Dartmouth Football Travels to Harvard for Key Ivy League Matchup

HANOVER, N.H. - Dartmouth football will look to keep climbing in the Ivy League standings as the Big Green heads to Harvard for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday.

Against Columbia, tailbacks Nate Servis (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Rob Mitchelson (Oklahoma City, Okla.) became the first rushing duo to surpass 100 yards in the same game since 1962 as the Big Green (2-4, 2-1 Ivy) defeated Columbia, 37-28. Servis ran for a team-high 130 yards, while Mitchelson added 105 yards.

"Our offensive line did a tremendous job," said Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens. "They have worked hard and the backs have seen holes that they haven't seen before. Their field vision and awareness has improved greatly."

Tied at 28-28 and following a Dartmouth missed field goal, senior linebacker Jason Blydell (Nahant, Mass.) forced a fumble, which was recovered by senior John Pircon (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) and returned to the Columbia 16-yard line. That setup Hudson Smythe's (Menlo Park, Calif.) third touchdown of the game and gave the Big Green the 35-28 advantage with 1:49 remaining. Dartmouth added insurance points with a safety on a bad snap by Columbia.

Sophomore quarterback Alex Jenny (Wayland, Mass.) stepped in for starter Tom Bennewitz (Weston, Conn.) and was 14-for-23 for 189 yards and a touchdown. "We were very pleased with Alex. He has been steady for us when he comes in," said Teevens. Senior tight end Brett Lowe (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) led the Big Green with 55 yards receiving on two catches, while freshman Tim McManus (St. Paul, Minn.) caught four balls for 50 yards.

On defense, senior Justin Cottrell (Somers Point, N.Y.) led a unit that held Columbia to 37 yards rushing on 28 attempts with eight tackles, an interception and a sack. "We had four sacks, but we made the quarterback hurry and relocate many times, which caused errant throws," said Teevens. "Cullen Gilchrist may have had his best game of his career." A senior, Gilchrist (Dartmouth, Mass.) had five tackles, including a sack, from his defensive end position.

Looking forward to this week, Harvard is tied with Yale at the top of the Ivy League at 3-0. The Crimson is led by quarterback Chris Pizzotti, who threw for a career-high 365 yards and two scores in the 27-10 win over Princeton on Saturday. Pizzotti has been an efficient quarterback for the Crimson, throwing seven touchdowns to only three interceptions. "They have a fine offensive strategy and are putting up points on everybody and anybody," said Teevens. "They throw the ball a bunch and do not run the ball as much as they have done historically."

The ground attack for Harvard (4-2, 3-0 Ivy), which is fifth in the Ivy League, is headed by Cheng Ho. Ho has three rushing touchdowns on the season and ran for 113 yards against Princeton for his second 100-yard game this year.

Defensively for the Crimson, the secondary is second in the Ivy League with 13 interceptions. Steven Williams is tops in the Ivy League with six of his own. Up front Harvard has dominated opponents as the Crimson leads the league with 16 sacks. Peter Ajayi is the team-leader with four, while Brad Bagdis has collected three.

"They are tough to run against and their secondary may be the best in the league," said Teevens. "They are very good on both sides of the football and it's a great challenge for us and a great opportunity as well."

The game will also be aired regionally on WFRD (99 Rock), the "Official Voice of Dartmouth Sports," with play-by-play announcer Dave Collins 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.

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