Dartmouth Football to Play in Battle of the Ivy "Bigs"

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

HANOVER, N.H. ? Coming off a 35-7 home defeat against then-23rd-ranked Harvard this past Saturday, the Dartmouth Big Green (0-7, 0-4 Ivy) are aiming to end their nine-game losing streak on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Cornell Big Red (3-4, 1-3 Ivy). Dartmouth's last victory on the gridiron came against Cornell a year ago in Hanover in a wild 59-31 triumph, the most points for the Big Green in 72 years.

Big plays were the norm in last year's showdown with four touchdown plays of at least 60 yards, two turnovers returned for scores and a blocked punt that was scooped up and taken into the end zone. Cornell turned the ball over a whopping seven times, negating its sizable advantages of 542 total yards and 29 first downs to the 410 yards and 12 first downs the Big Green managed.

All the long plays that went for touchdowns, though, were Dartmouth scores. Brian Evans, who had five receptions for 191 yards, caught touchdown passes of 60 and 62 yards, while current sophomore Tim McManus (St. Paul, Minn.) hauled in a 75-yard bomb, one of his six catches on the afternoon for 124 yards. Current junior Peter Pidermann (Hialeah, Fla.) also had an interception he returned 70 yards for six points.

Last week was not nearly as kind to the Big Green, facing their second nationally ranked opponent this season. Dartmouth was playing without their top two rushers, and the final numbers reflected that as the squad had a combined total of minus-two yards on the ground. The Green avoided being shut out when freshman quarterback Conner Kempe (Tequesta, Fla.) guided a 70-yard drive, culminating with a three-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Will Deevy (Englewood, Colo.) with 44 seconds to play. The touchdown was the first for each in college.

But there were some statistics to build upon from the game, most notably holding the Crimson ? ninth in the FCS in passing yards per game ? to 98 yards through the air. Freshman cornerback Shawn Abuhoff (Hialeah, Fla.) earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors for holding Harvard receiver Matt Luft to just two catches for 27 yards, more than 80 yards shy of his season average. Special teams play continued to be a strong point for the Green, with senior Casey Frost (Lawndale, Calif.) blocking a PAT and senior punter Brian Scullin (Alexandria, Va.) helping boost the squad's net punting average (37.5) to second among FCS schools.

One reason for Dartmouth's struggles this year can be attributed to the strength of its opposition. According to the NCAA, the Big Green have played the eighth most difficult schedule among FCS schools, based on the cumulative record of each school's opponents. By the end of the season, Dartmouth is projected to have the fifth most difficult schedule, the third time in four years it would rank among the top 10. Teams ahead of Dartmouth include the top-two ranked teams in James Madison and Appalachian State, as well as the Green's next opponent, Cornell, which is fourth.

The Big Red began the season in fine form, winning their first three games, but have since lost their last four contests. While Cornell was able to find a way to win in their three victories, which were won by a combined total of five points, it could not pull out a close win last week in a 31-26 defeat at home against Princeton.

There is a bit of a disconnect when it comes to the offensive statistics Cornell has compiled this season. On one hand, the Big Red are 10th in the FCS in passing yards per game (283.9) and 34th in total offense (390.6); on the other hand, they have managed to score just 19.3 points per game, which ranks 96th (out of 118 teams). Quarterback Nathan Ford has thrown for over 1,900 yards this season and leads the Ivy League in passing yards and total offense. But his 11 interceptions also lead the conference. Like Dartmouth, the Big Red has a turnover margin of -0.71, which goes a long way explaining that offense-to-scoring disconnect.

Not surprisingly, Cornell features three of the top eight receivers in the league in both receptions and receiving yardage per game. Jesse Baker, Zac Canty and Bryan Walters have combined to catch 108 passes for 1,246 yards and seven touchdowns.

Historically speaking, the games played between the two schools have been quite close, with Dartmouth holding a 51-39-1 advantage in the 15th most played series among FCS schools. The two teams have met on the football field every year since 1919 ? only the Lafayette-Lehigh series has a longer continuous stretch (1897). More than half of those 91 games have been decided by single digits (47), with seven of the contests being one-point affairs.

The game will be broadcast live on the Dartmouth Sports Network on 99.3 FM WFRD with Bob Lipman and Wayne Young '72 calling the action, plus Andy Sloan on the sidelines. To listen over the internet, log on to www.DartmouthSportsNetwork.com, or keep up with the live stats on the official Dartmouth web site, www.DartmouthSports.com. Cornell is also offering the live video stream for free at IBNSports.com.

Schedules