Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support independent student journalism. Support independent student journalism. Support independent student journalism.
The Dartmouth
March 28, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Football shuts out Princeton 31-0 in final game of season

11.22.10.sports.Football
11.22.10.sports.Football

The Dartmouth football team finished the 2010 season with a winning record, 6-4 overall, on Saturday, soundly defeating the Princeton University Tigers, 31-0. This marks the first time since 1997 that the Big Green recorded a winning season and the first registered shutout in 14 years.

"I'm really happy for the seniors," head coach Buddy Teevens said. "We sent them out the right way. I'm also really happy with the direction this team is going. We were able to go out with a win and our first winning record in 13 years."

Nick Schwieger '12 capped one of the best seasons ever for a Dartmouth running back with yet another impressive game, notching 26 carries for 105 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. It was his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season, and his three scores gave him 14 touchdowns for the season, tying the Dartmouth single-season record. He also finished with 1,133 yards, second on Dartmouth's all-time list.

"Our guys came down and played hard on both sides of the ball," Teevens said. "They played well as a team throughout. I am very proud of them for their effort."

The Big Green defense did not dominate allowing 284 total yards, including 130 on the ground but it managed to bend without breaking, holding the Tigers to 3-for-13 on third down conversions and 0-3 in red zone opportunities.

"They were trying to keep us honest trying to keep us from settling in and trying to keep us off balance," tri-captain defensive end Charles Bay '11 said. "[Defensive line] coach James Jones told us to keep getting penetration and keep everything in front of us. Once we were able to get a handle on them, we were fine."

With the loss, Princeton finished with a winless season in Ivy League play for the first time since 1973.

Big Green backup quarterback Dan Rooney '12 threw only one pass in the game, but it was an important one a 69-yard bomb to tri-captain Tim McManus '11. Starter Conner Kempe '12 had a lackluster day, throwing for 98 yards and one interception on 11-for-16 passing.

Dartmouth opened the game with perhaps its most impressive drive a methodical 14-play, 82-yard march ending with a six-yard touchdown run by Schwieger to take an early 7-0 lead. Princeton had efficiently advanced the ball on its opening possession as well, but stalled at the Dartmouth 35-yard line, to put the Big Green in position to take the upper hand.

"[The Tigers] played really tough, but I think our offensive line did a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage," Schwieger said.

After a few drives of back-and-forth play, the Big Green struck again in the second quarter on a seven-play, 34-yard drive that did not feature a single passing play. Instead, Schwieger and Dominick Pierre '14 took turns pounding the ball down the field until Schwieger pushed it into the endzone on a three-yard run.

The Tigers had a great opportunity to score at the end of the half when Kempe threw an interception to senior Weston Palmer and just barely made the touchdown-saving tackle at the 18-yard line. The defense took over and forced a field goal attempt from the seven-yard line, but Princeton botched the snap and the ball never left the ground, preserving Dartmouth's 14-0 lead going into halftime.

"It was critical to make that stop, and I give credit to our defense for being able to shut them down," Teevens said.

It was the first time this season that Dartmouth went into halftime with a lead, and it did a great deal to motivate the team for the second half, Bay said.

"It gave us more energy going into the locker room to make adjustments," he said. "We knew we were the stronger team, but we wanted to have a game that showed that we are a team that can play hard for four quarters."

Following the break the Big Green extended its lead almost immediately after Shawn Abuhoff '12 returned a kickoff 53 yards to give the offense prime field position. After Dartmouth stalled within five yards of the endzone, Foley Schmidt '12 knocked in a 21-yard kick to push the score to 17-0.

The onslaught continued in the fourth quarter when Schwieger found the endzone once again from five yards out to make the score 24-0. Schwieger's run was set up by a 35-yard completion from Kempe to Michael Reilly '12 on the previous play.

The Big Green capped the victory with a 69-yard completion from Rooney to McManus.

Teevens viewed the win as an "exclamation point" for the season and a sign of things to come.

"It was a good win programmatically," he said.

For the Dartmouth seniors, however, it's the last time they will ever wear the Big Green uniform.

"It's very bittersweet," Bay said. "Coming in as a senior and realizing that my college career is done, I'm just really happy to go out the way we did."

**The printed version of this article incorrectly stated that the team's final record was 5-4, when in fact, it was 6-4.*