Dartmouth football lost its first game of the Ivy League schedule Saturday, falling to the University of Pennsylvania, 23-10, at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa.
The game was highlighted by some good but extremely inconsistent play for Dartmouth (0-3, 0-1 Ivy). The defense seems to have fixed a number of their problems since last week's 42-6 blowout loss to University of New Hampshire, as the Big Green held Penn's (1-2, 1-0 Ivy) running attack Saturday to under 10 yards rushing in the first half while intercepting the ball twice and recovering a fumble over the course of the game.
Unfortunately, the Big Green offense had all sorts of problems getting it going on Saturday, rushing for just five net yards on 23 attempts. Little more was accomplished through the air, as quarterback Alex Jenny '10 passed for 169 yards, and completed 20 of 41 attempts.
"We played well on defense, and there were some bright spots, but overall we didn't play enough as a team to win," co-captain Andrew Dete '09 said. "We couldn't put enough points on the board, and we didn't stop them in the second half. I don't feel too positive, but I think we'll be OK."
The first half was tightly contested, as neither defense conceded much yardage to their opponents. Field position once again played a major factor in Dartmouth's game plan, as the Big Green was pushed farther and farther back against their own end zone and started the game with four three-and-out drives, 10 total yards and zero first down in the first quarter of play.
Penn gained 94 yards and four first downs in the first half, controlling the ball for over 10 of the 15 first quarter minutes. Despite the potent air attack led by Quaker quarterback Robert Irvin, the Dartmouth defense held strong and kept the Quakers out of the end zone.
A second-quarter fumble by the Big Green put Penn on the Dartmouth 18. The Quakers took advantage quickly, scoring on the next play as Irvin found running back Mike DiMaggio in the end zone for the game's first points.
Late in the second quarter, the Dartmouth offense finally responded after a fumble recovery by freshman linebacker Royce Egeolu '12 placed the Big Green on Penn's one-yard line. Veteran tailback Hudson Smythe '09 muscled the ball past the goal line, and kicker Foley Schmidt '12 added the extra point to knot the game at 7-7 going into the half.
Rejuvenated, Dartmouth came out firing to start the second half. Jenny completed three passes to Tim McManus '11, including a 38-yard gain, to put Schmidt in position for a field goal. Continuing his consistent kicking, Schmidt delivered, giving the Big Green a 10-7 lead in the third quarter.
The lead wouldn't last long, however, as Penn's offense continued to drive down the field. Irvin capped a six play, 73-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Quaker wideout Tyler Fisher with 8:00 remaining in the third quarter.
Despite its efforts, the Big Green offense simply could not get itself back in scoring position for the rest of the game. The Quakers, meanwhile, led several steady, time-consuming drives and nailed three-straight field goals in the fourth quarter to put the game solidly out of Dartmouth's reach.
"It was a really frustrating game," Tim McManus '11 said. "The defense was playing well early on, but offensively we just couldn't get it together. It's hard to have four three-and-outs to the start the game, and field position was a huge factor."
Despite the loss, the Big Green continues to show improvement. The defense rid itself of its early-season demon by putting on a showcase of tackling consistency. Ian Wilson '08 led the team with 12 tackles, while Dete added nine, including two for loss.
Cornerback Shawn Abuhoff '12 intercepted a pass for the second straight game, while safety Pete Pidermann '10 added a crucial pick late in the second quarter, stopping a long Quaker drive cold to keep the score tied at 7-7 going into the half.
Despite the bright spots, Dete commented that the team is still having problems playing consistently and executing plays together.
"When we get down, we don't respond as well as we need to," he said. "We need to make big plays when the game gets to that point ... four or five plays can decide everything in football, and especially in the Ivy League, where the talent levels are so close. Yesterday we didn't make them."
"I think it just comes down to execution," McManus said. "We're capable of [consistent defense] every game, but we just need to execute better ... we can't dwell on being 0"3, and I know we won't because these guys have a lot of character."
Despite starting the Ivy schedule at 0-1, the team still has a strong chance to perform well this year. First, however, Dartmouth will have to face Yale, a preseason favorite to win the Ancient Eight, this Saturday in Hanover.
In what is perhaps a testament to the tight nature of the Ivy League play this season, Yale is 0-1 in the Ivy League (2-1), after falling to Cornell, 17-14, on Saturday, Sept. 29 in Ithaca, N.Y.
"It'll be a close, hard-fought game," Dete said. "I think if we play consistent football, which we haven't, there's no question in my mind that we can beat any of the teams on our schedule. The talent level is pretty similar in this league -- it just comes down to execution."
"We have to look at it as, hey, we're 0-1, we dropped the ball, but we can get it together and still have a shot at the Ivy League title," McManus said. "We just need to take it one game at a time."
The Big Green face off against Yale on Saturday at noon at Memorial Field.
