Dartmouth football will travel to New Britain, N.H., on Saturday to take on the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils.
The Big Green are entering week two of their season fresh off an impressive victory over the 23rd-ranked New Hampshire, an opponent that has handed out several tough losses to Dartmouth in recent years. Due to breakout performances from running back D.J. Crowther ’26 and quarterback Grayson Saunier ’27, as well as several key defensive stops in the second half, Dartmouth left Buddy Teevens Stadium with a 27-20 come-from-behind victory under its belt.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s matchup, expect a heavily defensive game that will be won in the trenches. CCSU is coming off a nail-biting loss to Merrimack College in which special teams errors cost them the game. The Blue Devils’ defense was strong throughout the game, holding the Merrimack offense to just one touchdown and 16 points. Their run game also stood out, with senior running back Elijah Howard punching in both of the Blue Devils’ scores last Saturday. Stopping Howard from gaining momentum in the run game will be key for the Dartmouth defense.
In practice, the Big Green have been focused on fixing their weaknesses from the home opener. Head coach Sammy McCorkle mentioned that the tone of this week’s practices has been just as focused as last week, despite the Granite Bowl win.
“Last week’s game was the biggest game last week because it was last week, and Central Connecticut is the biggest game this week because it's this week,” McCorkle said. “We’re going to focus the same way.”
McCorkle also emphasized that the team “can’t sit there and pat [themselves] on the back.” More specifically, he mentioned how the special teams errors that led to a slow start against UNH need to be corrected heading into Saturday. Defensively, McCorkle highlighted CCSU’s speed and physicality, making them a tough matchup across the board.
“They play fast, they play hard and they’re very physical,” McCorkle said. “[Howard] probably will be one of the best running backs we see all year, and their quarterback is the guy we saw last year, so he’s got a lot of games under his belt.”
When asked about how the team has been preparing for this hostile away game, Saunier’s focus and competitiveness are apparent. He said that the team is ready to “handle business again” and that the energy has been high all week in practice.
On the other hand, coach Shane Montgomery brought up the challenge of Dartmouth being in the early stages of their season, whereas CCSU will be playing their fifth game. Montgomery also added that the offensive game plan is currently based around the Blue Devils’ tendency to blitz and play man coverage, “usually with the intention of speeding up the quarterback and forcing errors.” However, he is confident in Saunier’s ability to prepare during this week, execute well and put the team in a winning position on Saturday.
Look forward to a neck-and-neck showdown between Dartmouth and CCSU at 12 p.m. this Saturday.
Players to Watch
Dartmouth: RB D.J Crowther #15, LB Thaddeus Gianaris #51, OL Delby Lemieux #75
CCSU: DE Reggie Darkah #13, RB Elijah Howard #7, DB Chris Jean #39
