The Dartmouth football team is struggling. There is no doubt about that. But often what a struggling team needs to break out of its funk is a matchup with another team in a similar situation.
The Big Green get no better relief from their 0-2 start than this weekend when they travel to Easton, Pa. to face the Leopards of Lafayette.
A year ago, both teams' records stood exactly as they do now as Dartmouth hosted the 0-3 Leopards at Memorial Field. In a memorable overtime game, Alex Csizinszky '00 kicked a 22-yard field goal to win the contest for the Green.
Both teams have undergone considerable turnover since then, but neither has enjoyed any greater success. Yet.
Downright Offensive
Despite scoring 28 points in losing to Ivy contender Brown last weekend, the Leopards have displayed a generally impotent offense in their winless start, which also includes losses to Towson and Holy Cross.
"Against Holy Cross they turned the ball over deep in their territory twice," Dartmouth head coach John Lyons said. "Holy Cross had the lead and they held on to win the game. I saw a big improvement in their football team, particularly on offense against Brown."
Whereas the Green faced seasoned quarterback Ryan Vena of Colgate last weekend, they will now defend against Lafayette's new starting quarterback Brian Buczek. Buczek boasts a 47 percent completion rate, and has thrown eight interceptions in three games. Last year Lafayette quarterback Mike Palos had at least engineered several come-from-ahead losses, Buczek's squad has yet to lead at the end of any quarter of a game this season.
Lafayette's starting tailback, Brian Turna, is a converted defensive back who has rushed for only 146 yards thus far. Only one Leopard receiver has caught more than six passes.
"They're a team like us that's been struggling offensively," Lyons said. "We have to shut down their running game. We've got to be able to pressure the quarterback."
Within the Patriot League, 19th year head coach Bill Russo's team ranks last in scoring offense and next-to-last in total yardage. Part of these dismal numbers are attributable to an offensive line which returns just two starters from last year's 3-8 squad.
Put a stop to it
Lafayette's weakness thus far plays into Dartmouth's greatest strength in the early part of the season. On defense, the Green have played solidly, holding defending Ivy Champion Penn to 17 points in the season opener and then allowing high-powered Colgate only a field goal in the opening 25 minutes of last Saturday's game.
Linebacker Marshall Hyzdu '00 earned Ivy League honorable mention last week for his 13-tackle performance against the Red Raiders. Quad-captain Kyle Schroeder '00 has recorded 16 tackles already this year and has half a sack.
Against Penn two weekends ago, the Dartmouth defense forced four turnovers. This past weekend, while not taking the ball away at all, the Green put together a number of good defensive series.
On Colgate's first possession of the game, Dartmouth held the Red Raiders at the goal line to force a field goal. In the third quarter, the Green held Colgate on fourth-and-one at the Dartmouth 40-yard line as the Raiders were looking to ice the game.
Ultimately in both of their games thus far, Dartmouth could not handle their more experienced opponent.
"They have a scheme that in some ways is like Colgate," Lyons said. "We can't afford to give up the big plays we did against Colgate."
The object is to score
Despite moving the ball well in both games, Dartmouth has yet to score enough points to stay with its opponents. Quarterback Brian Mann '02 has shown improvement from the Penn game to Colgate, and his 54.7 completion percentage is certainly respectable.
Mann connected on several mid-range passes last week in throwing for 169 yards on 17-for-31 passing. Mann has also gained 42 yards on the ground this year.
However, the Green's running game to this point has been shaky. With several injuries depleting the reserve corps, starting tailback Reggie Belhomme '00 has carried 30 times for 82 yards. In a limited running role, fullback Matt Dunning '01 has averaged 4.8 yards per carry.
"We're struggling right now with our running game and we're going to try to establish it early," Lyons said. "We need to start generating some offense."
Quarterbacks Mann and Greg Smith '02, who remains out of the lineup again this weekend with a non-football-related injury, have completed passes to eight different receivers.
Starting wideouts Damien Roomets '02 and Matt DeLellis '02 have each caught five balls for a total of 119 yards. Tight end Lee Roach '01 has been the offense's primary target.
Although injuries deprived the offensive line of two seniors, quad-captain Caleb Moore '01 and a young group enjoyed great success pushing around Colgate's front line last weekend.
No D in Lafayette
With nine returning starters and a misfiring offense, Lafayette's strength should be its defense. But the Leopards sit at or near the bottom of the Patriot League in rushing yards and points allowed, giving up an even 100 points over three contests.
Lafayette allowed five touchdowns to Towson, and followed it up by giving up 30 points to Holy Cross and another 35-point game against a good Brown offense.
In sum, Lafayette's defense has been terrible thus far.
Doing the math
What do you get when you pit Dartmouth's struggling offense against Lafayette's poor defense? Which Lafayette offense can Dartmouth's surprising defense expect to find: the one that scored four touchdowns against Brown or the one that couldn't muster 28 points combined prior to that game?
Finally, can Dartmouth come together as a unit like the team's coaches and captains have been speaking about since preseason?
Lyons is unsure of some answers but understands who will win the game tomorrow.
"It's going to be the team offensively that makes the fewest mistakes," Lyons said. "Both teams have been hurt by turnovers. The team that is most consistent offensively is going to win."
To be honest, even my crystal ball is a little foggy this week. It would be fun to think that the Green can continue the streak of 30-plus point games against the Leopards this season by holding onto the ball and gaining big yardage. It would also be nice to believe that Dartmouth will shut down Lafayette's rookie passer and out-of-position running back after being hurt by a seasoned and talented Colgate team last weekend.
But it's hard to predict such an outcome on nothing but hope. As Lafayette's fortunes have suffered, so too have the Green's.
Injuries and graduation have left Dartmouth starting more young players than at any other time in recent memory. Further, the Green must travel to an unfriendly venue to play in Lafayette's first home game of the season.
Considering the game from this angle would mean a very tough time indeed for Dartmouth. But I will err on the side of Green hopefulness. Why?
Because this Lafayette defense is one of the weakest the Green will face all year, and both Brian Mann and Reggie Belhomme are ready to put up some big numbers. Mann is currently averaging about four yards per pass attempt and Belhomme 2.7 yards per rush. These statistics should double on Saturday.
The Leopards' success against Brown is a cause of some concern, but it should be pointed out that at no time after an early touchdown did they lead the game.
Despite early difficulty, expect the Green to pull out a close game against the Leopards for the second straight season.
Prediction: Green 24, Lafayette 19
