Following a 17-6 opening-day loss at Pennsylvania last Saturday, the Green welcome Colgate and star quarterback Ryan Vena to Memorial Field tomorrow.
Not only will Vena make reaching the .500 mark tough, but also Colgate's power running game and option offense should challenge the Green's veteran defense.
"They have the best offensive line we'll face all year," Lyons said. "Their quarterback runs the option very well. They have a very good play action pass team."
Offensively, Dartmouth will be without fullback Bob Bunn '01 and wideout Mike Poncy '00, two of the players they counted on before the year. Additionally, backup quarterback Greg Smith '02 -- who led the Green to their only score late in the game against Penn -- suffered a non-football-related injury this past weekend and will miss the game.
Lyons explained that Colgate's defense is no less a problem than their offense.
"They're very athletic, they run very well," he said. "They put a lot of pressure on you."
"We made too many mistakes last week against Penn," he continued. "We just have to be more consistent."
Despite the youth on the team and the challenge of playing a team often in the top-25 Division I-AA this weekend, the team's leaders remain upbeat about their chances.
"We have yet to realize how good a team we can really be," co-Captain Caleb Moore '01 said. "We've got so many talented players on this team and so many athletes. I honestly believe we can win the next nine games and at least win a share of the title."
Senior Tom Reusser's comments were slightly more realistic.
"I think we're really going to be a tough team when the Ivy games roll around in December," he said. "Hopefully we can just manage to get through and to get better each week and to come away with wins even if we're not playing our best."
"I was here during the 10-0 season freshman year," starting tailback Reggie Belhomme '00 said. "We [the seniors] know what it takes to be back on top. We're trying to bring that same type of attitude and emotion."
Nonetheless, a team that had few older players to begin with and has lost more to injury the past few weeks will have a difficult time handling Colgate's veteran group.
The Red Raiders most recently pasted Fordham with a 49-24 win. Junior tailback Randall Joseph ran for 258 yards on 15 carries.
Colgate won't have as easy a time against the Big Green, but they should still have a comfortable victory.
Prediction: Colgate 27, Green 13
