Dartmouth Defeats Penn in Ivy Opener, 31-7

Friday, October 1

Philadelphia, Pa. / Franklin Field

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Penn

Zack Bair ran for 91 yards and scored on an 8-yard touchdown toss.

Photo by: Mike Nance

10/1/2021 10:25:00 PM | Football

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The football team racked up 413 yards while holding the Quakers to just 141

By: Rick Bender

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Prior to the season, the big question around the Dartmouth football team was how it would handle losing 18 of its 22 starters from an Ivy League championship squad that last played two years ago. The Big Green answered that question tonight at Penn by stating that they are reloading, not rebuilding.

Dartmouth showcased its new talent with the returning veterans on national television in a 31-7 victory over host Penn in the Ivy League opener for both teams. The Big Green (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) racked up 413 total yards, 240 on the ground, while running their offense for more than 41 minutes on the night. The Quakers (1-2, 0-1 Ivy), on the other hand, ran a mere 37 plays for a paltry 141 yards in a dominant showing by Dartmouth on both sides of the ball.

Quarterback Nick Howard topped 100 yards for the second straight game (101 on 19 carries), and running back Zack Bair nearly joined him above the century mark with 91 more on only 13 rushes to lead the Dartmouth ground game. The air attack also spread its wings a bit as Derek Kyler threw for 160 yards on 15-of-22 passes with one touchdown while Howard completed his only pass for 13 yards.

The defense was even better, stifling Penn at just about every turn, whether the Quakers were running or throwing the ball. Quarterback John Quinnelly completed only six of his 16 pass attempts for 106 yards, plus was sacked twice and intercepted two other times. On the ground, Penn was only able to muster 35 yards on 21 rushes, a 1.7-yard average.

But it was the Big Green's special teams that got the ball rolling. With Penn punting from its 29-yard line, Dartmouth's Robert Crockett III came around the end and blocked the kick, the scooped up the loose ball and took it in for his first career touchdown. Connor Davis, returning to the field for the first time this season after nursing an injury, split the uprights on the PAT to give the Green a quick 7-0 lead.

That lead was short-lived, however, as the Quakers produced their one big play of the night when wide receiver Ryan Cragun got behind the Big Green defense and caught a long pass from Quinnelly. Cornerback Isaiah Johnson was able to run him down at the Dartmouth 7 after a 73-yard gain, but Isaiah Malcome broke through on the very next play for a 7-yard scurry into the end zone. The extra point tied the game at seven fewer than 10 minutes into the game.

The rest of the game belonged to Dartmouth, particularly the second quarter. The Quakers ran a mere seven plays before the intermission and lost a combined 10 yards as the Big Green defense registered a pair of sacks. The Dartmouth offense, meanwhile, methodically marched down the field on three consecutive drives.

The first of those three drives gobbled up over eight minutes, yet it resulted in only a 35-yard field goal by Davis. But the other two drives went all the way to the promised land. First, Howard rumbled in from seven yards out, and with 12 seconds left before halftime, Kyler connected with Bair on an 8-yard score for a 24-7 lead.

Dartmouth had an opportunity to pad its lead early in the third quarter, only to have a fumble at the goal line be recovered by the Quakers for a touchback. It wasn't until the opening minutes of the fourth quarter that the Green pushed through for their final score on a one-yard plunge by Howard. That touchdown was set up on a 20-yard toss to senior tight end Robbie Mangas and an 18-yard Howard run into the red zone.

Penn ran just two plays in Big Green territory all night. The first was Malcome's touchdown run, the second came late in the third quarter that ended with linebacker Tanner Cross intercepting a Quinnelly pass. In the fourth quarter, Penn once again ran just seven plays of offense, one of which ended in another interception, this time by safety Niko Mermigas.

Cross and linebacker Jalen Mackie led Dartmouth with four tackles apiece, while Mackie, Marques White, Mick Reese and Shane Cokes contributed to the two sacks.

Dartmouth returns to Hanover next weekend for its homecoming game against Yale (1-1, 1-0 Ivy). The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Bob Lipman and Matt Corsetti on the call. Big Green fans can also listen for free to Brett Franklin and Wayne Young '72 describing the action through the official website of Dartmouth Athletics, DartmouthSports.com.

Notes: The win was a welcome present for Buddy Teevens, Dartmouth's Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach, who celebrated his 65th birthday on Friday … the Big Green had a streak of 13 consecutive quarters with at least one touchdown come to an end in the scoreless third quarter, the longest such streak for the program in 51 years … Davis extended his streak of converting extra points to 49, two shy of the team record held by former NFL great Nick Lowery '78 … Howard is the first Big Green player to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games since Miles Smith in 2016 … the 37 plays run by Penn are the fewest for a Dartmouth opponent in at least 50 years … the last time the Green scored a touchdown on a blocked punt was 12 years ago against Harvard.