Following Saturday's 20-7 loss to Harvard, the question hung out there like a huge grenade, waiting to explode on Head Coach John Lyons and the rest of the Big Green football team. "Who will be the starting quarterback against Columbia next week?"
Lyons waited a few seconds and then responded diplomatically.
"We're going to play whoever gives us the best chance to win," he said. "It is a decision we will have to evaluate throughout the week."
With the weekend approaching though, and game plans to be inserted, Lyons must make his choice today or tomorrow between incumbent senior Mike Coffey or the freshman, Brian Mann.
Seemingly the fans at the game against Harvard had their answer as they watched Mann drive the team down the field for its only touchdown and saw another drive fall just short in the end zone. On the other hand, Coffey failed to lead the offense to a touchdown for the second time this season. Easy choice, right?
Wrong. The Big Green offense is not the shootout, throw-the-ball-50-times-a-game, two-minute offense that Mann ran in the fourth quarter on Sunday. It has been almost two years since the Big Green had a 300-yard passing game, a 358-yard effort by Jon Aljancic '97 against Cornell, and that was the only time the feat has happened in the past four seasons. Dartmouth's offense is simply not a pass-first offense. Rather, it is a combination of running and passing that Mann struggled with in the second quarter against the Crimson. An attack that Coffey has directed all season long.
What people might forget is that just two weeks ago at Cornell, Coffey directed a furious fourth-quarter rally that should have won Dartmouth the game. Coffey ran the offense to perfection, driving 69 yards for a touchdown and put the team in position for two field goals that were missed. And all of this came against Cornell's pass defense, which is first in the Ivy League.
To have further insight into this year's controversy, one must look back at last year's quarterback situation. Towards mid-season, then starting quarterback Pete Sellers '98 began to struggle mightily, finishing the season with two touchdown passes and 13 interceptions in the final four games of the season. But Sellers' job was never in jeopardy as a strong defense and kicking game propelled Dartmouth to a lofty 8-2 record.
This season, Coffey has rarely turned the ball over, throwing only four interceptions all season. Still, the passing game has been stagnant, ranking last in the Ivy League averaging just over 146 yards per game. Although he has struggled in the first half, Coffey has been excellent in the second half of ballgames, leading the offense to seven second-half touchdowns and the senior has been solid running the option. It is ironic that his best first half (eight-of-10 throwing the ball) came last weekend before giving way to Mann. For the most part, he has been as good or better than Sellers was last season. But his team has not been. If he had been playing last year, the team would still have gone 8-2. As a member of the media astutely observed, Coffey is as good as the players around him.
And unfortunately, the players around him have not been very good. The running game, a staple of Dartmouth's offensive attack the past few years, has been dismal, ranking last in the Ivy League. In fact, Dartmouth has not had a 100-yard rusher all season long. Add to that the fact that Coffey has taken a beating all season long from opposing pass rushes, his performance can't be judged solely on how the offense has moved the football.
Mann's performance in the fourth quarter gave fans a glimpse of the promise to come from the highly recruited 6'3" freshman from Canton, Mass. He finished the day six-of-13 for 69 yards, but statistics do not tell the whole story. He showed elusiveness in the pocket and threw very accurate and catchable passes. His touchdown pass to Bob Bunn '01 was perfectly thrown, as was the deep ball that Damon Ferrara '98 almost made a diving touchdown grab on. While Coffey has had a tendency to overthrow open receivers this year, Mann continually put the ball right on target.
With Dartmouth sitting at 2-5, out of the Ivy League race and struggling to reach .500, the easy decision is to let Mann finish the season in preparation for the his next three years as a starter for the Big Green. But its not the right thing for Lyons to do. Coffey is a senior, and has put in four years of hard work and dedication for his opportunity to start. He shouldn't take the fall for all of the offensive woes of this season, and decisions should not be based on desperate fourth-quarter rallies.
At the same time, Lyons believes Mann deserves to play and his on-field experience in the final weeks will be invaluable come next season when the team is his. Last week's rotation in which Coffey started and Mann came in for the fourth drive of the first half should continue and then Lyons can choose who will take the snaps in the second half based on their play.
There are numerous reasons why this year's Big Green team has struggled and faces the prospect of the first losing season in four season. But Coffey should not be the only scapegoat, and deserves to start the final home game of his career.
