Admittedly, the Granite Bowl does not hold the same prestige as the Rose Bowl. Yet, for the first time in recent memory, the battle for New Hampshire this Saturday will feature two undefeated football teams both vying for a second consecutive victory.
The University of New Hampshire Wildcats, ranked second in all of Division I-AA, will look to squelch the newfound momentum of a Dartmouth team coming off their first season-opening triumph in eight years.
Having lost the past two Granite Bowls by a combined 46 points, Dartmouth's quest for a 2-0 start will not be a walk in the park. At best, the game will be a battle of tough defense versus prolific scoring capabilities.
New Hampshire trounced Towson in week two 62-21, flexing its offensive muscle. Wildcat sophomore quarterback Ricky Santos led the air raid with 422 passing yards and three touchdowns.
UNH will look to compile their third win of this young season on their home field, Cowell Stadium in Durham, N.H.
Dartmouth surprised first week opponent Colgate with a gritty, newly-fashioned 4-3 formation on defense. The Big Green forced four turnovers and a safety, all of which resulted in more than half of the team's offensive production. Although the Raiders only amassed 243 yards on the day, UNH is a different story all together. Colgate did not have a young phenom like the Wildcats' QB Ricky Santos at the helm.
Santos, the ECAC and Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Year, has been raising eyebrows, even those of NFL scouts, since he made his first start for the Wildcats last season as a freshman. As a finalist for the Walter Payton Award last season, given to the most outstanding offensive player in Division I-AA, Santos finds himself an early favorite for the honor this year.
The sophomore sensation leads an offense that could be particularly challenging to Dartmouth's defense. While composed mainly of veteran players, the Big Green defense is still largely untested against an offense quite like New Hampshire's.
Coach Buddy Teevens has labeled this game as "a wonderful opportunity to play a team that is considered among, if not the best in the country."
Referring to Santos, Teevens admitted that the defensive game plan is more one of containment than domination. "You're not going to stop [Santos], but we want to limit the damage that he does through the course of the game," said Teevens.
Dartmouth will be led by quarterback Charlie Rittgers '06 and running back Ikechi Ogbonna '06 on the offensive end, as both players hope to keep the game close enough for the defense to take hold.
The Granite Bowl will be televised live, starting at 12 p.m. on WMUR (Channel 9) with Jason King providing play-by-play and Tom Lynch and Brad Dupree offering their insights as the color analysts.
The game can be heard in Hanover on radio stations WDCR-AM (1340) and WFRD-FM (99.3) with Bob Lipman doing play-by-play and Wayne Young laying down has football knowledge with color commentary.
The game can also be heard via the internet at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~brdcast/sports/.
