Penn (1-2, 1-0 Ivy) quarterback Billy Ragone was the hero on a cold and rainy night in Hanover, leading the Quakers on a 13-play, 89-yard drive capped by a three-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout Ryan Calvert with 17 seconds remaining. The touchdown gave Penn a 22-20 victory and silenced Memorial Field as the Quakers rushed onto the field to celebrate.
"Obviously it's disappointing, it's hard to swallow," defensive end Eddie Smith '12 said. "But we have seven more games, and we're going to have to forget this. Football's about having a short memory."
Once Penn got hold of the ball with 3:57 remaining in the game and trailing 20-16, Ragone showed the moxie of a championship quarterback, raising his game when it mattered the most. Having completed just seven of 17 passes up to that point, Ragone went eight for eight on the final drive. He threw for 65 yards and added two rushes for 13 more yards to lead the Quakers to a famous win.
The game began slowly, and it appeared as if the first quarter would end without any scoring. But with 2:54 to go and Dartmouth at its own 15-yard line, three-time co-captain Tim McManus '11 took the snap in the wildcat formation and coughed up the ball, sending it flying 15 feet in the air. Penn junior defensive lineman Brandon Copeland recored the ball and scooted into the end zone, giving the Quakers a 7-0 lead.
Kicker Foley Schmidt '12 got the Big Green on the board three minutes later, connecting on a career-long 46-yard field goal to pull Dartmouth within four.
Dartmouth elected to use the wildcat for a second time midway through the second quarter, but the result was again disastrous, as McManus went down after taking a hard blow to the head. To add insult to injury, Nick Schwieger '12 was called for a chop block, resulting in a 15-yard penalty on the play.
Both teams continued to struggle offensively for the remainder of the half. The Big Green put together just three first downs through the first two quarters.
The Quakers had no trouble marching into Dartmouth territory, but couldn't capitalize in the final third of the field. Although Penn made it past the Dartmouth 26-yard line three times in the second quarter, it came away with just six points thanks to a few critical defensive stops by the Big Green none bigger than a fumble recovery by Bronson Green '14 with 10:41 to go, stopping Penn at the Big Green 17-yard line.
Penn closed the half with a 35-yard field goal by freshman Connor Loftus, snapping the ball just before the clock reached 0:00 to give the Quakers a 13-3 lead. The points would prove to be crucial.
The Big Green seized momentum early in the third quarter, blocking its third kick in as many games a 36-yard field goal attempt that Teddy Reed '13 managed to get a paw on. It also blocked an extra point attempt later in the game.
Taking over at its own 20, the Big Green finally put together a quality drive, mixing runs and passes effectively throughout.
Quarterback Conner Kempe '12 went 4-4 on the possession, including a drive-capping eight-yard touchdown strike to tight end John Gallagher '12. Kempe faced heavy pressure on the play, but throwing off his back foot managed to find a wide-open Gallagher in the left corner of the end zone for the touchdown.
Dominick Pierre '14 put together runs of 16 and 17 yards on the drive, displaying impressive speed and strength.
The teams traded field goals and the Quakers led, 16-13, when Dartmouth took over at its own 46 with 10:10 to play in the game. After a 15-yard facemask penalty put the Big Green in Quaker territory, Penn gave Dartmouth more free yardage as junior cornerback Justyn Williams was called for pass interference to put the ball at the Penn 31.
Schwieger capitalized on the penalties two plays later, taking a delayed handoff up the middle for a 27-yard touchdown run. Several Quakers had a shot at taking Schwieger down inside the five yard line, but he bounced off defenders and busted through arm tackles to give Dartmouth its first lead of the night, 20-16.
"Once I hit the second level, I thought six," Schwieger said. "I saw the safety and I knew he wasn't going to tackle me."
Schwieger had another good game in the backfield, carrying 26 times for 125 yards. The same could not be said for Kempe, who struggled for most of the night and displayed particularly poor accuracy on deep and intermediate routes.
"At times, he threw the ball well," Teevens said. "At times, we weren't quite sure where the ball was going."
Kempe finished 11-of-23 for 126 yards and with two interceptions, with the second interception coming with just 11 seconds to play on a last-gasp attempt to move into field goal range.
The 8,117 fans in attendance on Saturday night did not allow the poor weather conditions to dampen their spirits. The intensity of the final quarter ensured that crowd members remained on the edge of their seats.
"The end of the ballgame was as loud as it's been as I can recall," Teevens said.
When Dartmouth (1-2, 0-1 Ivy) lost in overtime against Penn last season, the game was viewed as a turning point for the program a sign that the Big Green was no longer the laughingstock of the League. But with losses in 2010 against the rest of the conference's "Big Four" Yale University, Harvard University and Brown University Dartmouth lacked a signature victory against a quality opponent.
Dartmouth has historically played well against Penn, and of the Quakers' 16 consecutive League wins, the three closest have all come against Dartmouth. Yet until the Big Green can prove it can close out games a thorn in the program's side for two years now good teams will continue to take advantage of it.
The Big Green plays at Yale University on Saturday at 12 p.m.
