As defensive back Jordan Washington ’25 darted across the field, high on adrenaline and the Big Green’s impending 31-point lead over Fordham University, head coach Sammy McCorkle threw up a pointer finger and had a race of his own with the line judge.
“I think I pulled a hamstring running down the sideline,” McCorkle joked postgame. “But I think I had him by a couple strides.”
Formerly Dartmouth’s special teams coach, McCorkle — who was twice named the University of Florida special teams player of the year during his own playing career — has a unique appreciation for the often forgotten third platoon.
“I’m a special teams guy, deep down,” McCorkle said. “So I obviously got excited and pumped up for [Washington blocking the field goal and returning it for a touchdown].”
As for the endzone-aimed pointer finger?
“Obviously, take it to the house,” McCorkle said. “But I guess it also meant going for one on the PAT [point after touchdown]. I was killing two birds with one stone.”
After blocking Fordham’s 39-yard field goal attempt, Washington’s 71-yard scoop-and-score touchdown was the nail in the coffin on Saturday, with Dartmouth ultimately prevailing 45-13.
The Big Green combined for 418 yards of total offense and held Fordham to just 70 rushing yards in their season debut. Notably, Jackson Proctor ’25 started at quarterback after the Big Green had relied on a dual quarterback system — which employed one run-heavy and one pass-heavy quarterback — for multiple seasons. This year, McCorkle opted to switch to a single quarterback system due to Proctor’s ability in the run and pass game.
“I’ve gotten an outpouring of support from the guys,” Proctor, who threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns, said postgame.
Proctor passed for an impressive 14-of-18, and 121 of his yards came on six completions to senior wide receiver Paxton Scott ’25, who is now sixth place in program history with 137 receptions.
The senior quarterback looked poised throughout the game, making quick reads and smart decisions on when to throw the ball away.
“[Proctor] knows he doesn’t have to go out there and create magic,” McCorkle said. “He’s a skilled enough guy where he can go make plays. But he has the trust and faith in everyone around him that if the play’s not there, we can live to play another down.”
From the outset of the game, it was clear that Dartmouth would not need many opportunities to score. The Big Green started with the ball and wasted no time with a four-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a 40-yard rushing touchdown from Q Jones ’25, who went on to rush for 86 yards and score an additional receiving touchdown.
“It essentially set the tempo of the game,” Jones said. “To go out there on the first drive and be able to score in four plays — that’s big.”
The defensive line showed up in big ways, pressuring Fordham quarterback Jack Capaldi in his first career start. Defensive lineman Josiah Green ’25, one of three Big Green captains, contributed to four total tackles, including a key sack.
“We knew their O-line wasn’t a strong point of their offense, so we wanted to make sure we broke them down as much as possible,” Green said. “Every team has a weak point, and we were able to capitalize on that.”
The first half was most impressive for the Big Green defense, which held Fordham’s offense to just 88 total yards. Fordham’s offense encroached on enemy territory just once in the first 30 minutes — with 12 seconds remaining in the half — and did not put up any points until 13 minutes into the third quarter.
All three Dartmouth platoons came up big in the dominant win over Fordham. Between offense and special teams contributions, the Big Green’s 45 points marked the most points in a season opener since Sept. 25, 1965, when Dartmouth beat the University of New Hampshire 56-6.
Non-conference games may mean little in the grand scheme of the season — a season buttressed by the goal to defend the Ivy League title, this time outright — but a commanding win inspires confidence for the future and sets a tone.
And as Dartmouth looks ahead, McCorkle has time to perfect not just his game plans, but also his sideline sprints.
