As disappointing as the Big Green football team's loss to Colgate last Saturday was, when viewed in the grand scheme of things, the game represented solid improvement in head coach John Lyons' squad.
The last time Dartmouth and Colgate met, on Sept. 16, 2000, the Big Green men were outclassed for the duration of the contest, eventually falling by an 18-point margin, 42-24.
Last week, Dartmouth controlled the first 56 minutes of the game, until Raiders fullback Justin Polk scored on a six-yard run, allowing Colgate to escape with a four-point win, 30-26.
The difference between the two contests is not lost on Dartmouth captain Kevin Noone '03. The All-American guard said, "We are a much different team from two years ago. Our defense is playing better as a whole, as opposed to having just a few standout players. We are fortunate to have talent dispersed on both sides of the ball.
"Offensively, we are playing with more poise and confidence then we did two years ago."
That poise and confidence was exemplified against Colgate by quarterback Brian Mann '02. Playing for the first time since the 2000 season, Mann meshed well with the talented Big Green receiving corps, throwing for a career-high 369 yards, including a pair of touchdown passes to preseason All-American tight end Casey Cramer '04.
Cramer (5 catches, 102 yards) and wide receiver Jay Barnard '04 (7 catches, 101 yards) anchored the receiving unit, helping to lead the Big Green to within four minutes of the team's first win over Colgate since 1995.
As many highlights as there were in last Saturday's game, the fact remains that Dartmouth lost to a Colgate team that went into the game 0-2, having been shutout in a 20-0 loss to Villanova, then outgunned in a 40-31 loss to Patriot League rival Fordham.
This Saturday, the Green will have another opportunity to prey on a winless opponent, as the men take on the Wildcats of the University of New Hampshire in the third annual Granite Cup.
The Wildcats enter the game 0-4 (0-3 Atlantic 10), and are coming off of a 45-3 slaughter at the hands of Villanova. The Big Green will have ample motivation to open the home season with a win, especially when it looks back to last year's Granite Cup.
Last Sept. 22 in Hanover, Dartmouth fought back from a 35-14 halftime deficit to take a 38-35 lead with less than two minutes left in the game. Greg Smith '02 led the charge with a sterling performance (37-for-64, 416 yards), breaking his own school records for both pass completions and attempts in a game.
However, UNH's quarterback Ryan Day connected with Brian Mallette on a 24-yard touchdown pass to give UNH the Granite Cup in the last four seconds of the contest.
This year, junior Mike Granieri is at quarterback for the Wildcats, and will look to pick up where Day left off. Granieri enters the game with a 61.5 completion percentage and 622 passing yards to his credit.
Granieri, however, has also been intercepted four times this season, including two picks by Villanova in last week's 45-3 thrashing. The Big Green defense will be looking to add to Granieri's interception totals, while Mann, Cramer and company attempt to outgun the Wildcats on the other side of the ball.
Dartmouth will also be looking to cut down on turnovers, as last week's three fumbles will not do against the Wildcats. According to Noone, "If we want to win, we cannot turn the ball over or have costly penalties."
The team is well aware of what lies ahead and isn't underestimating its winless opponents.
"UNH runs the same scheme and has the same type of players each year. They have big linemen and skill players who run well and make people miss tackles," Noone said. Still, though, if Noone and his teammates showed anything in last Saturday's game against the Raiders, they showed that they are up to the task at hand every time they step on the field.
When the Wildcats and the Big Green meet at Memorial Field on Saturday, only one thing is for certain: one team will leave the field with its first win. With fewer turnovers and penalties, that team could very well be the Big Green.
