Davis Field Goal in Final Minute Lifts Football to 20-17 Win

Saturday, October 30

Cambridge, Mass. / Harvard Stadium

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

6-1 , 3-1

Harvard

5-2 , 2-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Dartmouth

Harvard

Connor Davis admires his footiwork

Photo by: Gil Talbot

Davis Field Goal in Final Minute Lifts Football to 20-17 Win

10/30/2021 3:16:00 PM | Football

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The Big Green knock off another ranked team, defeating No. 21 Harvard on the road

By: Rick Bender

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Senior Connor Davis converted a 25-yard field goal with 49 seconds remaining and Harvard could not find the range from 53 yards on the game's final play as Dartmouth (6-1, 3-1 Ivy) knocked off the No. 21 Crimson (5-2, 2-2 Ivy) on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon at Harvard Stadium, 20-17.

When the fourth quarter began, the Big Green held a slim 17-14 advantage. Harvard misfired on a 21-yard chip shot that would have tied the game midway through the period, but was able to convert from 34 yards out four minutes later to tie the score. Dartmouth then embarked on a nine-play, 67-yard drive that advanced the offense about a foot shy of a first down at the Crimson 8-yard line. Buddy Teevens, the Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach, took no chances on going for it on fourth down and put his trust in Davis, who came through in the clutch.

Harvard had one last gasp, and with a little help from a roughing-the-passer call, found itself on the Big Green 36 with four seconds to play, seven yards closer than Dartmouth was two years ago when it was trailing by three and pulled out a win on a Hail Mary pass. But Crimson coach Tim Murphy elected to go for the game-tying, 53-yard field goal against a bit of a cross wind, and the kick fell just short and wide, sending the Dartmouth fans in attendance into an uproar.

The weather conditions certainly wreaked havoc on both teams in the opening quarter as neither side could muster much offense. A Big Green punt went just 26 yards as the ball squirted off the foot of punter Davis Golick, and Harvard had two snaps slip past its quarterback, the second of which was recovered by Dartmouth defensive end Shane Cokes. By the end of the first 15 minutes, the Green had just 60 yards and the Crimson a mere 13.

But the rain let up in the second quarter and the wind died down some, and the two sides starting making plays. A 36-yard pass from Jake Smith to Adam West pushed Harvard down to the Big Green 19. A pass interference call helped sustain the drive, and Smith put the first points on the board with an 11-yard toss to Aaron Shampklin out of the backfield. With the PAT, the Crimson took a 7-0 lead with 6:49 left in the half.

The Dartmouth offense also came to life, however, as Derek Kyler connected with Painter Richards-Baker on a 27-yard throw on the first play of the ensuing drive. A 15-yard toss from Nick Howard to Zack Bair, an 11-yard Howard run, and an impressive 7-yard pickup by Noah Roper as he dragged several defenders across the first-down marker pushed the Big Green inside the 10. Two plays later, Kyler rolled right and threw back to his left to his tight end, Robbie Mangas, for a 5-yard touchdown. Davis added the PAT to knot the score at seven with 2:54 still to go until the intermission.

When Harvard was held without a first down and forced to punt, Dartmouth took advantage of a face mask penalty on the return and eventually put three more points on the board before the break. Facing 4th-and-3 at the Crimson 37 with 30 seconds on the clock, Teevens called time to weigh his options. He decided to give Davis a shot at a career-long 54-yard field goal, but Harvard called time, after which Teevens sent his offense back on the field. The Crimson called time again, then Teevens called his last timeout as well. Finally, running back Zack Bair picked up the first down with a 15-yard run, and three players later, Davis split the uprights from 34 yards out as time expired for a 10-7 lead at the break.

That lead was very short-lived once the action started up again as DeMarkes Stradford returned the kickoff starting the second half 89 yards for a Crimson touchdown and a 14-10 lead. But for the rest of the quarter, the Dartmouth defense held Harvard without a first down.

The Big Green waited almost the entire third quarter to respond, but respond they did with 24 seconds left when Howard threw a 31-yard strike to Richards-Baker, who dove for the catch and landed just past the goal line for the first career touchdown through the air for both players. Davis's PAT — his school-record 59th consecutive make — gave Dartmouth a 17-14 lead.

Harvard tried to answer quickly, but a long pass downfield was intercepted by junior safety Quinten Arello. When the Big Green failed to get a first down, the Crimson marched down to the Dartmouth 1 on third down, only to be rebuffed when senior nickelback John Pupel dropped a rusher for a 4-yard loss. The lead was preserved when the 21-yard field goal was pushed wide right. But Jonah Lipel got another chance to tie the game with 4:31 to play and did not miss this time, burying the 31-yard attempt and set up Dartmouth's game-winning drive and field goal.

The Big Green enjoyed a sizable edge offensively, amassing 393 yards while holding Harvard to 223. Kyler finished the day 20-of-27 for 230 yards and a touchdown, while Howard was 2-of-4 for 46 yards and his scoring strike. Paxton Scott led Dartmouth with seven catches for 67 yards while junior Dale Chesson, playing in his first game this year after recovering from an injury, nabbed five throws for 72 yards. Noah Roper was the top rusher for the Green, gaining 55 of the team's 117 yards on nine carries.

Two Crimson quarterbacks combined to complete 17-of-29 passes for 155 yards, one TD and an interception. Aaron Shampklin picked up 76 yards on the ground on 17 rushes, but the rest of his squad was pushed backward as Harvard had 68 rushing yards overall.

The Dartmouth defense had seven tackles for a loss, two by defensive end Mick Reese, while corner Isaiah Johnson and linebacker Jalen Mackie had 11 stops apiece. Harvard's James Herring led all players with a dozen tackles on the day.

Dartmouth returns home next week to host 15th-ranked and league-leading Princeton (7-0, 4-0 Ivy) with a chance to move into a tie for first with the Tigers. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU on Friday, Nov. 5 at 6 p.m., and Big Green fans can also listen to Brett Franklin and Wayne Young calling the action for free through the official website of Dartmouth Athletics, DartmouthSports.com.

Notes: Dartmouth has won three straight meetings with Harvard after dropping 14 straight … the Big Green had not allowed a team to return a kickoff for a touchdown in 10 years … Davis moved into 10th on Dartmouth's career scoring list with 148 points … the 223 yards of offense were the fewest for the Crimson against the Big Green since 1995 (196) … Dartmouth was whistled for nine penalties for 92 yards, the most of either statistic in four years.