After a momentous victory over Colgate in the season-opener three weeks ago, Big Green football (1-2, 0-1 Ivy) has dropped its last two games. Before the bitter memories of last year's 1-9 meltdown become a continued reality, Dartmouth will look to snap its skid at the Yale Bowl this Saturday. The Big Green will meet the Bulldogs (1-2, 1-0 Ivy) for a matinee match-up of tough defenses and struggling offenses.
While the Big Green has been handled in its past two outings, fans should not jump to conclusions just yet. Last Saturday, Dartmouth opened its Ivy League schedule, welcoming Penn to Memorial Field. The Quakers, who have captured the Ivy League crown in two of the previous three seasons, knocked home four field goals and recorded two short touchdown passes to overtake Dartmouth, 26-9.
A week earlier, the Big Green traveled to Durham to battle New Hampshire. Dartmouth jumped out to a first quarter 10-7 lead, exploiting an early interception by Joe Scola '07. Nevertheless, the Wildcats, who currently reside as the No. 1-ranked team in Division I-AA, proceeded to overwhelm the Big Green for the next two quarters, solidifying a 49-20 victory.
With the exception of a midseason bout with the defending Ivy League champion Harvard Crimson, the worst is over for Dartmouth. The Big Green has survived the toughest part of its 2005 schedule with a victory to boot. It is certainly difficult to kick off a new season with games against three of the four top teams on the schedule, but Dartmouth hopes to learn from its losses (and victory) to build on its faults.
According to head coach Buddy Teevens, these faults include miscues on special teams, inconsistency on both sides of the ball and an inexperienced offense. In order to defeat Yale, a deceivingly formidable opponent, Dartmouth must, at the very least, improve on the first blemish. Special teams errors mean extra yards and increased scoring chances for the opposition as well as missed field goals for the Big Green, something Dartmouth can scarcely afford. Furthermore, with an offense that has yet to find its groove, a defense that only let up 59 rushing yards to Penn may once again be the Big Green's saving grace.
The offensive line will also have to do a better job protecting quarterback Charlie Rittgers '06. Dartmouth has allowed 16 sacks thus far, including a preposterous seven last weekend. Without time in the pocket and holes to run through, the Big Green offense will have limited opportunities to build substantial leads.
Yale is led by senior quarterback Jeff Mroz, who has thrown for 276 yards per game and notched eight touchdowns. The Bulldog offense has also been spurred by the remarkable performance of freshman running back Mike McLeod, who has scored two touchdowns and rushed for 92 yards per game thus far. Each player complements a Yale offense that demonstrated its potential explosiveness in a 37-17 triumph over Cornell two weeks ago.
The two historic Ivy League rivals have met 88 times since 1884, with the Bulldogs leading the all-time series with a 46-36-6 record. Dartmouth and Yale also lead all other teams in their storied division with 16 and 13 Ivy League titles, respectively, the last ones coming in 1999 for Yale and 1996 for Dartmouth. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday in New Haven. Dartmouth fans can follow the action live on WDCR-AM (1340) and WFRD-FM (99.3) with Bob Lipman and Wayne Young. The game can also be heard at www.DartmouthSportsRadio.net.
