Courtesy: Dartmouth http://www.dartmouthsports.com/ Senior Quarterback Tom Bennewitz

HANOVER, N.H. - Dartmouth football begins the 2007 campaign Saturday at 12:30 p.m. as the Big Green hosts the Colgate Raiders on "Community Day" at Memorial Field. Dartmouth football and the Upper Valley United Way have teamed up to raise money with $2 for every adult ticket sold going to the United Way.

In his third year at the helm, head coach Buddy Teevens is looking for improvement in Dartmouth's win-loss record. Last fall the Big Green finished 2-8 overall and held a 2-5 mark in the Ivy League.

The Big Green returns 48 letterwinners, 24 of whom having starting experience, including 11 on offense, 10 on defense and three capable specialists. "This year is different because we have a greater number of seniors with experience. That should provide dividends and have a profound impact,” said Teevens.

This year's recruiting class is reduced in numbers due to larger numbers in previous years, but Dartmouth was able to fill its needs at most positions.
Offensively for the Big Green, senior quarterback Tom Bennewitz (Weston, Conn.) will get the nod after sustaining a shoulder injury in last year's game at Colgate.

"We need our quarterback to be very productive, execute the plan, be in control and hang on to the football," said Teevens. "Tom has certainly shown that he can do that in practice and we are looking for that in a game situation.”

The Dartmouth ground attack will feature junior Milan Williams (Mobile, Ala.) at tailback, with junior Hudson Smythe (Menlo Park, Calif.), sophomore Rob Mitchelson (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and senior Jason Reid (Ringoes, N.J.) competing for carries as well.
“Milan Williams has seen a number of snaps during his career and this year, he's coming out of preseason as well as he ever has, in terms of health and awareness," said Teevens. "His acceleration has improved and he also catches the ball well. We need to get him the ball both on the ground and in the air.”

On the defensive side, captains Justin Cottrell (Somers Point, N.J.) and Ian Wilson (Burbank, Calif.) anchor a defensive unit that returns 10 starters. Cottrell was an All-Ivy honorable mention linebacker last season, while Wilson was named second team All-Ivy and leads a secondary that returns all four starters.

"Cottrell is everything you look for in a football player — a leader, a tough nosed player and a good tackler," said Teevens. “Wilson has been very consistent in practice."
Colgate (1-1, 0-0 Patriot League) comes to Hanover after a 35-17 loss to Massachusetts last week and a 13-11 victory over Albany in the season opener. Jordan Scott will once again be at tailback for the Raiders and Teevens knows that stopping him is a high priority. "Scott is a very gifted player who will carry the ball a bunch. He hurt us last year with more than 150 yards. We need to limit his effectiveness."

So far, Colgate has two games under its belt this season, but Teevens says Dartmouth is ready for the challenge in its opener. "We worked on putting our players in situations or a mind set that is similar to that of a real game and I feel we are ready to go," he said.

The game will be aired regionally on WFRD (99 Rock), the "Official Voice of Dartmouth Sports," with veteran play-by-play announcer Bob Lipman and former football captain Wayne Young ’72 providing the commentary. For audio streaming information, please visit www.dartmouthsportsradio.net. For live video streaming, please visit www.DartmouthSports.com and click on Big Green Insider.