When the two tremendous teams from the Granite State met for the first time in 1901, the Big Green handed the Wildcats a 51-0 drubbing. Dartmouth continued to dominate UNH for 71 years before the Wildcats clawed their way back to the top of the New Hampshire jungle with a nail-biting 10-9 victory over the Big Green in 1973.
The Big Green was 16-0 until their initial defeat at the hands of UNH, having outscored the Wildcats 432-42. Since then, the Wildcats have dominated the Big Green, with a run-away record of 14-1-2. Dartmouth last de-clawed the Wildcats in 1976, with a 24-13 triumph.
The last time that a clash between the two titans of New Hampshire football did not end in a Dartmouth defeat, was in 1990, when the teams ground to a screeching halt at the tally of 21-all.
This week, UNH continues to hold the top spot in the nationwide Division I-AA poll conducted by The Sports Network. The Wildcats come into the game 2-0, after starting out with an unbelievable road upset of the Division I-A, Big Ten member Northwestern University Wildcats in a colossal competition of the 'Cats. UNH continued its reign at the top last week, with a 62-7 squashing of Stony Brook College.
Wildcats Junior quarterback Rick Santos was named The Sports Network's National Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Northwestern, while defensive back Corey Graham was named The Sports Network's National Defensive Player of the Week. They both received Atlantic 10 Conference honors in the same categories. Santos had an especially brilliant performance in Evanston, running for three touchdowns and passing for two more to his favorite target, wide receiver David Bell.
Bell poses just as potent a threat as the other two stars. Something to watch this weekend will be Bell's pursuit of Jerry Rice's Division I-AA mark of 50 career touchdown catches. He is close to Rice but probably will not catch the Mississippi Valley State alumni's record this weekend, as he needs four touchdown catches. He also needs six more 100-yard receiving games to match Rice's career record of 23, and trails Rice 4,693-3,622 in all-time receiving yards.
The Big Green will look to counter the Wildcats' dazzling offensive superstars with a solid defense led by co-captain defensive tackle Mike Rabil '06 and Ian Wilson '08, who gave a superb effort for Dartmouth in its season opening 28-7 loss against Colgate University.
Wilson had one sack, nine solo tackles and two assists, and is excited but not intimidated at the chance to play UNH.
"We watched the film from the Colgate game and we got to see what we did well and what wee needed to improve on," Wilson said. "Don't get me wrong, UNH is a very good team, but I personally am not intimidated to play them. I am looking forward to playing them because to become a better team, we need to play the best teams in the country."
Co-captain offensive lineman Preston Copley '07 and wide receiver Ryan Fuselier '06, who caught six balls for 64 yards against Colgate, will lead the Big Green offense. Fuselier is excited for the Granite Bowl as well. "The first home game of the season, on our new field, in our reconstructed stadium is the perfect setting for a huge win," he said.
The game will be broadcast on WDCR (1340 AM) and WFRD (99.3 FM) in Hanover, and will also be on television, WMUR (Channel 9 in Manchester, New Hampshire). There is also a live internet video feed via the Green Inside all-access for a small fee.
A big win this weekend could go a long way towards restoring some of the luster to the football program at Dartmouth and doing what the team's motto for this year says: "Bringing It Back."
