The schedule makers at Dartmouth aren't stupid. After last year's Homecoming loss to Harvard, the powers that be in the athletic department decided that this year's Homecoming should be a guaranteed win to send the students and alumni home happy. Considering that Dartmouth has beaten Yale the past eight seasons, held the Bulldogs to 20 points in the last three contests and humiliated them 40-6 two years ago on Homecoming, the boys from New Haven seemed to be the perfect candidate for the Big Green.
Unfortunately, this is a different Yale squad than in previous years, a team that will not be so willing to roll over and play dead. After limping through the Ivy League with two wins the past two seasons, Yale has righted the ship and enters tomorrow's contest 2-2 and more importantly, 1-0 in Ivy League play after an opening day upset of Brown. The Bulldog team that was picked by the media to come in last in the league has emerged as a contender in the Ivy League race.
"This is a better football team than anybody thought they would be," Big Green head coach John Lyons said. "They have some real good skill guys on offense that have made all the difference from last year."
If Yale is a team on the way up, then Dartmouth is a team looking to find itself. At times this squad has showed the talent and desire to be a winning football team, at other times, they have showed the inconsistency and lack of emotion that characterize teams that finish near the bottom of the Ivy League.
While Yale has the luxury of entering the game undefeated in league play, tomorrow's contest borders on a must-win for a Dartmouth team that is 0-1 in Ancient Eight competition and has yet to hit the road for an Ivy League contest. If the Big Green are going to be one of the pack in the hunt for the championship, the team must demonstrate that they can play a full 60 minutes without having the offense or defense struggle.
"Because the Ivy League lacks a real front-runner this year, we have a real opportunity to be a major player in this year's race," Lyons said. "But to get into that race we must play with consistency this weekend, which is something we haven't managed to do all season-long."
Lyons is hoping that the Big Green will benefit in the long run from the team's toughest non-league schedule in years, which is one of the major reasons Dartmouth comes into the game 1-3 overall.
"We've challenged ourself with the best opponents available in the first few weeks," Lyons acknowledged. "Hopefully, playing against that level of competition will benefit us in our return to league play."
The first order of business for the Big Green is to rebound from their 45-24 drubbing at Colgate last week, one of Dartmouth's worst losses in recent memory. Lyons is hopeful that Dartmouth will not only learn from their mistakes, but use that game for motivation as well. Colgate is the only common opponent the two teams share. Yale played the Red Raiders two weeks ago in New Haven, falling 35-17.
"We were embarassed last week. Colgate is a good team, but we played one of the worst games I have ever seen," Lyons said. "I know our team is anxious to get out on the field and show they are better than they played last week."
Lyons however was pleased with the Big Green's offensive performance and the team can only be licking their chops at the prospect of playing Yale, one of the worst defensive teams they will face all season. Dartmouth's defense will get another challenge this week, when they face a rejuvenated Yale attack that ranks second in the Ivy League in total offense.
Quarterback:
Dartmouth's Mike Coffey '99 erased any thoughts of a possible quarterback switch with his performance against Colgate last week. Not only did Coffey turn in the Big Green's first two-touchdown passing performance in nearly a year, the senior signal-caller led the offense to 324 total yards, its strongest showing of the season. The next step for Coffey is to take his game to the next level and demonstrate that he can win a football game, not just merely keep the Big Green competitive. He should get that opportunity this weekend against an extremely generous Yale secondary. The key against the Bulldogs is not to focus on a single receiver but to show patience and take what the defense gives him.
One of the key reasons for Yale's turnaround this season has been the improvement of sophomore quarterback Joe Walland. After learning on the job for most of last year, Walland opened 1998 with an outstanding performance against Brown that included a game-winning touchdown pass as time expired. Walland's consistency in the passing game has been augmented by his ability to run the football, as he is averaging 256 yards in total offense per game, second in the Ivy League. In many ways, Walland is a poor man's version of Colgate's Ryan Vena, who tortured the Big Green last weekend.
Advantage: Yale
Running Back:
The Big Green running game has finally found the consistency it lacked at the beginning of the season. Junior Reggie Belhomme's 88-yard performance against Colgate last week earned him the starting nod over Eric Davis '99, who started the first four ballgames of the season. For Dartmouth to be successful, Belhomme must return to the slashing, cutback form he displayed in the final games of the 1997 campaign.
Fullback Bob Bunn '01 has been the most impressive offensive player for the Big Green the past two weeks after missing the first two games. Despite the recent success, the Big Green's running game still ranks last in the Ivy League averaging just under 70 yards per game.
After struggling to run the ball all of last season, Yale's ground attack has been resurrected in the first few weeks, leading the Ivy League with 200 yards per contest. Rashaad Bartholomew, a junior transfer from Air Force, has given the Bulldogs their first rushing threat in three years. Bartholomew is averaging over 100 yards a contest and after four games is just 84 yards shy of Yale's top rushing total last season. Complimenting Bartholomew in the backfield is fullback Derek Bentley who has developed into more of a receiving threat than a running threat. Last week, the Bulldogs managed over 150 yards in the first half alone against against Holy Cross, who entered the game second in the nation against the run.
Advantage: Yale
Wide Receivers:
While eight different Big Green players have caught passes in the first four games, Coffey's first-choice receiver is clearly tight end Adam Young '99. Young leads the team with 15 catches, and is often the first person Coffey looks for on pass plays. Damon Ferrara '98 has emerged as the go-to-guy in the red zone, as two of his eight catches this season have gone for touchdowns. If Young and Ferrara are Coffey's possesion receivers, fifth-year senior Forest Wester is the Big Green's top downfield threat. Despite catching only four balls all season, Wester's 23 yards per catch lead the Ivy League in that category. Against the suspect Yale secondary, expect the Big Green to come out throwing deep to Wester to stretch the defense and set up the underneath routes to Young and Ferrara.
Entering the season, the receiving corps for Yale was expected to be the strong point of the offense. This unit has lived up to the expectations, providing for a more lethal passing attack than New Haven has seen in recent years due to their height and speed. Wideout Ken Marschner has been the lynchpin to the passing attack, hauling in 24 passes for 254 yards. On the other side of the ball, converted fullback Jake Fuller has supplanted former starter Jake Borden due to his big play ability. Fuller's 17 yards per catch is second only to Wester in the Ancient Eight. Despite the gaudy numbers, this unit struggled to move the football against Holy Cross's defense and might suffer the same fate against the talented Dartmouth secondary. The Bulldogs will be boosted by the return of All-Ivy tight end Brian Scharf, who missed the past two games due to injury.
Advantage: Yale
Offensive Line:
The offensive line is one of the few units for the Big Green that has improved every week. After struggling mightily in the opener against Penn, the line has regrouped and not only given Coffey more time to throw the ball but has opened more openings for the running game. Yale's defensive line is coming off their strongest performance of the season, but Dartmouth's offensive front on average outweighs the Yale front five by 40 pounds. With the size difference, expect Dartmouth to try and run the ball at the small right side of the Yale line.
Head Coach Jack Siedlecki claims the Bulldog offensive line has made the most improvement of any Yale unit since the beginning of the season. One reason for the success of the offensive line is experience, as four of five starters for the Bulldogs are seniors, while left guard Matt Bickford is a junior. The right side of the line for Yale is enormous, with the guard and tackle both tipping the scales at about 330 pounds.
Advantage: Yale
Defensive Line:
Like the rest of the Big Green defense, the defensive line suffered through their worst performance of the season last week at Colgate. The front four were unable to get pressure on Ryan Vena, laying only one hit on the Red Raiders' star in the first half. The task may not get any easier against Yale's mammoth offensive front and the gritty, scrambling Walland. As a result, the front four must use their speed to get around the Bulldog lineman and keep Walland inside of the pocket rather than letting him scramble. Against the run, Brent Crombie '99 and the rest of the unit need to engage the linemen to allow the linebackers to get to the ballcarrier unmolested. If Dartmouth can control the line of scrimmage, a Big Green victory should not be far behind.
Yale's defensive line had a breakthrough game last week against Holy Cross, registering 10 sacks on the afternoon, including four from left end Peter Sarantos. Previous to the domination of the Crusaders though, Yale's five-two alignment had produced only five sacks in the first three games. Although traditionally a four-three defensive front, a lack of depth at linebacker has forced Siedlecki to use four down lineman and a speed pass rusher on the outside. Dartmouth may want to avoid running into the middle of the defense where 295-pound Corwynne Coruthers resides as the anchor of the front. Yale may put pressure on Coffey, but expect the Big Green offensive line to handle the on-coming Bulldogs.
Advantage: Dartmouth
Linebackers:
Middle linebacker and Co-capatain Jon Gibbs '99 was one of many Big Green players to take personal offense at how bad the defense played against Colgate. That could be very bad news for Yale, because Gibbs and teammate Steve Varney '00 can form the league's best linebacking duo when they are on top of their game. Together, the two have combined for 96 tackles on the year. Strong seasons from outside backes Marshall Hyzdu '00 and Kyle Rogers '99 have prevented this unit from suffering a drop-off after the graduation of Zack Walz '98 to the NFL. Unlike the past few weeks, Yale lacks a strong fullback to compliment Bartholomew in the backfield. As a result, the Big Green should be able to key on Bartholomew and keep him under control and not be so concerned with the inside handoff to the fullback.
Yale's unique defensive alignment demonstrates the weakness of the Bulldogs linebackers beyond their top two backers. Outside linebacker Peter Mazza leads the team in tackles with 37 while Scott Benton is a three-year starter and was the team's second-leading tackler last season. Beyond that, Yale has no experience or depth. Expect the Dartmouth offense to try and exploit this unit with a lot of misdirection and counter plays, hoping to find space for their running backs and wide receivers one-on-one with the Bulldog linebackers.
Advantage: Dartmouth
Secondary:
The question for the Big Green secondary is which group will show up tomorrow: the group that entered last week's contest tenth in the nation in pass defense, or the group that surrendered big play after big play and 356 yards passing last week. Hopefully for Dartmouth, it will be the former. Cornerbacks Tom Reusser '00 and Brad Verber '99 face a stiff challenge against a Yale receiving corps that boasts two receivers over 6'4". Safety Brad Eissler '01 is tied for the Ivy League lead with three interceptions, having recorded an interception against every team except Lafayette. The Big Green have been stingy for the most part, allowing only 160 yards per game through the air, second-best in the Ivy League.
The good news for the Yale secondary is that they have faced much better quarterbacks than the Big Green's Coffey. The bad news is that they have allowed those quarterbacks to devestate the Yale defense. Despite returning all four starters from last season, the Bulldogs defensive backfield is giving up 255 yards per game through the air and allowed nine touchdowns in the first three weeks of the season. Cornerback Todd Tomich was the Ivy League defensive rookie of the year in 1997 and has two interceptions on the season, which ties him with safety Ben Blake for the team lead. Lyons and the rest of the coaching staff feels that they should be able to have success throwing against a struggling Yale secondary to help set up the running game.
Advantage: Dartmouth
Special Teams:
To win, Dartmouth must take advantage of the extreme mismatch between the two schools' special teams. Following a disastrous opening week performance, the Big Green special teams units have quietly settled down and become extremely efficient. Punter Wayne Schlobohm '00 continues to be one of the nation's best, while sophomore Alex Csizinsky has hit four of six attempts on the season, including the game-winner in overtime against Lafayette. The return game hasn't been anything special, but the punt and kick coverage is much improved.
On the other hand, Yale has struggled mightily on special teams. The Bulldogs rank last in the league in net punting, punt returns and kickoff returns. Placekicker Mike Murawczyk has been inconsistent, hitting only five of nine field goal attempts. Yale must get improved play from their special teams to beat the Big Green in Hanover.
Advantage: Dartmouth
Prediction:
The basic breakdown of this game is Yale's offense against Dartmouth's defense. Yale has more offensive firepower than Dartmouth, so the Big Green can ill afford to get in the type of shootout they found themselves in last weekend at Colgate. Given that Yale's offense has consistenly moved the ball well, the key in tomorrow's contest is to take the Bulldogs out of their game plan early by jumping out to an early lead. If the Big Green can come out early and move the ball down the field on Yale's defense, then Dartmouth can force Yale to abandon the running game and become one-dimensional and predictable. For that to happen though, the Big Green offense needs to show the consistency and firepower they demonstrated in the latter stages of the second half against Colgate. The coaching staff feels that the offense has enough weapons to beat Yale if they play consistently for four quarters.
Because this should be a relatively close game, Dartmouth needs to find a way to avoid penalties and costly turnovers if they are to win. Yale leads the nation in turnover margin, taking the ball away from opponents 14 times while suffering only five miscues on offense. The Big Green should win the field position battle as a result of their superior special teams play. The two teams are relatively even on paper, but Dartmouth is most likely the better team. Combined with the emotion of playing at Homecoming and the chance to get back into the Ivy League race, the Big Green put together their best performance of the season and get in the Ivy League win column with their ninth straight defeat of the boys from Yale.
Final Score: Big Green 24, Yale 17