Heartbreaker at Harvard as Big Green Fall, 14-13

Friday, October 30

Cambridge, Mass.

7:30 PM

Dartmouth College

6-1 , 3-1

Harvard

7-0 , 4-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Dartmouth

Harvard

Heartbreaker at Harvard as Big Green Fall, 14-13

10/30/2015 10:47:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The 15th-ranked Harvard Crimson scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the game, then blocked a 46-yard field goal as time expired to send the 22nd-ranked Dartmouth Big Green to a 14-13 defeat on Friday night in front of 13,058 fans at Harvard Stadium. Dartmouth (6-1, 3-1 Ivy) led nearly the entire game until Harvard quarterback Scott Hosch threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Justice Shelton-Mosley with 38 seconds to play and lift the Crimson (7-0, 4-0 Ivy) to their 21st consecutive victory and sole possession of first place in the Ivy League standings.

In the first meeting between two ranked Ancient Eight teams in eight years, the outcome certainly lived up to the billing. Dartmouth had a slim edge in yardage on the evening, 401-376, as Big Green quarterback Dalyn Williams completed 24-of-42 passes for 311 yards while Hosch nearly matched him with 276 yards on 24-of-38 passing. Williams did not have a touchdown toss for the first time since these two teams met last year, nor did he have a pass intercepted. Hosch threw for both Harvard scores, but was picked off twice by senior linebacker Will McNamara.

When junior Alex Gakenheimer just cleared the crossbar for a 39-yard field goal with 1:46 to play in the third quarter, Dartmouth was in command with a 13-0 lead. The Crimson then drove to the Big Green one before being denied five times by the Dartmouth defense for what seemed to be the defining moment of the game.

But Harvard would not give in, even when facing 4th-and-12 from the Dartmouth 39 on its next drive. Hosch heaved a pass down the left sideline at the goal line to a well-covered Seitu Smith, who somehow came down with the ball and fell into the end zone for the touchdown. The point after split the uprights to cut the Crimson deficit to six at 13-7 with 6:38 to play.

The Big Green held Harvard without a first down on its next possession, and the offense took over at its own 36 with 3:43 left. But on the second play, Jacob Lindsey jarred the ball loose from Dartmouth running back Ryder Stone, giving the Crimson life near midfield. Twice Harvard managed to convert on third down, and an 18-yard pass to Anthony Firkser gave Harvard 1st-and-goal at the nine with less than a minute to play.

Dartmouth held on the first two plays, but Hosch rolled to his right on third down and found Shelton-Mosely just beyond the goal line for the tying score. Kenny Smart came on and gave Harvard its first lead of the night at 14-13 with 38 seconds to play.

When the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds at the 20, the Big Green had time to move into field goal range. Two quick passes went for 36 yards, but after an incompletion beyond the end zone, the clock showed no time left. After a quick huddle by the referees, it was determined that one second remained in the game. Gakenheimer was dispatched to attempt what would have been a career-long 46-yard field goal, but a strong surge by the Crimson allowed them to block the kick to end the game.

For the first time in nearly five years, Harvard was held scoreless for the first half as Dartmouth built up a modest 10-0 lead. The Big Green wasted little time in establishing themselves with a 31-yard field goal by Gakenheimer on the game's first possession.

After the Crimson dropped a punt at the Dartmouth six, Williams and the offense embarked on a 94-yard drive spanning 17 plays and nearly half of the first quarter. A defensive face mask negated a sack early in the drive, and Dartmouth took advantage by methodically advancing down the field before Stone snaked his way into the end zone from three yards out for the 10-0 lead.

Harvard threatened to answer by pushing into the red zone, but a 31-yard field goal attempt was blocked by senior David Caldwell.

Piggybacking on that momentum, Williams went long on the very next play, hooking up with Victor Williams on a 54-yard gain. The Big Green made it down the one shortly thereafter and had 1st-and-goal for a golden scoring opportunity, but a false start and three incompletions left Dartmouth with a 22-yard field goal attempt from the left hash that was pulled wide to the left.

The Crimson had one more gasp before the intermission, utilizing a 53-yard bomb to take residence in the red zone once again. But with nine seconds left, McNamara intercepted a Scott Hosch pass at the five to deny Harvard.

McNamara started the second half in the same manner, picking off a Hosch pass. The defense forced a third Crimson turnover on the next possession as junior Folarin Orimolade poked the ball free from Harvard's Paul Stanton, allowing Caldwell to recover the loose ball at the Dartmouth 12.

Three play before Gakenheimer's 39-yard field goal gave Dartmouth a 13-0 lead, the Big Green tried a little trickery. Senior wide receiver Ryan McManus caught a long lateral then lofted a pass into the end zone to Victor Williams, who could not corral what would have been a 29-yard touchdown.

Both McManus (nine catches, 135 yards) and Williams (seven catches, 103 yards) posted 100-yard games for the Big Green. Defensively, McNamara added a game-high 14 tackles to his two interceptions, while senior A.J. Zuttah added nine stops with a sack and two passes batted down at the line.

Dalyn Williams had 49 of the 90 Dartmouth rushing yards on just six carries, while the Crimson had 100 yards on the ground, 67 by Stanton on 21 rushes.

Dartmouth will try to regroup next Friday night when it hosts Cornell in a game televised by NBC Sports Network at 8 p.m. Harvard travels to Columbia next Saturday for a game that kicks off at 1 p.m.

Notes: Dartmouth had its nine-game streak (and seven-game road winning streak) snapped as it had not lost since Harvard won in Hanover last year, 23-12 … Hosch is 13-0 as the Crimson starting quarterback … the Big Green lost for just the ninth time in 68 games when they led entering the fourth quarter under Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach Buddy Teevens … Harvard has won 12 straight against Dartmouth and 18 of the last 19 meetings … Dalyn Williams, who has four 300-yard games this season and seven in his career, is now Dartmouth's all-time passing leader with 6,883 yards, passing Jay Fiedler '94 for that distinction with the 54-yard pass to his namesake in the second quarter … McManus became the fifth Big Green receiver with 2,000 yards to his credit when he hauled in a 43-yard toss on the third play of the game. He finished the day with 2,065 yards to his credit … Dartmouth is 17-3 in its last 20 games, with all three losses coming to ranked opponents.