The Big Green return to Ivy League play this Homecoming Weekend when the Bulldogs of Yale come to Hanover to try and stop Dartmouth's 11-game unbeaten streak.
Dartmouth, which is 4-0 for the first time since 1977 and received votes in this week's Division I-AA poll, has dominated the Bulldogs in recent years, winning the last seven contests. Both teams enter the game with a 1-0 record in Ivy League play and are looking to gain a share of the lead with Columbia and Cornell atop the standings at 2-0 when the game kicks off at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow at Memorial Field.
The game marks the final trip to Hanover for legendary Yale coach Carmen Cozza, who is retiring after 31 seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs. Regardless of tomorrow's outcome, Dartmouth will be the only Ivy League team that Cozza does not own a winning record against as he is 14-16-1 against the Big Green all-time.
Yale's surprising 30-0 opening day victory over Brown served to catapult expectations for the Elis, who were predicted in the preseason to finish at the bottom of the league. The Bulldogs enter the game with a 2-2 mark with losses coming to nationally ranked Connecticut and Division I opponent Army before rebounding last week to defeat Bucknell 23-21.
"They have come out this year and really tried to prove that they are a better team than people thought they were," Head Coach John Lyons said. "I think ... the fact that they want to win for Coach Cozza has them playing with a lot of emotion, and defensively they are getting things done to win. Both teams are fighting to get to 2-0 in league so both teams are going to go out and play hard."
The turnaround for Yale has been sparked by their defense which has won games by getting heavy quarterback pressure and forcing turnovers.
The Bulldogs are led by all-League defensive end candidates Rob Selzer and Isaiah Wilson along with cornerback Rob Masalla. The unit has mustered four defensive touchdowns in the last two weeks, two each by Masalla and linebacker Todd Scott, and have sacked opposing quarterbacks nine times this season.
While the Bulldog defense has shined, the offense has been abysmal in recent weeks. At one point it went 11 straight quarters without an offensive touchdown, and the team's two leading scorers both play defense.
Yale's sputtering attack is averaging a meager 231 yards of total offense a game and just 2.5 yards per carry on the ground with their option attack. The passing game has struggled as well with a completion percentage under 50 percent and eight interceptions.
However, the news gets worse for the Elis as their top running back Jabbar Craigwell will most likely miss the game because of a knee sprain. This should be good news to an opportunistic Big Green defense which is very effective at stopping the run and forcing interceptions.
"We need to be disciplined facing an option team and that is going to be hard because we haven't faced one all year," Lyons said. "The last few weeks we have played teams that have thrown the ball, but this week we need to be aware of their two quarterbacks getting out of the pocket and running because they have hurt some teams."
The task when Dartmouth's offense has the ball should be very simple. The senior backfield of tailbacks Greg Smith '97 and Ambrose Garcia '97, fullback Pete Oberle '97 and quarterback Jon Aljancic '96 must utilize a strong offensive line and run the ball down the throats of the Elis' soft run defense in efforts to keep the pass rush off balance to set up the passing game.
Utilizing this scheme, the Big Green have put up some hefty yardage totals the last two weeks in dominating victories over Holy Cross and Fordham while controlling the clock in both games. Smith will be looking for his third 100-yard game of the season against the Bulldogs.
It will be important for the Big Green to score early as Yale has a tendency to fall behind in the first quarter, having been outscored by opponents 38-3 in the opening period of play.
In the first three games Dartmouth had been plagued by tentative play and offensive inconsistency in the first quarter, but was able to score on an impressive opening drive last weekend against Holy Cross.
Any advantage Dartmouth may have on the field will be compounded by the spirit that surrounds all Homecoming contests, a scenario that is familiar to the Bulldogs who were dumped by the Big Green two years ago on Homecoming weekend.
"Playing on Homecoming is always the best game of the season," linebacker Zach Walz '98 said. "Especially this year, with our 4-0 record and potential to win the Ivy League, I think there will be a tremendous crowd really pulling for the team. Yale is a great team to play because they are playing for their coach, and they are good competitors. I'm really excited, and I know the rest of the team is as well."
Lyons said, "The players love playing on Homecoming because there is such a great atmosphere with their families, old players and alumni all being there. However, we need to be careful that we don't get caught up in the festivities and lose focus on winning the game."
