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Kyler Named a Finalist for Bushnell Cup
11/30/2021 2:00:00 PM | Football
The quarterback is the eighth Big Green finalist in 11 seasons
HANOVER, N.H. — The Ivy League office revealed its finalists for the Bushnell Cup, given to the top offensive and defensive football players in the conference, and Dartmouth quarterback Derek Kyler was announced as one of the two finalists for the offensive award. The Big Green have had a finalist in six of the past seven seasons, but Kyler is the first to come from the offensive side of the ball in that span.
A fifth-year senior from DeKalb, Illinois, Kyler finished the season completing 169-of-239 passes for 1,972 yards and 17 touchdowns while getting picked off just once all year. He was one of the most efficient quarterbacks across the FCS during the 2021 season (and throughout his career), ranking second in the nation in completion percentage (.707, a Dartmouth record) and fourth in passing efficiency (162.66). And his touchdown-to-interception ratio (17.0) was the best of any FCS quarterback as well. Kyler also set Big Green and Ivy League career records for completion percentage (.693) and passing efficiency (164.55), the latter leading all active FCS signal callers.
Kyler was among the top three quarterbacks in the Ancient Eight in nearly every other passing statistical category, including touchdowns (second), yards per pass attempt (8.25, second), completions (third) and passing yards (third), plus total offense (205.6 yards per game, third). His performance throughout the season helped lift Dartmouth to a 9-1 record for the third straight season and its 20th Ivy League title, most in the circuit.
Kyler was at his best in the big games, leading the Big Green into battle against a ranked opponent three times this year with Dartmouth emerging victorious all three times — 38-21 at No. 23 New Hampshire, 20-17 at No. 21 Harvard and 31-7 against No. 16 Princeton. In those contests, the 6-2, 180-pound quarterback completed 54-of-69 passes (78.3 percent) for 748 yards and six touchdowns without an interception. He threw at least one touchdown pass and completed at least 65 percent of his throws in nine of the 10 games. Kyler also demonstrated his running ability in his final game, gaining 79 yards on just six carries, one of which was a 7-yard score in a 52-31 win at Brown to clinch the conference crown.
The other finalist for the offensive award is Brown quarterback E.J. Perry, who was a finalist last year as well. On the defensive side, Harvard linebacker Jordan Hill and Princeton linebacker Jeremiah Tyler are the finalists for the defensive honor.
For the 11th consecutive year, the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame (NFF) is partnering with the Ivy League to co-host the 2021 Asa S. Bushnell Cup Presentation. The four finalists will travel to New York City for the press conference, announcement and reception, on Monday, Dec. 13, at the famed New York Athletic Club. The event is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. EST.
Fans planning to attend the Bushnell Cup presentation and looking for hotel accommodations are encouraged to contact the New York Athletic Club at (212) 247-5100 and ask for the "Ivy League Bushnell" rate availability.
Notes: Since the Ivy League began announcing finalists for the awards in 2010, Dartmouth has been represented in New York eight times with four winners — RB Nick Schwieger in 2010, LB Folarin Orimolade in 2016, CB Isiah Swann in 2018 and LB Jack Traynor in 2019 … other finalists were Schwieger in 2011, QB Dalyn Williams in 2014 and LB Will McNamara in 2015 … the Big Green have had nine players win the Bushnell Cup since its inception in 1970, starting with QB Jim Chasey in the inaugural year, followed by current Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach Buddy Teevens (1978), Shon Page (1990), Al Rosier (1991) and Jay Fiedler (1992) before the four in the 2010s.
A fifth-year senior from DeKalb, Illinois, Kyler finished the season completing 169-of-239 passes for 1,972 yards and 17 touchdowns while getting picked off just once all year. He was one of the most efficient quarterbacks across the FCS during the 2021 season (and throughout his career), ranking second in the nation in completion percentage (.707, a Dartmouth record) and fourth in passing efficiency (162.66). And his touchdown-to-interception ratio (17.0) was the best of any FCS quarterback as well. Kyler also set Big Green and Ivy League career records for completion percentage (.693) and passing efficiency (164.55), the latter leading all active FCS signal callers.
Kyler was among the top three quarterbacks in the Ancient Eight in nearly every other passing statistical category, including touchdowns (second), yards per pass attempt (8.25, second), completions (third) and passing yards (third), plus total offense (205.6 yards per game, third). His performance throughout the season helped lift Dartmouth to a 9-1 record for the third straight season and its 20th Ivy League title, most in the circuit.
Kyler was at his best in the big games, leading the Big Green into battle against a ranked opponent three times this year with Dartmouth emerging victorious all three times — 38-21 at No. 23 New Hampshire, 20-17 at No. 21 Harvard and 31-7 against No. 16 Princeton. In those contests, the 6-2, 180-pound quarterback completed 54-of-69 passes (78.3 percent) for 748 yards and six touchdowns without an interception. He threw at least one touchdown pass and completed at least 65 percent of his throws in nine of the 10 games. Kyler also demonstrated his running ability in his final game, gaining 79 yards on just six carries, one of which was a 7-yard score in a 52-31 win at Brown to clinch the conference crown.
The other finalist for the offensive award is Brown quarterback E.J. Perry, who was a finalist last year as well. On the defensive side, Harvard linebacker Jordan Hill and Princeton linebacker Jeremiah Tyler are the finalists for the defensive honor.
For the 11th consecutive year, the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame (NFF) is partnering with the Ivy League to co-host the 2021 Asa S. Bushnell Cup Presentation. The four finalists will travel to New York City for the press conference, announcement and reception, on Monday, Dec. 13, at the famed New York Athletic Club. The event is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. EST.
Fans planning to attend the Bushnell Cup presentation and looking for hotel accommodations are encouraged to contact the New York Athletic Club at (212) 247-5100 and ask for the "Ivy League Bushnell" rate availability.
Notes: Since the Ivy League began announcing finalists for the awards in 2010, Dartmouth has been represented in New York eight times with four winners — RB Nick Schwieger in 2010, LB Folarin Orimolade in 2016, CB Isiah Swann in 2018 and LB Jack Traynor in 2019 … other finalists were Schwieger in 2011, QB Dalyn Williams in 2014 and LB Will McNamara in 2015 … the Big Green have had nine players win the Bushnell Cup since its inception in 1970, starting with QB Jim Chasey in the inaugural year, followed by current Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach Buddy Teevens (1978), Shon Page (1990), Al Rosier (1991) and Jay Fiedler (1992) before the four in the 2010s.
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