Harris, Stone Earn Weekly Football Honors from the Ivy League

HANOVER, N.H. — The Ivy League announced its weekly football awards this afternoon, and Dartmouth had two players recognized for their performances in a 34-18 victory at Brown this past Saturday. Big Green cornerback Vernon Harris and running back Ryder Stone were tabbed as the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively.

Harris set the tone early in what was a turnover-filled game by intercepting a pair of passes in the first quarter as Dartmouth built up a 14-0 lead. His first pick came on Brown's first play from scrimmage as the Bears tossed a lateral to a wide receiver before attempting to throw downfield. The senior from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was not fooled by the trickery and plucked the pass from the air. Late in the first quarter, he struck again by collecting a pass tipped by a Brown receiver and racing 29 yards to the Bear 25. Harris also chipped in a trio of tackles on the afternoon as he became the third Big Green defender to record two interceptions in a game this season, giving him three this season and six in his career.

Stone, who had rushed for a nine-yard touchdown during the first quarter to give Dartmouth that 14-0 lead, provided what might have been the most important score of the day after Brown dented the scoreboard with its first touchdown to cut the deficit to eight shortly before halftime. Fielding the ensuing kickoff at the Big Green 11, the sophomore from Calgary, Alberta, slipped through the coverage and sprinted 89 yards to the end zone, immediately quashing any momentum the Bears may have gathered. It was the first time Dartmouth had returned a kickoff for a touchdown in three years.

This is the first career weekly honor for Harris and second for Stone, as he picked up a rookie award last year. Overall this season, the Big Green have had seven players chosen a total of eight times for one of the weekly awards.

Dartmouth also had three seniors named to the league's honor roll: free safety David Caldwell who recorded a career-high 10 tackles and forced a fumble that set up the Big Green's fourth touchdown; running back Brian Grove who ran eight times for a season-high 90 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown run for the game's first score; and defensive tackle A.J. Zuttah who blocked a pair of PAT attempts.

Dartmouth (8-1, 5-1 Ivy), ranked 21st in the most recent STATS FCS poll, will earn at least a share of its 18th Ivy League title if it can knock off Princeton (5-4, 2-4 Ivy) at Memorial Field on Saturday at noon. The game will be televised from Hanover by American Sports Network and broadcast on 99Rock (WFRD 99.3 FM) with Adam Giardino and Wayne Young '72 calling the action for Dartmouth fans. Check your local listings to find the station carrying the game on ASN.

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