Big Green Defeat Penn in Ivy Opener, 28-15

Friday, October 4

Philadelphia, Pa. / Franklin Field

7 PM

Dartmouth College

3-0 , 1-0

Penn

1-2 , 0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Dartmouth

Penn

Sophomore Zack Bair

Photo by: John and Matt Risley

10/4/2019 10:29:00 PM | Football

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Dartmouth scored three touchdowns in the first half, two by Zack Bair

By: Rick Bender

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — A 15-play, 86-yard drive that chewed up more than eight minutes in the fourth quarter ended in a 9-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jared Gerbino, extending the Dartmouth lead to 21 points as the Big Green earned a 28-15 triumph over Penn at Franklin Field on Friday night in the Ivy League opener for both teams. The Big Green (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) defeated the Quakers (1-2, 0-1 Ivy) for the fifth time in the last six meetings.

Running back Zack Bair provided two of the three Dartmouth touchdowns in the first half, the first on a 57-yard reception, the other on a 17-yard run. The defense also put points on the board when linebacker Jack Traynor scooped up a fumble and rumbled 17 yards to the end zone. But it was the extended drive in the fourth quarter that put the game away for good with 3:57 to play.

Or so it seemed. Penn did not go quietly, marching 75 yards in less than two minutes and recovering an onside kick. But the Quakers' last gasp ended at the Dartmouth 21 after a 21-yard pass came up short of the marker on a 4th-and-23 play.

Penn nearly put Dartmouth behind on the scoreboard for the first time in five games when David Perkins attempted a 49-yard field goal on the Quakers' first drive. But while the kick had the distance, it stayed right of the mark, leaving the game scoreless.

The Big Green didn't take long to score after the miss. After an 11-yard run by Drew Estrada, Gerbino lofted a pass to a wide-open Bair down the left sideline, and the sophomore had to make just one move near the goal line to cross the threshold for the 57-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

After both teams went three-and-out, the Dartmouth defense got into the scoring act. Linemen Niko Lalos and David Chalmers broke through the line and dropped Trey Flowers in the backfield, stripping the ball free in the process. Traynor, a two-time, unanimous All-Ivy League First Team selection, picked the ball up and ran uncontested into the end zone for his first career touchdown.

Penn cut the 14-0 deficit in half by taking a risk early in the second quarter. Facing 4th-and-2 at the Big Green 43, the Quakers gave the ball to Karekin Brooks — the nation's leading rusher entering the game — and the senior broke free for a touchdown. The 43-yard jaunt was the longest run against the Dartmouth defense in the Green's last 29 games.

Gerbino helped Dartmouth counter on the next possession, running for 21 yards and throwing for another 37 to push the Big Green down to the Penn 17. Bair finished off the nine-play, 75-yard drive by running around the left side and scampering in for his second score of the day with 8:54 left in the half. Dartmouth made that score hold up into the locker room when cornerback Darren Stanley batted down a 40-yard Hail Mary pass as time expired.

Both teams saw long drives in the third quarter end on downs in enemy territory, and Dartmouth found itself with the ball at its own 16 with 12:21 to play and that 14-point intact. The Big Green embarked on a long drive that featured runs on 13 of the 15 plays, and the only gain of 10 yard or more came on a facemask penalty against the Quaker defense. Three times Dartmouth moved the chains on a 3rd-down play, and after Penn burned its first timeout with just over minutes to play, Gerbino ran for a 9-yard touchdown, essentially putting the game out of reach at 28-7.

Penn moved quickly down the field in a valiant attempt to claw its way back as quarterback Nick Robinson completed 4-of-5 passes to move the ball down to the Big Green 2. Brooks bulled his way in from there with 1:47 on the clock, and the Quakers added a two-point conversion to close the gap to 13 points.

A perfectly executed onside kick kept Penn's hopes alive. But a pair of Dartmouth sacks — the first by senior Seth Simmer, the other courtesy of senior Niko Lalos and freshman Marques White — helped seal the victory as the Quakers turned the ball over on downs.

Gerbino threw for 119 yards on 9-of-12 passing with a touchdown, plus ran for 77 yards on 13 carries with his game-clinching score. Derek Kyler spelled Gerbino for several series, completing 7-of-10 tosses for 31 yards.

Robinson's final line included 27-of-39 completions for 209 yards, while Brooks ran for 91 yards (half of his season average) on 19 carries with both Penn touchdowns. He also caught 10 passes, but only gained 31 yards as the Dartmouth defense quickly swarmed him.

The total yardage was nearly equal at 317 for Dartmouth (after two kneel downs gave back five) and 321 for the hosts. Nigel Alexander led the Big Green defense with 12 tackles with Traynor adding 10 more, while Zach Evans had a dozen stops for Penn.

Dartmouth will host its homecoming game next Saturday when Yale (2-0, 1-0 Ivy) comes to Hanover with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Matt Corsetti and Matt Goldstein on the mic, while Brett Franklin and Wayne Young '72 will provide the call on the online audio broadcast via DartmouthSports.com.

Notes: The Dartmouth defense has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in any of its last 23 games, dating back to the final game of the 2016 season … Bair's touchdown catch was just the second for a Big Green running back since the start of the 2016 campaign (Ryder Stone) … All-America cornerback Isiah Swann was held out for the third straight game, but fifth-year senior Vito Penza saw his first action since the 2017 season … Buddy Teevens, the Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach, won his 99th career game at the helm of the Dartmouth program.