The Big Green (0-2, 0-0 Ivy) kept the score close for the majority of the game, going into halftime down by just six points. Dartmouth had five turnovers on the day, however, including three in the red zone, that allowed the No. 6 Wildcats (3-0, 0-0 CAA) to pull away in the second half.
UNH was the first to get on the board, but Dartmouth retaliated with a touchdown of its own within three minutes to tie the game at 7-7.
Michael Reilly '12 snagged a pass from Alex Jenny '10 in the end zone for Dartmouth's first touchdown.
The Wildcats answered with two more touchdowns in the first quarter. Matt Oh '11 blocked a point-after attempt to keep the score at 20-7.
In the second quarter, the Big Green's best drive was fueled by the team's passing game, finishing with a 12-yard pitch from Jenny to Niles Murphy '10 for a touchdown.
By the time the first half ended, the Big Green had already been uncharacteristically competitive against a team it has not beaten in 17 years. This year marks the last year for at least the next two that Dartmouth is scheduled to play New Hampshire.
In the second half, however, the Wildcats surged ahead, scoring 24 points and blanking the Dartmouth offense.
Overall, Jenny and the offense moved the ball well on Saturday for a total of 314 offensive yards, 166 of which came through the air. This made the game's final outcome all the more disappointing, Nick Schwieger '12 said.
"It's always frustrating, but we have to look at the positives here," he said. "UNH has one of the best defenses in the country, and we were able to move the ball up and down the field. We just have to capitalize on our chances and we can't turn the ball over."
Schwieger was a major factor on Saturday, rushing for 119 yards over 26 carries. Receivers Tanner Scott '11 and Reilly were also key for the offense, combining for 10 receptions and 105 yards.
Head coach Buddy Teevens said that the team's enthusiasm about its first-half performance may have proved a detriment in the second half.
"They were like little kids at Christmas, so we had to settle them down," he said. "We had a little bit of momentum coming out [in the second half] and I thought we were pretty poised but then we dropped the kickoff."
That kickoff, fumbled by a normally consistent free safety, co-captain Peter Pidermann '10, set the tone for the rest of the game.
The next big mistake came about halfway through the third quarter, when Garrett Babb '12 fumbled a pass from Jenny in the red zone. Senior Ryan Hinds recovered the ball on the Wildcats' 12-yard line, and New Hampshire scored on the next drive, bringing the score to 28-14.
"UNH had a great play, but we shouldn't drop the football," Teevens said. "We've got to lock onto the football in that situation. We were far more competitive today than last season, and it was mistakes that cost us. If you take those mistakes away, the athleticism wasn't such a stretch as it was in the past."
Dartmouth did show clear improvement over last year's Granite Bowl, when the Big Green fell 42-6 to the Wildcats.
Despite the team's 0-2 start, Dartmouth is showing signs of progress: while the Big Green struggled to maintain ball control last week against Colgate University (4-0, 1-0 Patriot), the team was in possession of the ball for the majority of Saturday's game.
The Big Green will look to keep up the trend of improvement this weekend, when Dartmouth faces its first Ivy League competition of the season in a home matchup against the University of Pennsylvania. The game starts at noon on Saturday at Memorial Field.
