Dartmoth (0-8, 0-5 Ivy) remains in last place in the Ivy League, while Cornell (4-4, 2-3 Ivy) is tied for fifth place with Princeton.
Cornell scored the first 30 points of the game, dominating Dartmouth's defense through an air attack that saw Big Red quarterback Nathan Ford throw for 306 yards and a touchdown. The Big Green pass defense that held league-leader Harvard to under 100 yards through the air last week was nowhere to be seen, as Ford completed 25 of his 30 pass attempts.
"It was a tough loss," co-captain Alex Rapp '09 said. "We played hard, but we just couldn't get it done."
Unlike the past few games, however, the Big Green was able to gain consistent yards on offense. Conner Kempe '12, making his first career start, passed for 256 yards. Kempe also threw three interceptions and completed under 50 percent of his throws, however, going 25 for 52.
Kicker Foley Schmidt '12 also couldn't catch a break -- his first two field goal attempts were blocked, and his third was nullified thanks to a penalty in the third quarter.
Cornell set the tone of the game early, scoring on a methodical 13-play, 76-yard drive that ended in a 10-yard touchdown run by Big Red running back Randy Barbour.
Kempe kicked Dartmouth's offense into gear on his first drive, completing five consecutive passes to bring the Big Green to the Cornell 14-yard line and set up Schmidt's first field goal attempt. In a pivotal play, Cornell blocked the attempt, and Big Red player Andy Wade recovered the ball and ran it 69 yards for the touchdown.
The kick, which should have made the score 7-3 and brought Dartmouth within one possession of the lead, instead made the score 14-0, extending Cornell's lead to two touchdowns. The Big Green was unable to recover from this devastating turn of events, conceding 16 more points before the fourth quarter.
Despite the two-possession disadvantage, Dartmouth steadily moved the ball downfield again to the Cornell 12 on a 12-play, 60-yard drive that included a 17-yard conversion on fourth down. After the offense stalled in the red zone, Schmidt's field goal attempt was blocked yet again -- this time a tip that sent the ball wildly off course.
The Big Red added a field goal before the half to make the score 17-0 heading into the intermission.
Dartmouth came out firing on all cylinders to start the third quarter, as Kempe connected with Tim McManus '11 on a 45-yard bomb that put the Big Green just outside of the red zone. Kempe's next throw, however, was intercepted just outside of the end zone.
With the Big Red pushing back against its own end zone, Ford unleashed on his first throw, connecting with Bryan Walters for a 96-yard touchdown pass, the second-longest pass in Cornell history. The heartbreaking bomb put the Big Red up 24-0.
After Cornell back Luke Siwula's rushing score on the ensuing drive, his first of two on the day, the game was safely out of reach.
On its last possession of the third quarter, Dartmouth was finally able to avoid the shutout, as after Schmidt's successful field goal attempt was negated by a roughing-the-kicker penalty that gave the Big Green a first down. Co-captain Milan Williams '09 pounded the ball in from three yards out of the end zone, and Schmidt successfully converted the point-after attempt.
With 1:55 left, Kempe added a rushing touchdown of his own -- a one-yard quarterback sneak -- for Dartmouth's last points of the afternoon. The game ended safely out of reach for the Big Green, as Cornell added yet another touchdown to make the final score 37-14.
Despite giving up over 300 yards through the air, the defense was highlighted by a number of strong individual performances. Standout Shawn Abuhoff '12 once again made his presence known, intercepting a pass in the fourth quarter, while co-captain Andrew Dete '09 and Tony Bates '09 had 11 and nine tackles, respectively.
Kempe also showed promise, although his interceptions and inconsistent completion percentage proved costly at key points in the game.
On the receiving side, McManus once again led all wideouts, catching 10 balls for 122 yards. Williams led the once-again non-threatening rushing attack, gaining 38 net yards on the ground on 10 attempts.
With the loss, the Big Green has safely cemented itself to the cellar of the Ivy League standings. Dartmotuh will have a chance to spoil Brown's season next week at Memorial Field. Brown (5-3, 4-1 Ivy) is tied for first in the Ancient Eight with Harvard (7-1, 4-1 Ivy).
Dartmouth kicks off against Brown at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Memorial Field in Hanover.
