The Dartmouth football team, fully recovered from last week's heartbreaker against Cornell, looks to put all the pieces together this Saturday against Lafayette [1-2-1] at Memorial Field at 1:30 p.m.
Now three games into the season, Dartmouth [1-2] has yet to fire on all cylinders. Last week when Dartmouth's offense was rolling, tacking on yards at will, the Big Green D was dishing them out at will as well. And once Dartmouth's defense solved Cornell's puzzling array of offensive weapons and plays, the offense forget how to add the finishing touches, going zero for three in the red zone late in the game.
If you ask the players, it seems Dartmouth's main concern is not the Lafayette Leopards team, but themselves.
Co-Captain tailback Pete Oberle '96 said, "There really has been no single factor that prevented us from losing the last two [Ivy League] games, but the closest thing to it has been the inability to have offense and defense at their best at the same time."
Co-Captain defensive lineman Taran Lent '96 agreed. "After the games so far we still remain confident in the quality of the team. We have shown signs of being a great team, but we simply have not put everything together... If we can get our defense, offense, and kicking game going all at the same time, we will be a force to contend with."
One aspect of Dartmouth's game last week that remained consistent, for better or for worse, was its special teams play. Kick returning remained a continued strength, and place-kicking a recurring concern.
Dartmouth's main kick-returner, Jamie Whitticom '96, ran back four pigskins for 109 yards, while almost breaking through for six twice.
Meanwhile, Dartmouth kicker Dave Regula '98 was shaky again, missing field goals of 38 and 24 yards and having an extra point blocked - the fourth failed "free" point of the season.
Last year, Dartmouth trekked to Easton, Pennsylvania and corralled the Leopards handily with a 27-15 win. The Big Green did experience a major setback in that game, however, losing quarterback Ren Riley '96 to a badly broken arm in the game.
Riley, who had to have three metal plates and 21 screws inserted into his left arm after that contest, will most likely be watching from the sidelines this time around. After getting the starting nod again to start the 1995 season, Riley has since lost the job to Jon Aljancic '97, who has gradually grown into the position during the last two games.
Aljancic, though unpolished, has brought with him an array of offensive hardware that the Big Green haven't owned in recent memory. The speedy left-hander likes to run, and while that has hurt him at times, the added dimension to Dartmouth's attack has done an effective job of keeping opposing defenses off-guard.
That, coupled with Dartmouth's platoon of running backs, primarily Oberle, Greg Smith '97, Ambrose Garcia '97 and Zach Ellis '98, should provide a healthy challenge to a highly ranked Lafayette run-defense.
But the Big Green's biggest nemesis in this game with be themselves and their ability to play to their own potential, Lent said.
"If our offense can put together another performance like they did against Cornell, and our defense gets back to playing the type of defense we played in the first two games, we should look to have a great outing against Lafayette," he said.
Big Green Notes:
Dartmouth is currently last in the Ivy League, holding an 0-2 record with five league games left to play.
Dartmouth quarterback Jon Aljancic '97 was named to the Ivy League honor roll for his performance in last week's game against Cornell. The elusive quarterback was lethal in the air as well as on the ground, as he passed for 185 yards and a touchdown and ran for 112 yards with two touchdowns.
Dartmouth's kick returning team has remained one of its biggest strengths thus far in the young season. The Big Green are ranked first in the Ivy's and third in the NCAA's in kick returns, averaging 28.2 yards each run back.
