After last year's winless season, the team's first since 1883, the Dartmouth football team needed to make some changes.
The bulk of these changes have come in the coaching staff, said head coach Buddy Teevens. However, Teevens said he has also made some strategic adjustments, as he does after every season.
"We want to highlight the strengths, and minimize other areas," Teevens said. "We're looking forward to putting that into action this Saturday [against Colgate]."
Keith Clark was recently added to the Big Green coaching staff as an assistant offensive line coach. Clark comes to Dartmouth after 12 years at Yale, most recently acting as an associate head coach. During his time at Yale, the Bulldogs compiled a 70-49 record and won two Ivy League championships.
Teevens also moved James Jones to defensive line coach and Sammy McCorkle to defensive coordinator.
The Big Green participated in a closed scrimmage against Harvard on Sept. 12 to prepare for the team's first regular season game, which Teevens said went very well. Harvard won the scrimmage 44-17.
"It was nice to measure our team against the perennial favorite in the Ivy League," he said. "We physically matched up well, and have improved in a variety of areas, but improvements still need to made, and that's what we're hoping to do this week before Colgate."
While the position of starting quarterback can be a hot-button issue for many teams, Teevens said that the experienced Alex Jenny '10 is still his "clear-cut" choice for the job.
"Jenny is the guy who won the job in the spring and who has continued to perform throughout the fall," Teevens said. "We look for him continuing to do well throughout the season."
Despite the team's struggles last year, Jenny posted a solid passing efficiency rating of 101.4, throwing for five touchdowns and 1309 yards on the year. The senior completed 56.1 percent of his passes.
Waiting in the wings is backup quarterback Conner Kempe '12, who appeared in five games last year, notching two touchdowns and 53.7-percent pass completion.
One of the challenges of the 2008 season was that Dartmouth fielded a young team, with 32 freshmen and sophomores on the roster. After gaining that early experience last year, these players will bring "invaluable" know-how to the field this season, Teevens said.
Like all teams, however, the Big Green must still deal with the loss of the previous season's graduated veterans.
For the offense, running back Milan Williams '09 led the team in rushing last year with 310 yards over 95 carries, and also scored two touchdowns.
The defense takes a hit this year with the loss of Ian Wilson '08 and Andrew Dete '09. Wilson led the Big Green with 84 tackles last season, while Dete also made a big impact with 76 tackles.
The Big Green will look to fill the holes left by these players with rising talent.
Nick Schwieger '12, for example, will be the man to carry on Williams' legacy at running back. Having rushed for 81 yards over only 27 attempts last year, Schwieger was Dartmouth's leader in kickoff returns, bringing back 21 kicks for 417 yards.
At wide receiver, Tim McManus '11 has been sidelined by an injury for most of the preseason, but the team is confident that his return will deliver results. Last year, McManus caught 60 passes for 637 yards and three scores, and also rushed for a fourth touchdown.
One of Dartmouth's greatest strengths last year was placekicker Foley Schmidt '12, who made nine of 13 field goals he attempted 69.2 percent. Schmidt was also strong on the point after, making 12 of the 13 he attempted.
And while Brian Scullin '09 will be missed as the only Big Green punter who saw the field last season, Matthew Kelly '11 has had ample practice to fill the slot.
In addition to all of the classic Ivy League rivals, Dartmouth will face Colgate University, the University of New Hampshire, and the College of the Holy Cross this season.
The game against New Hampshire, dubbed the "Granite Bowl," is a perennial struggle for the Big Green, which has gone 16 years without a win against the Wildcats. Jenny and Teevens both agree, however, that Dartmouth will not be deterred.
"Our focus is to improve in all facets of the game, offense, defense and special teams," Teevens said. "We want to perform our best on game day and then do that ten times this year."
Dartmouth recently took New Hampshire off of its future schedules, and the second week of the season will instead feature Sacred Heart University beginning next season for at least the next two years.
The Big Green was ranked eighth in the Ivy League in a recent preseason media poll, a ranking Jenny said was expected.
"We didn't beat anyone last year, so no one's going to vote for us," he said. "It's a little chip on our shoulder, so we have a lot to prove this year."
Teevens said that ultimately the poll is of little importance.
"It's the [poll] at the end of the year that matters to us," he said. "The past is the past, and we're just looking forward to the 2009 season."
The Big Green's season will begin this weekend against Colgate University at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Field.
