The Big Green finished fifth in the Ivy League last year, and was slated to repeat that performance in the conference's preseason media poll, making it clear that Dartmouth must have an exceptional season if players want to beat the current rankings.
The team struggled late in games last season, a problem that captain and All-Ivy cornerback and kickoff/punt returner Shawn Abuhoff '12 said is the most important issue the Big Green must address before regular season play begins on Sept. 17.
"We really think we're capable of winning an Ivy League championship," he said. "Last season, we were in every game in the fourth quarter and this time we have to finish."
The team will be particularly motivated by the memory of its first loss last season, when it narrowly fell in overtime to the University of Pennsylvania, the two-time defending League champions. Only one of Dartmouth's four losses last season saw a margin that exceeded seven points.
Still, to rank among the conference's elite, the Dartmouth squad will have to break through and beat the teams ranked ahead of it Penn, Harvard University, Yale University and Brown Universitya group against which Dartmouth holds a 1-15 record over the past four seasons.
"We have the ability to play with anyone on our schedule," head coach Buddy Teevens said. "But we haven't beaten those top four teams in a long time. When you're playing for championships, that's something you have to do."
As it did last season, the Big Green team currently in two-a-days practices to prepare for the important fall season will rely on an experienced offensive line and League Player of the Year Nick Schwieger '12 to control games on the ground. New offensive coordinator Keith Clark served as the team's offensive line coach the past two seasons, and he returns a pair of All-Ivy selections in left guard Ryan O'Neill '12 and center Austen Fletcher '12.
"The line is where it starts on offense," quarterback Conner Kempe '12 said. "Without a good line, you can't run the ball or throw the ball, period. And we've got everyone coming back."
The Big Green lost returning right guard Patrick Lahey '12 for the season to a hip injury, while Grant Palmer '12, who has battled injuries throughout his Dartmouth career, will miss the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Dartmouth will also be without wideout Michael Reilly '12, leaving Kempe without one of his key targets from last season. Reilly ranked second on the team in receiving yards in 2010 but has struggled academically and will not suit up this Fall, Teevens said.
Players will attempt to make up for these sidelined athletes throughout season play. Schwieger is looking to improve on his League-leading 1,133 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns from last season.
Kempe returns for his third year as a starter, after making marked improvements to his game in 2010. While Kempe still needs to develop his accuracy he had 12 interceptions and a 54 percent completion rate in 2010 he showed flashes of brilliance last season. In the season opener against Bucknell University, he completed 17 of 23 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-20 win. In the loss to Penn two weeks later, Kempe threw 239 yards and three touchdowns as he rallied the Big Green back to tie the game from a 28-14 second-half deficit.
Kempe said he takes responsibility for his interceptions last season, and recognizes that he must improve if the Big Green is to move forward this season.
"I feel like [accuracy] was the biggest downfall of my game last year and it was a determining factor in all of our games," he said.
The senior quarterback will have no shortage of passing targets in 2011 all but two players who had more than one reception last season are returning. Leading the receiving corps will be three-time captain Tim McManus '11, who had a team-high 38 catches and 528 yards last season and is one of just three Dartmouth players to serve three or more seasons as a captain. John Gallagher '12, a second team All-Ivy pick at tight end last season, will also return.
The Big Green boasts four preseason All-Ivy selections on defense, led by Abuhoff, who had 45 tackles, 14 deflections and four interceptions in 2010.
Cornerback J.B. Andreassi '12 and free safety Garrett Waggoner '13, both second-team picks, join Abuhoff in a defensive backfield that will look to rebound after surrendering a League-worst 224 passing yards per game last season.
Linebacker Luke Hussey '11, who made 48 tackles last year, was also a second-team All Ivy selection.
Dartmouth opens its 2011 schedule at home against Colgate University on Sept. 17, but the season's most anticipated game is its Oct. 1 matchup against Penn. The contest will be the Big Green's first night game in its 130-year history, due to the addition of new lights on Memorial Field.
"It's definitely a big point in our program's history," Abuhoff said. "It's going to be an amazing thing for the alumni to come back to and hopefully we can get the student body to come out."
The game will serve as the League opener for both squads, and the Quakers will enter riding a 15-game conference winning streak, the third-longest in League history.
