Football Picked to Place 2nd in Ivy League Preseason Media Poll

HANOVER, N.H. — The Ivy League released its 2015 Football Preseason Media Poll today with Dartmouth predicted to finish second, its highest finish in the poll since 1996 when it was pegged to win the title, which it did with a perfect 10-0 record. The Big Green received four of the 17 first-place votes and amassed 116 points, while Harvard was picked to defend its conference crown with 130 points thanks to 11 first-place votes.

Two other teams had one voter place them atop the standings in Yale and Brown with the Bulldogs finishing third in the poll with 98 points. Princeton (82) edged out the Bears (80) to claim fourth in the poll. Penn, which had finished in the top half in this poll every year since 1993, settled for sixth with 51 points. Despite a current 21-game losing skid, Columbia claimed seventh with 29 points, just ahead of Cornell with 26.

The good news for Dartmouth is that the media does not have a stellar track record of picking the future Ivy champion. Since the Big Green won their 17th and most recent Ivy League title in 1996, only two teams that were chosen to take home the crown actually did — Penn in 2003 and Harvard in 2008.

Dartmouth went 6-1 last year in Ivy League play for its best finish in the league standings since 1997. The Big Green scored more than twice as many points as their conference opponents with an average margin of victory of more than 17 points. The lone loss came at the hands of the Crimson, 23-12, en route to a perfect 7-0 mark.

The Big Green have a strong nucleus of returning players, led by quarterback Dalyn Williams (6-0, 210, Sr.), an FCS Offensive Player of the Year candidate. Last year the native of Corinth, Texas, had one of the most prolific seasons in Dartmouth history by completing 67.5 percent of his passes (a school record) for 2,119 yards and 21 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He enters the season not only third all-time at Dartmouth in passing yards (4,866) and total yards (6,135), but owns the Big Green quarterback rushing record with 1,269 yards.

Of the 10 Dartmouth players that earned first-team All-Ivy League recognition last year, six return to the gridiron, including wide receiver Ryan McManus (5-11, 195), who was granted a medical hardship to play a fifth season. The second of three brothers to play for Dartmouth's Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach Buddy Teevens was among the top 20 FCS receivers in catches (68) and yardage (879) to go with eight touchdowns. Another target for Williams will be his namesake, senior Victor Williams (5-9, 170), who caught 36 passes for 358 yards and three scores.

Along with Dalyn Williams' ability to run the ball, Dartmouth is blessed with a cadre of exceptional backs to carry the ground game, beginning with senior Kyle Bramble (5-11, 205). An All-Ivy Second Teamer, he averaged 5.2 yards per carry and led the Green with 655 rushing yards, not to mention his 31 receptions for 307 yards. Bramble scored a total of 10 touchdowns (five rushing, five receiving) before an injury forced him to miss nearly all of the last two contests. Joining Bramble in the backfield will be senior Brian Grove (5-10, 195) and his 5.8-yard average in 2014 and sophomore Ryder Stone (5-11, 205) who exploded for 114 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries in the penultimate game versus Brown.

If there is a question mark about this team, it is the offensive line as four of the five starters graduated; only senior left tackle Jacob Flores (6-4, 290), another All-Ivy League First-Team selection remains. Yet Dartmouth does have some veterans who have seen quite a bit of time on the field as reserves to step up into starting roles, such as junior Dave Morrison (6-5, 300), senior Joshua Clark (6-5, 290) and senior Niko Mamula (6-3, 290), the last of which began 2014 as a starter but missed the final six games due to an injury.

On defense, the Big Green should come up big once again with nine starters back in the fold, led by senior linebacker Will McNamara (6-0, 230), the Ivy's leading tackler a year ago. Other All-Ivy First Teamers lining up with McNamara will be three other seniors in tackle A.J. Zuttah (6-2, 285), strong safety Troy Donahue (6-0, 195) and cornerback Vernon Harris (6-2, 195). While Zuttah is one of the league's top defenders against the run, Donahue led the circuit with four interceptions last year while Harris chipped in three picks of his own.

The rest of the defense will be littered with veterans as 10 of the projected 11 starters will be seniors, including end Cody Fulleton (6-3, 265), a second-team All-Ivy selection each of the past two seasons, and linebacker Zach Slafsky (6-2, 245), who received honorable mention last year.

The kicking game is solid with a pair of second-team All-Ivy performers in juniors Alex Gakenheimer (6-3, 185) and Ben Kepley (6-2, 185). Gakenheimer converted 12-of-15 field goals last season and led the team with 73 points, while Kepley completed his second year as the starting punter while ranking second in the conference with a 38.9-yard average.

Dartmouth, which will be shooting to add to its 17 Ivy League titles — the most among the Ancient 8 schools — opens the season on Sept. 19 at Georgetown for the first game between the two schools in 99 years. Kickoff is slated for noon. The home opener will occur the following Saturday when Sacred Heart invades Memorial Field in the debut of the renovated West Stands and new press box in a 7 p.m. contest.

Eight of the Big Green's 10 games this year will be available on television and/or online through Big Green Insider, the Dartmouth channel on the Ivy League Digital Network. Check the official website of Dartmouth varsity athletics for listings and subscription information for the Ivy League Digital Network.

2015 IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
First-Place Votes in Parentheses

Rank	School	Points
1.	Harvard (11)	130
2.	Dartmouth (4)	116
3.	Yale (1)	98
4.	Princeton	82
5.	Brown (1)	80
6.	Penn	51
7.	Columbia	29
8.	Cornell	26

Schedules