The score remained close the entire game, with Holy Cross leading for the vast majority. Dartmouth took its first lead of the game with 8:36 left to go in the fourth quarter when kicker Foley Schmidt '12 booted a 30-yard field goal to put the Big Green up, 20-19.
The Crusaders had ample time to answer back but couldn't get their offense in gear, and their fate was sealed when Pat Scorah '11 intercepted a pass with :48 left on the clock and returned it for a touchdown.
This season, Dartmouth's experience with close games including two late losses to Ivy League opponents University of Pennsylvania and Yale University helped the team pull out the victory over Holy Cross, according to running back Nick Schwieger '12.
"[Those two games] definitely helped," he said. "Now that we've won one of those, we can say we've been in this situation before and take care of business."
As has been the case with every game this season, the Big Green did not play well on the offensive side of the ball at the start of the game turning the ball over three times in the first half alone.
"I told our guys we couldn't have played a poorer half," Teevens said. "We were lucky to only be down two."
Emotions ran high during the game, cornerback Shawn Abuhoff '12 said, as several years of animosity between the two teams led to harder hits and a great deal of trash talking.
"They were talking on the sidelines and saying all sorts of things," Abuhoff said, adding that the team focused on the game. "You zone them out. You play your game. You might say something back once and a while, but it's all fun."
Schwieger moved past a costly fumble late in the game against Yale two weeks ago to provide the spark for the Dartmouth offense against the Crusaders, carrying the ball a career-high 31 times for 169 yards and a touchdown.
"Last week was really tough for me," he said. "I've never really been in that situation before, and I felt like it was my fault in some ways. It was added motivation this week."
The touchdown gives him five on the season matching the total number of rushing touchdowns the Big Green managed all of last season.
Holy Cross worked fast after receiving the opening kickoff, using a mix of running and passing plays to dissect the Big Green defense and put the first points on the board after senior quarterback Ryan Taggart rocketed a pass to senior Freddie Santana in the corner of the endzone to put the Crusaders up, 7-0.
Following a long kickoff return by Abuhoff, the Dartmouth offense continuously fed the ball to Schwieger, marching down the field and tying the score at 7-7 when Schwieger found the endzone from four yards out.
The Big Green defense held strong on the ensuing possession and forced a three-and-out, but a Schwieger fumble on the punt return gave the Crusaders the ball back in prime field position. Holy Cross took advantage with senior Rob Dornfried kicking a field goal from 30 yards away to regain the lead for the Crusaders going into the second quarter, 10-7.
Dartmouth found itself in a deeper hole of its own making when two consecutive Big Green turnovers an interception by Conner Kempe '12 and a fumbled snap gave Holy Cross ample opportunity to score.
The second turnover proved to be the breaking point for the defense, as the Crusaders marched down the field to find the endzone and Taggart fired a pass to sophomore Gerald Mistretta for a touchdown.
Tri-captain Charles Bay '11 broke through to block the extra point attempt and freeze the score at 16-7.
The Dartmouth offense finally found its stride on its next possession and marched 80 yards down the field, scoring a touchdown on a short sneak by Kempe to make the score 16-14 and pulling within a field goal of the lead.
The Crusader offense threatened one more time before halftime, making it all the way to the Dartmouth one-yard line before the defense held strong and prevented a score to give the Big Green some momentum heading into the locker room.
"Going into halftime, [the defensive effort] allowed us to get really hyped up," Abuhoff said.
The start of the second half was an exercise in futility for both teams, with each quarterback throwing an interception on his team's opening possession and neither offense putting together any sort of substantial drive, let alone threatening to score.
Holy Cross broke the trend, however, when Dornfried booted a 20-yard field goal with a minute to go in the third quarter to put the Crusaders up 19-14.
Dartmouth responded with a sustained drive into the redzone and appeared to score when Dominick Pierre '14 fought his way into the endzone, but a holding penalty negated the touchdown. The Big Green stalled from there and had to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Schmidt to pull within two, 19-17.
Holy Cross gave the ball right back on the ensuing kickoff, however, when Tyler Maloney '12 recovered a fumble on the Crusader 35-yard line, putting Dartmouth in position to take the lead and hold it.
Next week, the Big Green travel to New York City to take on conference foe Columbia University. Last year, Dartmouth defeated the Lions on homecoming weekend, 28-6.
