Football Faces Holy Cross in a Non-Conference Showdown

HANOVER, N.H. - Dartmouth football will take a break from Ivy League competition as the Big Green travels to Patriot League foe Holy Cross on Saturday. Kickoff is 1 p.m.

Last weekend against Yale, turnovers plagued the Big Green all afternoon as Dartmouth lost three fumbles and threw an interception. Yale turned two of the turnovers into touchdowns and the Bulldogs added a safety at the end of the first quarter. "We did not execute offensively and on special teams," said head coach Buddy Teevens. "The defense was on the field too much and the offense did not control the football."

The Big Green (1-3 overall, 1-1 Ivy) saw the return of junior Milan Williams (Mobile, Ala.) and the tailback ran for a team-leading 67 yards and hauled in three receptions for 17 yards. "It was nice to have him back in the mix," said Teevens. "He helped us against Yale and will be stronger this week."

Defensively for the Big Green, senior captain Justin Cottrell (Somers Point, N.J.) had 16 tackles, including nine solo stops. Sophomore strong safety Pete Pidermann (Hialeah, Fla.) ? who filled in for the injured senior captain Ian Wilson (Burbank, Calif) ? earned honor roll accolades following six tackles, a sack and a blocked punt that led to Dartmouth's lone touchdown.

"We needed players to step forward and I felt Pidermann had a solid game in Wilson's absence," said Teevens. "We were pleased with how the guys stepped up."

The offense for Holy Cross, which is tops in the Patriot League, is led by quarterback Dominic Randolph. Randolph has thrown 15 touchdown passes and run for two. The Crusaders average 36 points per game and they do it by putting the ball in the air. Randolph is averaging 314 yards passing this season. "Holy Cross has been productive and executes their offense well," said Teevens.

Wide receiver Ryan Maher is Randolph's favorite target with 34 receptions this season for five touchdowns and an average of 11.1 yards per catch. On the ground, Terrance Gass and Mike Kielt split carries with Randolph adding a third threat. Gass leads the Crusaders with 214 yards rushing with an average of 41 yards a game, while Kielt has a team-leading three rushing touchdowns.

On the defensive side, Holy Cross leads the Patriot League in turnover margin with 10 turnovers on defense to seven committed by the offense. The Crusader defense is led by linebacker Ryan Stewart who has 29 tackles, including 22 solo stops. In the secondary, Casey Gough is tied for the lead with one interception and is tops in tackles for loss with four.

Teevens says the key for the Big Green is to play solid team football and retain possession on offense. "We need to play team football and execute offensively," said Teevens. "Defensively we need to generate a pass rush and eliminate the short field."

The game will also 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.

Schedules