Dartmouth football made its glorious return to the gridiron on Saturday with a dominating 35-7 win over Butler University. Quite literally from the opening kickoff, the Big Green ran away with the game. The offense was clicking and the defense was adhering strictly to the philosophy of "bend, don't break."
Quarterback Alex Park '14 and running back Dominick Pierre '14 both played huge games, and the addition of the dual-threat quarterback Dalyn Williams '16 will keep opponents on their heels when defending the Big Green offense.
So, how will the Big Green finish this year? Game by game, here's how I think the season will break down.
Week 2: Holy Cross It's Homecoming weekend for the Crusaders, who could use a game at home after getting blown out by the University of New Hampshire and suffering a heartbreaking loss to Brown University. I do not think a Holy Cross defense that has given up 62 points in eight quarters can stand up to the Big Green offense. Prediction: Dartmouth 21, Holy Cross 15.
Week 3: Penn Looking for revenge for last year's loss under the lights, the Big Green returns home to play a Penn team that struggled in a loss to Lafayette University this week, turning the ball over eight times. Even with that, the Quakers almost sent the game into overtime. Dartmouth must capitalize on the turnovers it gets. Prediction (with full poetic irony intended): Dartmouth 22, Penn 20 on a last-minute touchdown.
Week 4: Yale Last year, this game was ugly. The Bulldogs have lost some of the talent from last year's team, but they've also recruited well, so this year's edition should be just as talented. The Bulldogs escaped from D.C. this week with a 24-21 win over Georgetown that was riddled with turnovers and penalties. Come Week 4, Yale should not be making these mistakes. Expect a much closer game than last year, but I think this is where the magic ride for the Big Green ends. Prediction: Yale 28, Dartmouth 20.
Week 5: Sacred Heart I expect this team to be excited to play Dartmouth, especially after upsetting the Big Green last year. For the last two years, games between the two schools have been close, with each contest decided by a field goal or less. Even though I think Dartmouth is the better team, I expect this game to be close as well. Sacred Heart suffered a quadruple-overtime loss to Morgan State University on Sept. 1 before Colgate blew it out this week as its offense struggled to find rhythm. Prediction: Dartmouth 17, Sacred Heart 14.
Week 6: Columbia Columbia eked out a win against Marist College on Saturday on a blocked extra point. Last year, the Big Green ran all over Columbia en route to a 37-0 win. I expect a similar result this year. The Big Green will be able to shut down the Lions' modest running game and coast to this victory. Prediction: Dartmouth 24, Columbia 0.
Week 7: Harvard Homecoming Weekend. Under the lights. Archrival Harvard, the defending Ivy League champion, comes to town. Last year, the Big Green was blown out in Cambridge in the snow. The Crimson struggled early but pulled away from the University of San Diego to coast to a win in its opener this week. The Crimson maintained its balanced offensive attack and was stellar against the run. Harvard did give up over 350 passing yards, however, which could make this game interesting. Every preview needs a gusty pick, and here's mine. Prediction: Dartmouth 24, Harvard 21.
Week 8: Cornell Dartmouth's pass defense and tackling must be better if it wants to beat a Cornell team that put up over 500 total yards of offense in a loss to Fordham University on Saturday. The Big Red defense was porous, but that may have just been due to rust. Dartmouth has the talent to win, but, coming off a big victory, there might be a little bit of a letdown in Ithaca. Prediction: Cornell 20, Dartmouth 17.
Week 9: Brown The Big Green upset the Bears last year in Providence in a very close game. I expect another close game this year. The Bears rallied to beat Holy Cross on Saturday, but the defense seems susceptible to a good passing attack. I think the home crowd wills the Big Green to victory in this one. Prediction: Dartmouth 21, Brown 20.
Week 10: Princeton The Tigers are looking to rebound after a 1-9 season last year. They almost upset Lehigh University in their first game this week and should be better than last year. The team looks stronger defensively, but had trouble moving the ball against Lehigh. I expect Dartmouth to end the season on a high note for the third year in a row. Prediction: Dartmouth 24, Princeton 20.
