The game was decided in the first round of overtime when Dartmouth failed to match Penn's opening touchdown after a Conner Kempe '12 pass on 4th-and-4 was tipped at the line.
"It was really a heartbreaker," Kempe said. "You just go through the whole game and think, If this would've happened this way and this would've happened that way.' You really just have to take it as it is and just move on. It's in the past."
There were several questionable calls that went Penn's way near the end of the game, but the Dartmouth players do not point to them as reasons for the loss, center Austen Fletcher '12 said.
"Controversial calls go both ways, so we can't really get that upset about it," Fletcher said.
The Big Green needed some late-game heroics to even make it to overtime, as the Quakers had the opportunity to take a three-point lead with a 26-yard field goal with 4:24 left in the game. The Dartmouth's special teams corps did its job, however, and Chase Womack '13 darted through to block the attempt and preserve the 28-28 tie.
"I was really pumped," running back Nick Schwieger '12 said. "I was ready to go down to give our kicker a chance to win the game, and we almost did that."
Penn's defense stifled the usually potent Dartmouth rushing attack, holding the Big Green to 87 yards and 2.6 yards per carry. The Quakers have not allowed a 100-yard rusher for 26 consecutive games.
"Penn had a bunch of good schemes; our running back is the best in the League," Fletcher said. "We used our other options and opened up the passing game. Kempe did a good job, and [Michael] Reilly ['12] had a huge day."
The Quakers' ability to stop the run forced Dartmouth to rely on its passing game, and Kempe thrived under pressure, completing 17 of 32 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
Despite the Big Green's success through the air, Kempe said he does not think that the team's strategy will vary in future games.
"Our coach likes to say that we're a pretty much balanced attack," Kempe said. "What we do all depends on what the defense is giving up that week."
Following a Dartmouth three-and-out to open the game, Penn scored the first points of the afternoon, putting together an eight-play, 76-yard drive en route to a 14-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore quarterback Billy Ragone. It was the third time this season Dartmouth's opponent has scored on its first drive.
Dartmouth took advantage of a big return of the ensuing kickoff by Shawn Abuhoff '12 to the 50-yard line when Schwieger recently recovered from a case of the flu that sidelined him for last week's game pushed the ball into the end zone following a 36-yard completion from Kempe to Reilly.
The Big Green found itself trailing shortly after, however, when the Quakers orchestrated another long drive capped by a six-yard run by Ragone to make the score 14-7.
The shootout continued when Kempe connected with John Gallagher '12 for a 12-yard touchdown pass on the following possession. Dartmouth's drive almost came to an end when the offense lined up to attempt a 4th-and-12 conversion, but Kempe found tri-captain Tim McManus '11 for an 18-yard completion.
The Quakers scored one more time before the half when sophomore Brandon Colavita turned in a four-yard touchdown run following an eight-play, 65-yard drive to put Penn up 21-14.
Following the break, the Quakers ate up half of the third quarter with an 80-yard touchdown drive to take a commanding two-touchdown lead.
Dartmouth responded with a lackluster three and out.
"I was a little bit nervous," Schwieger said. "I knew we needed to score then and there, and we went three and out. I was really frustrated at that point."
An interception by Womack, however, gave the Big Green the ball back at the Penn 20-yard line.
Dartmouth capitalized on the good field position when Kempe once again found Gallagher for a touchdown pass.
The Big Green defense held Penn to a three-and-out to give the ball back to the offense with plenty of time to put together a game-tying drive, but Dartmouth worked fast courtesy of a 53-yard completion from Kempe to Reilly. Kempe went back to Reilly shortly after for a 10-yard touchdown pass to even the score at 28-28.
Reilly led all Big Green receivers with 134 yards on five catches, including one touchdown grab, while Gallagher paced the team with two touchdown receptions on only three catches.
Dartmouth will host Yale University this Saturday at Memorial Field at 1:30 p.m. The Bulldogs obliterated the Big Green last year, 38-7.
"We want to have a better showing at home than what we had last year, and we're a much better team than we were a year ago, so I think it'll be a good game," Schwieger said.
