In a season that was short on highlights, the Big Green football team's 32-27 victory over Yale during the 2001 season certainly stands out. The win, which saw quarterback Greg Smith '02 throw for 406 yards and five touchdowns, allowed the Big Green men to play spoiler at Yale's tercentennial celebration.
During the 2002 season, the Big Green will have the opportunity to score another memorable win over the Bulldogs, as the New England Sports Network will televise this year's Dartmouth-Yale game, to be played on October 12 at Memorial Field. The game is one of four Ivy contests to be broadcast on NESN, along with the Yale-Cornell game on September 28, the Cornell-Brown matchup on October 26, and the Yale-Brown game on November 9.
Kickoff time is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in Hanover. However, NESN's broadcast of the game will begin at 3:30 p.m., as the broadcast will be tape delayed. The game will be one of three broadcast on NESN that day, along with Rhode Island at Northeastern and a game from the Big East Conference to be announced.
When asked about the televised contest, Dartmouth tight end Casey Cramer '04, one of the Big Green's two preseason Division I-AA All-Americans along with team captain Kevin Noone '03, said, "It is always exciting to know your game is televised, and to know that there are more people out there watching your every move than those sitting in the stands. I believe it can really turn the game up a notch and make it really exciting."
For wide receiver Jay Barnard '04, however, NESN's decision to televise the Dartmouth-Yale game means very little. Barnard told the Dartmouth, "We've had something like 5 games televised on NESN in the last two years, and you honestly forget that you're on TV until someone tells you later on that night.
"Our game is surprisingly simple minded. You don't care if you look good. When you're on the field, you don't think about anything else besides your next play. Any exposure you get is for your parents to be proud of, not necessarily for you."
The Big Green footballers and their families certainly had plenty to be proud of when they played Yale last year.
In a rare Sunday contest (the game was rescheduled to fit into Yale's tercentennial celebration), the Big Green stole one at the Yale Bowl after trailing 20-13 at halftime. In addition to Smith's Ivy Offensive Player of the Week performance, Matt DeLellis '02 had a memorable turn at wideout, with 186 yards and three touchdowns to his credit.
Smith and DeLellis have graduated, though, so the Big Green will be looking for other stars -- possibly Cramer and Barnard -- to shine against the Bulldogs and repeat last year's victory in front of a home crowd and a television audience.
The New England Sports Network is Channel 19 on the College's cable television system.
