that right and deserve it…it’s about sending the seniors out the right way. It’s a great group of guys that we all love and appreciate. We want those guys leaving their career here at Holy Cross the right way.
There’s also a big opportunity for a very young team to experience a big stage for the first time, something that can’t be replicated in practice or offseason training.
“We talked about all the talented underclassmen we have on this roster,” said Curran. “There’s a bunch of them that are making an impact as true freshmen or even, guys that would be redshirt freshmen – we’re not allowed to say that in the Patriot League – guys that are going to be here for quite some time having a significant role. So, building with that momentum into the offseason, treating it like a bowl game.”
Taking care of the seniors and building for the future are the main objectives this weekend.
Getting a win at one of the most historic venues in all of sports would just be icing on the cake.
“There’s no better way to do that than with a win against Georgetown, and doing that at Fenway would be a really special opportunity,” added Curran.