Football Comes Up Short In Battle of Ivy Leaders, 23-12

Saturday, November 1

Hanover, N.H.

3:30 PM

Dartmouth College

5-2 , 3-1

Harvard

7-0 , 4-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Harvard

Dartmouth

Football Comes Up Short In Battle of Ivy Leaders, 23-12

11/1/2014 6:28:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. — Paul Stanton ran for a career-high 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the 18th-ranked Harvard Crimson to a 23-12 victory over host Dartmouth in a battle of the Ivy League's leaders on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Field. Harvard (7-0, 4-0 Ivy) won its 11th-straight game and 11th consecutive in the series, while the Big Green (5-2, 3-1) had their four-game winning streak snapped.

Junior Dalyn Williams threw for 210 yards on 16-of-26 passing before being forced from the game when he was poked in the eye on Dartmouth's first play in the fourth quarter with the Big Green trailing by eight, 20-12. Senior Alex Park came on to complete 7-of-11 throws for 46 yards, but his final toss was picked off with just under two minutes to play, and Harvard simply ran out the clock.

Thanks to Stanton, the Crimson was able to rack up 235 rushing yards while Dartmouth managed just 94. Junior Kyle Bramble provided 42 of those 94 yards on 10 carries, including the lone Big Green touchdown of the day, while also leading the team with six receptions for 75 yards. Williams added 38 yards on 15 rushing attempts.

#18 Harvard 23, Dartmouth 12
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014
Memorial Field • Hanover, N.H.
Attendance: 5,833 • Weather: 42, rainy and cold

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Harvard	7	13	0	3	23
Dartmouth	6	3	3	0	12

Scoring Summary
1st/11:22	H	Stanton 3 run (Flesher kick)	0-7
1st/0:52	D	Bramble 2 run (Gakenheimer kick blocked)	6-7
2nd/13:09	H	Firkser 37 pass from Seitu Smith (Flesher kick blocked)	6-13
2nd/5:44	H	Stanton 2 run (Flesher kick)	6-20
2nd/0:11	D	Gakenheimer 30 FG	9-20
3rd/11:22	D	Gakenheimer 22 FG	12-20
4th/6:00	H	Flesher 33 FG	12-23

PASSING		C/A/I	Yards	TD
D	D. Williams	16-26-0	210	0
D	Park	7-11-1	46	0
H	Hempel	8-18-0	94	0
H	Hosch	3-7-1	48	0
LEADING RUSHERS		#/Yds	Avg	TD
D	Bramble	14-42	4.2	1
D	D. Williams	15-38	2.5	0
H	Stanton	24-180	7.5	2
H	Semar Smith	7-42	6.0	0
LEADING RECEIVERS		#-Yds	Avg	TD
D	Bramble	6-75	12.5	0
D	Patterson	4-56	14.0	0
H	Firkser	3-72	24.0	1
H	Stanton	3-55	18.3	0

Statistical Comparison	H	D
1st Downs	20	15
Rushing Yards (Net)	235	94
Passing Yards (Net)	179	256
Total Offense	414	350
Penalties/Yards	3-25	2-20
Turnovers	1	3
3rd Down Conversion	9/16	5/16
Time of Possession	32:17	27:43

Like Dartmouth, Harvard had to do without its starting quarterback for a stretch due to a banged up shoulder. Connor Hempel missed most of the second quarter but returned on the Crimson's second possession of the second half, finishing the day just 8-for-18 for 94 yards. His backup, Scott Hosch, threw just seven times, completing three, for 48 yards and an interception.

Harvard did not wait long to score the game's first points, driving 75 yards on the opening possession in nine plays with Paul Stanton capping the drive off with a three-yard run into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Kyle Bramble has scored at least one touchdown in all seven games this season. (photo courtesy John Risley)

After an initial possession proved unsuccessful, Dartmouth methodically moved down the field on a 14-play, 72-yard drive that lasted nearly six minutes. Only one play during the drive went for more than 10 yards — a 20-yard pass to Bramble out of the backfield on a 3rd-and-4 play to the Harvard 22. The running back then provided the biggest play by gaining 10 yards on a 4th-and-1 handoff before taking it in for the touchdown two plays later with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter. But Ryan Delisle was able to block the extra-point attempt, and Sean Ahern scooped up the loose ball to try and go the length of the field for a defensive two-point conversion. Defensive end Sawyer Whalen managed to catch up to Ahern at the Big Green 20, however, turn a 70-yard return into nothing.

The response came quickly from Harvard on a trick play. A handoff to Semar Smith was reversed to his brother, wide receiver Seitu Smith, who then lofted a pass to wide-open, tight end Anthony Firkser for a 37-yard touchdown. Dartmouth managed to return the favor on the PAT with senior Evan Chrustic swatting back the kick, leaving the score at 13-6.

A 32-yard completion to junior running back Brian Grove had Dartmouth on the move shortly thereafter, only to come up short on a 4th-and-1 attempt at the Crimson 28. On the next Big Green possession, Harvard linebacker Jacob Lindsey knocked the ball free from a receiver after a completion, and Ryan Delisle pounced on it to give the Crimson a short field at the Dartmouth 23. Five plays later — the last four being Stanton runs — and Harvard stretched its lead to 20-6.

The Big Green put together another sustained drive, marching from their own 22 to the Crimson 13. A sack by Davon Robertson threw a wrench into Dartmouth's scoring plans, forcing them to settle for a 30-yard field goal off the toe of Gakenheimer, leaving them with an 11-point deficit just before the intermission.

Both teams posted similar yardage in the second half as the first, but each side could muster just three more points on the board. Dartmouth opened the third quarter by advancing to the Crimson five before summoning Gakenheimer for the chip shot of 22 yards, making it a one-possession game at 20-12.

An interception by senior safety Troy Donahue, two plays after a sack by junior nickelback Frankie Hernandez, seemingly kept momentum on the Big Green's side, but they were held without a first down and forced to punt.

Ryan McManus caught his 100th career pass during the final Dartmouth drive against Harvard. (photo courtesy John Risley)

It remained an eight-point game into the fourth quarter when Dartmouth took over after a touchback on a punt. Williams was flushed from the pocket and threw a pass out of bounds, but was poked in the eye on the play. After sitting out a play, he returned to scramble for a first down, then ran again before leaving for good.

Harvard got a 33-yard field goal from Andrew Flesher with six minutes to play, and when another Big Green fumble after a completion gave the ball to the Crimson, Dartmouth was in dire straits. The Green got the ball back one more time with 2:34 to play, but Jordan Becerra intercepted a Park pass near midfield, sealing the Harvard victory.

Junior linemen Cody Fulleton and A.J. Zuttah both posted a career high in tackles with 11 and 10, respectively, while junior linebacker Will McNamara added 10 of his own for his fifth straight game in double figures. Ahern led the Crimson with 10 stops.

Dartmouth takes to the road next Saturday to take on winless Cornell (0-7, 0-4 Ivy), who lost a 38-27 contest to Princeton today, at 12:30 p.m. Harvard returns home to host the Ivy League's other winless squad, Columbia (0-7, 0-4 Ivy), at 1 p.m.

Notes: Senior Ryan McManus caught four passes to make him the 11th Big Green receiver to collect 100 receptions in a career … Dartmouth had not lost an Ivy League game since last year's 24-21 defeat at Harvard … the loss also ended a six-game win streak at home.