After defeating Penn in a nail-biter last Saturday at Memorial Field, Big Green football is 1-0 in Ivy play for the first time in the Teevens era. I wrote last week that despite opening the season 0-2, Dartmouth football had given us plenty of reasons to be optimistic about its chances in the upcoming Ivy slate. Our boys proved me right on Saturday, showing us once again why this year's squad is a cut above Dartmouth teams of years past -- and, naturally, why this writer is a cut above other football analysts.
The offense was impressive once again, as quarterback Tom Bennewitz '08 completed 70 percent of his passes, tossing two touchdowns. Eric Paul '09 paced the Dartmouth receiving core, snagging 5 balls for 90 yards and a touchdown. Brian Evans '08 also had four catches for 68 yards and a TD.
Dartmouth's win over Penn looks even more impressive with a more in-depth examination of the stat book. The Big Green lost the turnover battle 3-0, but was still able to eek out the victory. Any football fan worth his salt can tell you that winning a game in which the other team plays turnover-free football, and your team gives it up three times, is quite encouraging, to say the least. At this point, it's surprisingly safe to say that the Big Green has established itself as an Ivy contender.
The defense had easily its best game of the year against Penn, only allowing the Quakers to score twice in seven red-zone attempts. Penn was also only able to convert seven of 22 third down attempts. At first, the fact that the Big Green was outgained by the Quakers, who had 406 yards of total offense, seems troubling, but don't be deceived. Dartmouth's defense allowed only 4.4 yards per play, its lowest single game total of the season thus far. Ian Wilson '08 was a defensive stud, racking up 13 tackles, two pass deflections and 1.5 tackles for loss on his way to earning Ivy Defensive Player of the Week honors.
The Big Green square off tomorrow against Yale in a critical early season match up. The Bulldogs are currently ranked 17th and 18th in Division 1-AA's two major media polls -- the only Ivy team to have landed a spot in either poll.
Thus far, Yale has the Ivy League's premier rushing attack (303 yards per game) and highest scoring offense (39 points per game). Needless to say, Yale will attempt to control the ball and dominate the time of possession from the get-go, so playing mistake-free football will be of particular importance for the Big Green's offense.
The Bulldogs have also outscored their opponents 27-0 in the first quarter of their three games this season, a trend that the Big Green will look to reverse. After the Big Green's opening week loss to Colgate, head coach Buddy Teevens emphasized the significance of his squad establishing an early lead. If Dartmouth can jump out of the gates to a quick advantage on Saturday, an upset may be in the cards. Yale is a one-dimensional team, and its reliance on running the football will make it very difficult for the Bulldogs to play from behind. On the flip side, however, if Dartmouth finds itself in an early hole -- well, it may be a long afternoon for the Big Green.
