Second-Quarter Explosion Leads to 59-24 Win Over Columbia

Friday, October 25

Hanover, N.H.

6:00 PM

Dartmouth College

6-0 , 3-0

Columbia

2-4 , 1-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Columbia

Dartmouth

Senior Isiah Swann set the Dartmouth career interception record.

Photo by: Brian Foley

Second-Quarter Explosion Leads to 59-24 Win Over Columbia

10/25/2019 9:15:00 PM | Football

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Four touchdowns in the final nine minutes of the half for the Big Green

By: Rick Bender

HANOVER, N.H. — After Columbia tied the game at 10 with 8:58 left in the first half, the No. 16/17 Dartmouth Big Green exploded for four touchdowns before the intermission arrived, then cruised in the second half to a 59-24 victory on Friday night at Memorial Field in a nationally televised game on ESPNU. Dartmouth extended its win streak to eight dating back to last year, improving to 3-0 in the Ivy League and 6-0 overall, while the Lions dropped to 1-2 in conference play and 2-4 overall.

The scoring continued at the outset of the second half as well with the Big Green finding the end zone twice in the first seven minutes of the third quarter for 42 consecutive points in little more than a full quarter of action.

Wide receiver Drew Estrada provided two of the Big Green touchdowns on the night, starting with the second-longest punt return in program history at 87 yards to put Dartmouth on the board in the first quarter. That long return helped him break the program record for punt return yards in a game (142 on four punt returns) that had stood for 52 years. His other touchdown came on a 2-yard jet sweep during the second-quarter outburst.

Dartmouth racked up a season-high 473 yards on just 51 plays — 273 on the ground, 200 through the air — the second time this season (and second time in the last 50 years) the Big Green have averaged more than nine yards a play. And according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Big Green became the first Ivy League team ever to score at least 21 points in the first half in six consecutive games.

Columbia looked to make it a game when Ty Lenhart orchestrated a 16-play, 71-yard drive that gobbled up more than eight minutes of the clock bridging the first and second quarters. He connected with Josh Wainwright in the end zone from 11 yards out, and Alex Felkins added the PAT to knot the game at 10.

The Dartmouth offense took over from there, however, running four straight plays that racked up at least 10 yards before quarterback Jared Gerbino scored on a 3-yard keeper for a 17-10 lead barely two minutes later.

After a quick three-and-out for the Lions, Estrada set up the next Big Green touchdown by returning a punt 40 yards deep into Columbia territory. Four plays later, Estrada was rewarded for his effort by getting the handoff for his 2-yard touchdown with 3:33 left in the half.

Barely a minute later, the defense got into the act when cornerback Isiah Swann stepped in front of a Lion pass and returned it 17 yards for his third career pick-six and 14th career interception, another new Dartmouth record.

The defense came up big again with a fourth-down stop at the Big Green 33 with only 45 seconds showing on the clock. Derek Kyler came in and ran the two-minute offense to perfection, guiding Dartmouth the 67 yards in only five plays, the last two being completions of 31 and 10 yards to Hunter Hagdorn to send the Green into the locker room with a 38-10 advantage.

The scoring barrage continued early in the second half. Jackson Perry forced a Columbia fumble at the Lion 33 that Jack Traynor recovered, and on the very next play, Dartmouth ran a reverse option pass that Kyler sent to running back Caylin Parker for a touchdown.

Gerbino added his second touchdown run, this time from 5 yards out to finish off a six-play, 55-yard drive with 8:07 left in the third quarter for a 52-10 bulge.

The Lions would not go quietly, however, with two touchdowns before the quarter ended. Mike Roussos pushed his way across the goal line on a 1-yard run, and after Ben Mathiasmeier returned a fumble 41 yards to the Dartmouth 10, Lenhart connected with Broderick Taylor on a 13-yard scoring strike to make it a 52-24 game.

The final points of the night came late in the fourth quarter three plays after quarterback Jake Pallotta kept the snap for a 69-yard run, the longest by a Big Green player this season. Freshman running back Noah Roper had the honor of scoring his first collegiate touchdown on an eight-yard burst around the left side.

The three Big Green quarterbacks finished the night 10-of-16 for 200 yards and two touchdowns (both from Kyler) and one interception, plus were three of the team's top four rushers with a combined 15 carries for 149 yards and two scores. Hagdorn led the receiving corps with four catches for a season-high 89 yards and a touchdown. Nigel Alexander led the defense with 12 tackles, while Swann and Traynor added nine apiece.

Lenhart completed 22-of-33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns with one pick, and his favorite target was Roussos (seven catches, 83 yards). As a team, the Lions amassed 312 total yards and held the ball for 34:27.

Dartmouth will next play at Harvard (4-1, 2-0 Ivy), which is playing at Princeton (5-0, 2-0 Ivy) on Saturday in a battle to see which team will remain tied with the Big Green atop the league standings. Kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 2 is slated for 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+ while a free audio broadcast featuring Brett Franklin and Wayne Young '72 will be available through DartmouthSports.com.

Notes: The last time Dartmouth scored 59 points came in a 59-31 win over Cornell in 2007 … the 24 points by Columbia are the most allowed by a Dartmouth defense that entered the night leading the FCS at 8.2 per game … the Big Green have won five of their six games by at least 29 points … Buddy Teevens, the Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach at Dartmouth, won his 102nd game, leaving him two behind the program record held by Bob Blackman … the Big Green have won 18 of their last 19 games … in the last 83 seasons, Dartmouth had scored 38 points in the either half just one other time — Oct. 10, 1992 in a 48-0 win over Holy Cross … the Green, which scored 28 points in the second quarter, have not scored more than that in a second quarter in 39 years.