"It was a rough day," co-captain Shawn Abuhoff '12 said. "The biggest problem was that we came out very flat. It was an anomaly, and it was an odd feeling to be a part of. It just seemed like we weren't ready."
Despite the loss, there were a few bright spots in Dartmouth play throughout the game. The Big Green blocked two kicks in a game for the third time this season, and Nick Schwieger '12 broke the the Big Green's all-time rushing record. Those accomplishments, however, did little to dull the pain felt by Dartmouth after Yale (3-1, 2-0 Ivy) beat the Big Green for the ninth consecutive time on Saturday.
"It's tough to talk about the record right now," said Schwieger, who now has 2,279 career yards, breaking the record held by Al Rosier '91. "I think it's something I'm going to be able to look back on in the future and be proud of. It's a credit to my offensive line, tight ends and receivers blocking for me. A lot of good running backs have gone through Dartmouth, but right now it's tough to enjoy it."
With six games left in his career, Schwieger still has a chance to reach the 3,000-yard plateau, and three more rushing touchdowns would place him second in that category on Dartmouth's all-time list.
"He's an unbelievable back," said Abuhoff, who has played alongside Schwieger for four years. "The teams know his talents, and he's worked his butt off to put himself in position to get those yards."
On Saturday, however, Schwieger was decidedly ineffective, as Yale limited him to 39 yards on 16 carries. The Bulldogs became the first team this season to hold Schwieger under 100 yards. Schwieger was later pulled from the game, and his multiple replacements were sent in to attempt to shake up the Bulldogs' quarterback-targeting strategy.
"They seemed to be keying on me," Schwieger said of the Bulldogs' defense. "We didn't do a great job with our gameplan. There were a couple times that we missed getting to the hole or making a block in running situations. Those are the little things that you have to do on offense."
Schwieger wasn't the only one who struggled to move the ball for Dartmouth, as the Big Green totaled just 178 yards, compared to 480 for Yale.
The game marked Dartmouth's lowest offensive output since Oct. 10, 2009, which was also the last time Dartmouth visited Yale. Making his first career start, quarterback Andy Gay '14 completed just three of 11 total passes for 14 yards and was pulled at halftime.
Gay's replacements Conner Kempe '12 and Dan Rooney '12 didn't fare much better, as the three Dartmouth quarterbacks combined to go a collective 15-for-36 on pass attempts. Although the Big Green was playing behind virtually the entire game, the quarterbacks threw for just 119 yards.
Yale seized momentum early, as senior halfback Alex Thomas broke a 74-yard touchdown run on the Bulldogs' fourth play from scrimmage to give the hosts a 7-0 lead. Junior halfback Mordecai Cargill added another touchdown run later in the quarter, motoring up the field for a 40-yard score.
Thomas and Cargill combined to pummel the Dartmouth defense, running for 213 yards and two touchdowns on just 24 carries. Yale senior quarterback Patrick Witt also played well, completing 21 of 29 passes for 203 yards and a score.
Down 13-0 late in the first half, Dartmouth had a chance to put itself in the game when safety Joey Casey '12 picked off a Witt pass, but he fumbled and returned possession to the Bulldogs.
After the Big Green eventually forced a punt, Dartmouth took over at its own 20-yard line with just over two minutes to play in the half.
Gay was stripped and sacked on the first play of the drive, however. Although the Big Green retained possession, it lost 19 yards on the play.
Three plays later and backed up in Dartmouth's own end zone, Daniel Barstein '14 punted a mere 22 yards. The Bulldogs converted their excellent field position into a field goal, ending the half with a 16-0 lead.
Yale continued to dominate in the second half, as the Bulldogs added touchdowns on a 53-yard punt return by senior Gio Christodolou and a 44-yard reception by junior wideout Chris Smith.
With the loss, Dartmouth fell to 0-2 in League play. While five conference games remain, the Big Green faces an uphill battle if it hopes to claim a record 18th Ivy League championship. A two-loss team has won the title only twice in the conference's 56-year history.
Dartmouth plays its final non-conference game of the season on Saturday, traveling to Worcester, Mass. to face the College of the Holy Cross at 1 p.m.
