In a game emblematic of its disappointing season, the Dartmouth football team lost to Brown University 27-14 in Providence Saturday.
The loss dropped the team's record to 2-4 in the Ivy League and 4-5 overall. Brown moved into a tie for second place at 3-3 in the league and 6-3 overall.
The Big Green entered the game having won every contest against the Bears for the past five years, outscoring them by 126 points over that stretch. This time, however, the Big Green were unable to establish a running game early, putting themselves in an uncomfortable position from the outset.
Despite the best efforts of quarterback Jon Aljancic '97, Dartmouth's air attack was unable to compensate for the team's running woes, compiling a total of only 187 yards.
On the first possession of the game, Aljancic orchestrated an impressive 12-play, 72-yard drive to set up a 20-yard field goal by Dave Regula '98. That drive proved to be the sole display of offensive strength for the Big Green until their last possession of the first half.
The Bears' domination began on the next possession. Following the Dartmouth score, Brown quarterback Jason McCullough drove his team to the Dartmouth 27 yard line, taking advantage of the Green's blitz-dependent defense to make several key completions.
Then, in a daring and risky move, McCullough lobbed a high, floating pass into the endzone for a touchdown to wide receiver and Brown co-captain Charlie Buckley (3 catches, 43 yards).
"We were a half step behind on passes," said co-captain linebacker Josh Bloom '95. "They did it all day long, especially in the first half," he said.
Indeed, the Bears used the air attack to break the game open. Shortly after a second quarter field goal extended their lead to 10-3, the Bears were pushed back deep into their own territory by a Dartmouth punt.
The team climbed out of the hole a few plays later when McCullough threw a quick pass to fullback Jody Gallegos out in the flat. Thanks in part to a broken tackle and several missed opportunities by Dartmouth linebackers, Gallegos was able to break free and rumble 75 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.
With the score 17-3, the momentum was clearly in Brown's favor, and it was up to the Green to respond quickly.
"I think that was the turning point right there," said Coach John Lyons, "We were hanging in there. . . then the kid outran everybody."
As the second quarter neared completion, things got worse for the Big Green. On the next possession, Aljancic (12 for 27, 187 yards) was intercepted by Brown defensive back Gregory Parker. McCullough then immediately went to work on offense, engineering a swift and well-executed drive down to the Dartmouth 5-yard line.
Several plays later, running back Paul Fichiera took a pitch from the QB and cruised into the endzone for a touchdown, making the score 24-3. Facing a seemingly insurmountable lead, the Dartmouth squad seemed discouraged and failed to generate any offense for the next few possessions.
"As soon as they went up," said nose guard Zack Lehman '95, "we lost heart, and that's uncharacteristic of us. Seniors want to leave the young guys with a winning record."
This goal seemed improbable until Dartmouth's last possession of the first half, when a revived offensive marched down to the Bears' 10-yard line in one of the most impressive drives of the game for either team. Two incomplete passes and a sack, though, forced the Green to kick a 35-yard field goal and settle for three points instead of seven.
While Aljancic made several nice passes during the drive - including tosses of 11 and 21 yards to tailback Zack Ellis '98 - it was clear as the teams headed to the locker room that the running game was in desperate need of help.
Ellis (six rushes, four yards for the game) and tailback Ambrose Garcia '97 (nine rushes, 29 yards) were consistently swallowed up by the Brown defense in the first half, forcing the Big Green to the air on virtually every possession.
"We couldn't run the ball well," Aljancic said. "There were a lot of third-and-long plays. As a team, we didn't have a good game," he said.
The second half was, in many respects, a mirror image of the first. The Big Green failed to score in the third quarter and, after holding Brown to a three-and-out on the Bears' first possession, allowed the opponents to drive 71 yards in 14 plays for a Bob Warden field goal.
At that point, the Dartmouth defense stepped up its play, shutting out the Bears for the rest of the game. The offense, however, was unable to capitalize on this opportunity until midway through the final quarter, when it was too late.
On Dartmouth's second possession of the fourth quarter, the offense made its most impressive display, moving the ball down the field with confidence and assurance.
The 75-yard drive culminated in a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver David Shearer '95 (7 catches, 104 yards), who made this week's Ivy League Honor Roll. Shearer's touchdown was the highlight of the game for the senior wideout, whose play was the lone bright spot for Dartmouth. Shearer alone accounted for more than half of the team's total passing yards (104 of 187).
The touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion, made the score 27-14, in favor of the Bears. Though the Big Green had several more possessions in the quarter, none resulted in any scoring. Dartmouth's final opportunity, with 2:39 remaining, was squelched by back-to-back sacks by the Bears.
When the game finally came to a close, Brown had compiled twice as many first downs as Dartmouth (22 to 11) and had outrushed the Green by 126 yards (176 to 50).
Despite the loss, Lyons had several good things to say about his team's play. "As poorly as we played in the first half, I thought our kids came out and responded in the second half. I think that's pretty much been the nature of this team the whole year," he said.
The Big Green wrap up their season Saturday against Princeton.
