After five weeks of play, the Big Green find themselves right where they expected to be heading into the season. They are off to a 5-0 start, the team's best start in 25 years, and are 2-0 in the Ivy League for the first time in Head Coach John Lyons' five years at Dartmouth.
But the 40-6 thrashing over Yale at Homecoming ended the first stretch of the season that was the easy part of the schedule for the Big Green. Now to bring home the Ancient Eight title, Dartmouth must finish the season with four of its final five league games on the road, beginning this week against Cornell.
Playing in Ithaca will provide the Big Green, who sit atop the Ivy League standings with Columbia and the Big Red, with their toughest test of the year. The winner of this clash of Ivy League unbeatens will be in the driver's seat for the conference title, even though Cornell has an overall record of 2-3 on the season.
Dartmouth is looking to extend its unbeaten streak to 13 games, the third longest unbeaten streak in Division I-AA football and the Big Green's longest streak since 1970-71.
Tomorrow's game features a matchup of the top offensive and defensive units in the Ivy League. Cornell, led by 1995 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year Chad Levitt, has managed to put points on the board while rolling up over 400 yards a game.
But the Big Red will have to contend with the stingy Big Green defense which is among the Division I-AA leaders in stopping the run and scoring defense, giving up just over 11 points per game and just three touchdowns in the last three weeks.
The goal for Dartmouth this year will be the same as it has been the previous two years for the Big Green, to stop Levitt. Levitt, the Big Red's second leading rusher of all time, is averaging 157.8 yards per game this year and has chewed up Dartmouth's defense the last two years, gaining 342 yards in Cornell's two victories over the Big Green.
Dartmouth should be up to the task with a rushing defense that has held its last four opponents to under 45 yards rushing and has only given up two touchdowns on the ground all year. But Cornell also boasts the league's top passing offense, led by quarterback Scott Carroll who takes advantage of defenses that load up against Levitt.
"Chad Levitt has had our number the past two years, but we'll be ready for Cornell," senior linebacker and tri-Captain Mark Abel '97 said. "We've also got to get more pressure up front the pass because our cornerbacks are getting put on the spot when the quarterback has time to throw the ball."
While the Big Green's defense can expect a stiff challenge, the offense should be able to exploit the Big Red defense, which ranks last in the league, giving up 413 yards a game. This plays right into the Big Green's game plan that will seek to keep the ball away from the Cornell offense by controlling time of possession and maintaining an effective balance of passing and running the ball.
Tailbacks Greg Smith '97 and Ambrose Garcia '97 will try to hammer away at the soft Cornell front to set up the Big Green passing game, which has flourished this year under the experience of quarterback Jon Aljancic '97. Wideout Zach Ellis '98 and tight end Will Harper '98 have developed into Aljancic's favorite receivers, combining for 30 catches, many of them third down catches to keep drives alive.
Furthermore, after a horrendous start, placekicker Dave Regula '98 has regained the form that made him a second team All-Ivy League selection last year. Last week against Yale he set a school record scoring 16 points and set a personal high by booting four field goals.
A win this week is key for Dartmouth as the schedule doesn't get any easier for the Big Green as they face Ivy heavyweights Harvard and Columbia in the following two weeks.
"Its going to be a physical game, but we'll definitely be prepared," Abel said.
