As the 2003 Ivy League football season draws nearer and observers of the Ancient Eight begin to predict what the coming season holds in store, one thing is certain when it comes to Dartmouth: the slogan for the Big Green's 2003 campaign, "Legacy Reborn," is more than just talk.
At Ivy League Media Day, held on August 11 at the Yale Golf Course, the preseason media poll was released, and Dartmouth was picked to finish fourth, despite being one of only two Ivy teams not to return a starting quarterback from the 2002 season.
In addressing the media gathered in New Haven, Dartmouth head coach John Lyons acknowledged that replacing Brian Mann '02, the Ivy League's total offense leader in 2002, will be a key to the Big Green's success this season, but expressed a great deal of confidence in projected starter Scott Wille '04. "He's a big, strong, athletic kid, who's very mature," Lyons said of Wille, who backed up Mann last season after transferring from the University of Wisconsin. "I think he really made significant progress this spring, being in our offense, which was pretty different than what he was used to at Wisconsin, and we really expect him to do some great things."
One thing that no one in the League would question is that Wille has a strong set of offensive teammates to do "great things" with. Big Green co-captain Casey Cramer '04, a preseason all-American selection at tight end, and wide receiver Jay Barnard '04, who has established himself as Dartmouth's all-time receptions leader after only three seasons, head up a powerful Dartmouth receiving corps that should provide Wille with ample targets for his passes. In looking at his own team's schedule, Penn head coach Al Bagnoli, whose defending Ivy League Champion Quakers were picked by the media to repeat in 2003, commented that "Dartmouth has the ability to beat any team in our league."
The respect directed at the Big Green by Bagnoli and the media was something of a welcome surprise for Lyons, who hopes to make a dramatic improvement over last season's 3-7 record. "I was kind of surprised," Lyons said of his team's placement in the media poll, adding that he believes Dartmouth can make the strides necessary to justify that position. "I really believe we're getting better. I think we have more of the better football players than we've had the last couple of years. When you look at some of the returning players we have, some of those guys have put up some impressive numbers."
When asked about Bagnoli's comment about the Big Green's talent, Lyons pointed to last season's results to justify Bagnoli's statement. "When you look at last year," Lyons said, "with the exception of the Penn game, when we went down there, and we didn't play well, and they thumped us, every other game was eight points or less." In a new season, Lyons and the Big Green hope to make more of those close games go their way, and the Dartmouth head coach feels his team is in position to do that.
"One of the things we emphasize with our kids isbetter condition," Lyons said. "I think we have some depth now, where we can play a lot of guys and keep kids fresh, and I think it's a matter of getting some guys who now have some experience, and making sure that we're playing as well late in the game as we are earlier in the game."
One source of inspiration for the Big Green players to improve their late-game performance could be former captain Kevin Noone '03, who played the final game of the 2002 season despite a torn MCL. "None of our medical people thought he'd last more than a series," Lyons said of his former All-Ivy offensive guard, "and he played the whole game. I think that that just showed these guys what it takes to become a great player."
Lyons is hoping to see some "great players" emerge in the Dartmouth defense, which was the League's worst against the pass in 2002, despite the emergence of individual stars like free safety Clayton Smith '05, who led the Ivy in tackles last year and will co-captain the Big Green this season, and Josh Dooley '06, last season's Rookie of the Year. "You've got a lot of young kids, and I'm talking about these guys in the secondary, they're just hanging on out there trying not to make a mistake," Lyons said. "Now they're starting to play with a little more confidence, and really understand what you're supposed to be doing, and it makes a huge difference."
So, how much of a difference can the Big Green make between 2002 and 2003? "I really believe that our league is going to be very close," Lyons said. "I think Penn is the best team, but the rest of us, you've got to show up, you've got to play, and you've got to make the plays at critical times. And I think we have more people who catyyn do that."
The Big Green footballers will look to prove their coach right on Sept. 20, as Dartmouth kicks of the 2003 season by hosting the Colgate Raiders at Memorial Field.
