Though it was ulcer-inducing, the Big Green pulled out a 21-13 victory over the mighty Quakers of the University of Pennsylvania this past weekend. Despite being outgained by 62 yards, Dartmouth held strong in the red zone, and stopped Penn on both third and fourth down conversions, problems for them in previous weeks. Penn's offense was inside the Big Green 20-yard line seven times, and came away with only one touchdown and two field goals, fantastic results for Dartmouths defense. Moreover, the Big Green defense only allowed Penn to convert on seven of 22 third-down conversions and two of eight fourth down conversions, both very good percentages, and an indicator of a team that can win close games.
Despite a failed onside kick recovery, Dartmouth was in control for most of the game. The running game was effective early on, though towards the end of the contest the Big Green had more trouble moving the ball with its ground attack.
Aerially, Tom Bennewitz '08 may have had his coming out party, shredding the Penn defense for 265 yards on 18 of 26 passing, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. However, neither of the interceptions were bad throws by Bennewitz, as the first was a tremendous defensive play by Chris Wynn, and the second interception was on a pass tipped by a Dartmouth receiver.
Possibly the most impressive play of the entire game was Bennewitz's 35-yard third quarter touchdown pass to Brian Evans '08, where Bennewitz stepped to avoid the Penn pass rush, and threaded the needle to find Evans in the end zone, while taking a huge hit in the process.
All of this led to Dartmouth posting an undefeated record in Ivy League play (aka winning their Ivy League opener) and beating Penn for the first time since 1997.
The Quakers have been a thorn in the side of the Big Green in recent years, but it appears Coach Buddy Teevens has finally shed that problem. With Dartmouth traveling to Yale this weekend, Teevens has an opportunity to bring Dartmouth to 2-0 in the Ivy League, and assert Dartmouth's status as a team that can compete for an Ivy League title. Also, for those of you who cannot make it down to New Haven (myself included), the game will be televised on the New England Sports Network (NESN).
In other college football news, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy verbally berated Daily Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson for writing negatively about the personal characteristics of now-backup quarterback Bobby Reid. By all accounts, her attacks on Reid were over the line and vitriolic. She described a story from the post-game meal where Reid was being fed chicken by his mother. Even assuming this story is true (which everyone else denies), it serves no purpose other than to embarrass Reid, and provide the set-up for her later line, "Or does he want to be coddled, babied, perhaps even fed chicken?"
For college sports journalists, the idea of respectful criticism is always a difficult one. After all, the same people you are reporting on may be sitting next to you the next day in class. Needless to say, that could be quite awkward -- or dangerous if said subject weighs 250 pounds.
However, the situation works both ways. If college sports columnists are to be careful in their criticism,and refrain from personal attacks as best they can then coaches need to act in a similar manner. Gundy's comments crossed a different line, when he said, "This article embarrasses me to be involved with athletics. And that article had to be written by a person that doesn't have a child. ... If you have a child someday, you'll understand how it feels. But you obviously don't have a child."
College athletes are not professionals. They do not get paid, and thus they should certainly get more leeway from the press than professional athletes. However, if journalists covering college athletics were not permitted to criticize any of the athletes they cover, they would be doing little more than issuing glorified press releases. If a quarterback is not performing during games, it is perfectly understandable to wonder why that quarterback is still starting. At the same time, there is likewise no need to engage in personal attacks and innuendo to get such a point across.
The moral of this story, if there is one, for coaches and journalists alike, is to just exercise common sense. It makes the world run smoother.