Big Green Football went on the road to Yale with high hopes. Fresh off an emotional close-call victory over Penn, Dartmouth football seemed on the verge of establishing itself as perhaps one of the Ivy League's better squads. In light of the newfound hope that had emerged from all the action prior to this weekend, the results of Saturday's game could not have been more disappointing.
Yale controlled the contest from the get go, jumping out of the gates to a 19-0 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter. Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens has, on a couple of occasions this season, highlighted the paramount importance of his team avoiding deficits early in games. It's clear the Big Green, like any other football team with expectations of success, will have to avoid first quarters similar to Saturday's as the season progresses -- particularly against opponents with relentless offensive attacks similar to Yale's. Otherwise, it's going to be a long, frustrating season.
Dartmouth lost the turnover battle 4-1 in Saturday's game, marking the third time in four games the Big Green ended up on the wrong side of the turnover ratio. Two weeks ago against Penn, despite turning the ball over three times to Penn's zero, Dartmouth football was still able to win -- a positive outcome, certainly, but one that also has proven to be too dependent on circumstance. Though it's encouraging for the Big Green to win despite losing the turnover war, it's clear that as the competition toughens a good deal of Dartmouth's future ability to win games will depend on its ability to swing the turnover ratio in the opposite direction.
Over the first three games of the season, the Big Green offensive attack looked much improved from previous years, and was one of a few positives we Dartmouth football fans were able to take away from the early season action. Saturday's loss didn't expose the Big Green offense as a weak unit, but rather illuminated the notion that at this point, it is not a unit that plays well from behind or under duress.
This Saturday, the Big Green squares off against Patriot League foe Holy Cross, an opponent who, similar to Yale, has a quick-strike offense capable of overwhelming the opposing team. The non-conference match up comes at an opportune time. The Big Green is at a juncture in the season when getting a chance to regroup and play solid competition without the pressure of saving its Ivy record could prove to be very useful. Winning would be ideal, but giving the Crusaders a tough game would be more than sufficient to provide the Big Green with a jolt.
The five-game stretch will obviously define Dartmouth football's season, and there is plenty of opportunity to turn things around in a big way, or at the least have a respectable, hard-fought remainder of the season. Hopefully the rest of the fall will be devoid of outcomes as disheartening as last Saturday's embarrassing loss to Yale.
