Football Hosts Cornell on Saturday at Memorial Field

HANOVER, N.H. - After a setback at Harvard, Dartmouth football is still in a battle for third in the Ivy League as the Big Green hosts Cornell at 12 p.m. on Saturday at Memorial Field.

Against Harvard, turnovers plagued the Big Green all afternoon. Dartmouth threw four interceptions in the contest, including the game-clincher with 1:46 remaining with the Big Green inside Harvard territory and down 28-21. "We didn't protect the football," said Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens. "The two turnovers at the end of the game were costly because we were still in the ballgame in the fourth quarter."

Sophomore quarterback Alex Jenny (Wayland, Mass.) got the start for Dartmouth and was 8-for-19 through the air with two touchdowns, but threw three interceptions. Jenny was also the second leading rusher for the Big Green on the afternoon with 22 yards. Senior quarterback Tom Bennewitz (Weston, Conn.) replaced Jenny in the fourth quarter and had five completions for 36 yards and an interception.

The Dartmouth running game collected 134 yards on the ground, led by junior Milan Williams (Mobile, Ala.) who gained 74 yards, while senior fullback Ryan Mahoney (Nahant, Mass.) found the end zone with his first career touchdown run. "The run and the pass was productive for us," said Teevens, "but it came down to turnovers and Harvard won that battle."

Defensively for the Big Green, senior linebacker Justin Cottrell (Somers Point, N.J.) had another standout game with 15 tackles, along with an interception that setup Dartmouth's first score. "We got pressure on the quarterback, made him move his feet," said Teevens. "They turned it over in their end and we took advantage."

For Cornell, it starts with junior quarterback Nathan Ford. In seven games this season, Ford has averaged 251 passing yards a game with four touchdowns, but he has thrown 13 interceptions. Ford does a nice job spreading the ball around as three receivers have 30 or more receptions for 300-plus yards. His favorite target is sophomore Bryan Walters who is the team-leader with 424 yards receiving and four touchdowns.

On the ground, junior Randy Barbour leads a group that sixth in the Ivy League with 113 yards per game. Barbour is second on the team with five touchdowns, while senior Luke Siwula is tops with six scores. "Cornell, offensively, has multiple sets and Nathan Ford has been productive for them both running and passing," said Teevens. "They mix the run and the pass effectively and they have put points on the board against everybody."

Defensively for the Big Red, junior Tim Bax is second, one behind Cottrell, in the Ivy League in total tackles with 67 on the season. Bax, however, leads the league in solo tackles with an impressive 42 single wrap-ups. Senior Doug Lempa has had a breakout season in the center of the defense with 4.5 sacks, which is 1.5 above his career total coming into this season.

"Cornell is a good team, they're physical and aggressive and well coached," said Teevens. "The challenge for us is to slow them down and control the ball on offense and produce points."

The game will also be aired regionally on WFRD (99 Rock), the "Official Voice of Dartmouth Sports," with 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. The game also will be televised live on YES Network.

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