With the winter sports season starting to creep up, we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted from the task at hand: finishing the fall sports season with a bang. Here's a look at what certain teams at Dartmouth have to look forward to over the next few weeks.
I am proud to announce that Dartmouth has won more football games this year (three) than in any previous year that I have been at Dartmouth. And there are still two winnable games left, at Brown this weekend, and at home against Princeton next weekend. Five wins may be too much to ask, since that would equal the total of the last three seasons combined, when Dartmouth football won one, two and two games respectively (on the plus side, we have yet to have a year in which we regressed). Unfortunately, Big Green football is being outscored by 14.4 points per game, scoring at an extraordinary rate of 27.8 points per game, but allowing just over 34 points per game, a completely unacceptable number for a team looking to compete for an Ivy League crown.
In terms of passing, Dartmouth has been more than comparable to its opponents, averaging 7.6 per attempt while its opponents average just 7.3. The team has 18 passing touchdowns compared to 12 allowed, however, Dartmouth has thrown 12 interceptions in just 8 games while making only 7 takeaways on passing attempts (on 61 less attempts).
Individually the Big Green has performed well, though the team has yet to settle on a single quarterback. Senior Brian Evans has been the team's leading receiver, with 22 catches for 531 yards and six touchdowns, an average of 24.1 yards per catch, a very impressive average. Six members of the Big Green offense have caught more than 10 passes over the course of the season, showing the varied nature of the Big Green passing attack. Unfortunately rushing has proven to be the Big Green's undoing, averaging 54 yards fewer per game than its opponents, and perhaps more importantly, a full yard less per carry.
Men's soccer has another shot at its fourth Ivy League title in six years, with a 10-3-2 record and a 4-0-1 Ivy League mark. The team is more than doubling its opponents' goal total on the year, hitting the back of the net 18 times versus its opponents' eight. In case you missed it, that's eight goals allowed in 15 games, or 0.52 goals per game. More importantly, Dartmouth's advantage is not just due to peppering their opponents' nets into oblivion. Dartmouth soccer is averaging almost three shots per game more than its opponents, but also connecting on 9.7 percent of its shots, compared to 5.5 percent of Dartmouth's foes. Not only are these numbers impressive, but they are more interesting when you break them down by each half. Dartmouth outscored opponents just 8-5 in the first half, but by an astounding 10-2 margin in the second half of contests this season. Their shot margins over their opponents remain similar, but Dartmouth connects on 10.7 percent of its second half shots compared to 2.6 percent on the stout Dartmouth defense. Those are impressive statistics all around, and bode well for the close of the men's soccer season.
Winter is just around the corner, with the ski team looking to defend its NCAA Championship, the men's hockey team looking to rebuild, and the women's hockey team looking to push forward and get past its shocking defeat at the hands of Boston College at the close of last season. The two basketball teams are also back in action beginning this weekend, and unlike last year, the men's team has not scheduled Kansas, George Washington or the University of Massachusetts. Air Force will have to suffice for Big Green fans looking for large losses at the hands of much more impressive teams.
For those of you about to feel the first pangs of the snows of New Hampshire, enjoy. You will have some great sports teams to cheer for and plenty of opportunities to show up and support them. But don't forget the fall is still ongoing. We have some teams with meaningful games to play, and a chance at an Ivy League championship. It's a good time to be a Big Green sports fan, and don't forget it.
Let's begin the tailgating for next week's final football game now.
