With the loss, Dartmouth (0-4, 0-2 Ivy) is now last in the Ivy League standings, while Yale (3-1, 1-1 Ivy) is tied with Harvard University and Cornell University for third place in the conference. Brown, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania are all tied for first place with identical 1-0 Ivy marks. Columbia rounds out the standings in seventh place with one Ivy loss.
Despite the final score, the game was closely contested, especially throughout the first half.
The momentum first clearly shifted in Yale's favor in the second quarter on the Bulldogs' third drive. On second down, Yale quarterback Ryan Fodor threw a deep bomb into double coverage. In a terrible stroke of luck, Dartmouth's secondary batted the pass away from the intended receiver and directly into the chest of Yale wideout Reid Lathan, who jogged untouched into the end zone to make the score 13-0 with 11:15 remaining in the quarter. It was a two-possession lead from which the Big Green would not recover.
Dartmouth opened up the fight with promise, constructing a 12-play, 70-yard drive that lasted over six minutes and brought the Big Green to Yale's six-yard line. Quarterback Alex Jenny '10 completed five consecutive passes on the drive, but as he attempted to find a receiver in the end zone, Jenny was intercepted by Yale linebacker and captain Bobby Abare, ending one of the Big Green's most balanced drives this season in disappointment.
With the ball safely in their possession and the red-zone danger averted, the Bulldogs constructed a steady drive back down the field that culminated in a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brook Hart to John Sheffield with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Undeterred, Dartmouth blocked the ensuing extra-point attempt, making the score 6-0. The first quarter ended with unsuccessful drives by both teams.
On the Big Green's first drive of the second quarter, Jenny threw another interception. Rolling out to his left side and facing pressure from the Yale pass rush, Jenny threw a shovel pass just before he was hit by the Bulldog defense. The throw went straight up into the air and landed safely in the arms of Yale defensive tackle Tom McCarthy.
The interception resulted in Yale's miracle 60-yard bomb just three plays later. Jenny was replaced at quarterback by Tim McManus '11 for the remainder of the half.
The Bulldogs scored again on their second drive of the third quarter after Yale senior safety Larry Abare forced a fumble from co-captain Milan Williams '09. On the ensuing drive, Fodor connected with Patrick Sedden on a 31-yard touchdown pass to make the score 20-0.
Dartmouth responded quickly, however, putting together a drive that resulted in their first points of the day with less than a minute left in the third quarter. Jenny, who was put back in the game after the half, connected with McManus on a 21-yard touchdown pass, cutting Yale's lead to 20-7 going into the final period.
In the fourth quarter, the Big Green put together another 12-play drive, threatening to make it a one-score game. With the ball in Yale territory, however, Jenny was sacked consecutively on third and fourth down, giving the Bulldogs the ball back on downs.
The Bulldogs responded swiftly after the defensive stand, notching their fourth touchdown of the day on a 2-yard run by star running back Mike McLeod to go ahead, 27-7, with 4:12 left to play in the game.
On Dartmouth's next drive, Yale scored for the final time, as cornerback Paul Rice ripped the ball out of the hands of a Big Green receiver and ran untouched into the end zone to put the game safely out of reach.
Overall, Dartmouth turned the ball over four times, each of which resulted in a Yale touchdown. It was a disappointing day for the Big Green, which also had eight penalties for 94 yards.
"To be victorious, it's crucial that you consistently execute your assignments," co-captain Alex Rapp '09 said. "We didn't do that yesterday, and in turn, we shot ourselves in the foot too many times by turning over the ball or receiving penalties."
Dartmouth's offensive line also had a long day, as a few of the starting linemen were injured. Rapp remained undeterred, however, expressing confidence in the team's backups.
"Our offensive line needs to eliminate the hits on Jenny, and although we lost a few players yesterday due to injury, we are going to be fine," he said. "We have more depth at the position at the line than we have ever had before, and we also have a great O-line coach," he said, referring to assistant coach Cyril Brockmeier.
Dartmouth next faces a strong Holy Cross team in Hanover for Homecoming weekend. Yale beat the Crusaders, 31-28, in overtime last week.
"Holy Cross is a good team," Yale captain Bobby Abare said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "Their offense drove the ball really well on us -- I think they put the ball up in the air 63 times. The game went to overtime, and their quarterback is really good ... their defense is giving them some problems though; they've been giving up a lot of points this year."
Although the game is non-conference and thus essentially inconsequential in terms of the Ivy League title race, Dartmouth will face five-straight conference games after next weekend. A win against Holy Cross could help boost team morale as it tries to salvage its Ivy League season.
Dartmouth faces Holy Cross at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in Hanover.