The Big Green should take a page out of Collins' book as they prepare for next weekend's Ivy League opener at the University of Pennsylvania's Quakers (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) at 1 p.m. in Philadelphia, Penn.
Saturday proved to be all about UNH's star wide receiver, senior David Ball. Ball tallied impressive stats on the day, racking up 179 receiving yards on 12 catches. The most important statistic of the day, however, was the three touchdowns that Ball caught. The third score he raked in matched Jerry Rice's I-AA record of 50, and sent the UNH fans in the east stands into a frenzy. One spectator held up a sign that had a simple message scrawled across it in blue marker: "50."
All three of Ball's scores came in the first half of the game, helping UNH jump out to a 35-0 halftime lead over the Big Green.
Ball's record-tying catch came with 2:43 left in the first half, as he scampered to the right corner of the end zone and utilized his six inch height advantage over Dartmouth cornerback Chris Blanco '07 to haul in a six-yard grab.
Ball is a product of small-town Vermont, having grown up in the town of Orange, population 965. He played football and basketball, and he competed in track and field in high school, participating in the high jump, the long jump and the triple jump.
Ball stayed humble after his record-tying day, stating that, "The most exciting thing about being mentioned with [Jerry Rice] is I'm happy people view me as they view him. There are a lot of people that view him not only as a great football player, but as a great teammate and a great person. A lot of what set him apart was his character on and off the field."
UNH quarterback Ricky Santos also had a brilliant day through the air, throwing for 318 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also rushed four times for sixty yards, a 15.0 yard-per-carry average. All this came in a little over two quarters for Santos and Ball, who sat out most of the second-half while UNH's second team took the Wildcats' reins.
The Big Green managed to get on the board late thanks to some big plays from Fritz and star wide receiver Ryan Fuselier '06. Fuselier caught a pass from Fritz on the fly from 10 yards out with 7:07 left in the third quarter making the score 35-7.
Fritz helped set up the next score with a crafty scramble on a great play-action fake across the middle and down the right sideline. Before long, Fritz hit Fuselier again, this time from 21 yards out.
Fuselier finished the day with 10 catches and a total of 156 yards, along with two touchdowns, showing that, while Ball may have stolen the show with his chase of Rice, Fuselier was himself a force to be reckoned with.
Coach Buddy Teevens gave Fuselier rave reviews. "This was the best game of his career," avowed Teevens, "He was physical, aggressive, and made some really good, tough catches for us. To see an older guy step forward like he did today was a good example to our younger players."
Fuselier himself was excited to play UNH and spoke with Ball after the game. "David Ball is the best receiver we will face all year," said the Escondido, Calif. native:"We spoke after the game and congratulated each other. I wish him the best of luck in breaking Rice's record."
The leading rusher for the Big Green was freshman Robert Mitchelson, from Oklahoma City, Okla. Dartmouth's recent success with Oklahoma recruits (last year's star senior co-captain Josh Dooley) seems to have continued with Mitchelson, who rushed for 42 yards on eight carries, giving him an average of 5.3 yards-per-carry.
Highly-touted freshman quarterback Max Heiges (Tiburon, Calif.), also saw his first series as a member of the Big Green.
