Dartmouth Earns Share of Ivy Title with Convincing 38-13 Victory

Saturday, November 18

Providence, R.I. / Brown Stadium

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

6-4 , 5-2

Brown

5-5 , 3-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Dartmouth

Brown

Photo by: Justin Lafleur

Photo by: Justin Lafleur

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Leonard St. Gourdin football action versus Brown

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Photo by: Justin Lafleur

Tevita Moimoi football action versus Brown

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Jackson Proctor and Q Jones football action versus Brown

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Photo by: Justin Lafleur

Group tackle football action versus Brown

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Coach Larkins football action versus Brown

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Coach Shula football action versus Brown

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Nick Howard football action versus Brown

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K.J. Edwards football action versus Brown

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Jackson Proctor and Devon Lingle football action versus Brown

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Jackson Proctor football action versus Brown

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Jackson Proctor and Jackson Gerard football action versus Brown

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Jackson Gerard and Painter Richards-Baker football action versus Brown

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Danny Cronin football action versus Brown

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Coach McCorkle football action versus Brown

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Jordan Washington football action versus Brown

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Charles Looes football action versus Brown

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Isaiah Golonka football action versus Brown

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Davis Golick football action versus Brown

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Joe Onuwabhagbe football action versus Brown

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Offensive line football action versus Brown

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D.J. Crowther football action versus Brown

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JB and BT stickers football action versus Brown

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Jack Noonan football action versus Brown

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Jaylin Rainey football action versus Brown

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Team singing alma mater football action versus Brown

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Coach McCorkle and Q Jones football action versus Brown

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Team postgame football action versus Brown

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Coach McCorkle and Jace Henry football action versus Brown

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Dartmouth Earns Share of Ivy Title with Convincing 38-13 Victory

11/18/2023 3:00:00 PM | Football

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The Big Green piled up nearly 400 yards on the ground with four long touchdown runs at Brown

By: Rick Bender

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Joy. Sadness. Pride. Relief.

These are just a sampling of the emotions that ran through the Dartmouth football team following the Big Green's convincing 38-13 victory at Brown to earn a share of the Ivy League title for the 21st time in program history. Dartmouth (6-4, 5-2 Ivy) had to wait a good 20 minutes to find out its final fate, however, needing a Yale victory over Harvard to finish tied atop the Ancient Eight standings with those two teams. The Big Green erupted with elation on Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium when the Bulldogs got a fourth-down stop in the final minute to secure a 23-18 victory.

In the wake of the tragic bicycle accident that left Dartmouth's legendary coach Buddy Teevens fighting for his life in March before succumbing in September shortly after the season began, as well as the passing of teammate Josh Balara in March after a lengthy battle with cancer, Sammy McCorkle, the Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach, deftly guided the Big Green through it all to become the 10th coach in conference history to win a title in his first year at the helm and first since 2015.

"We challenged each other, held each other accountable all season, and I can't thank the staff, administration and players enough," McCorkle said amidst the jubilant Big Green team. "It took everybody to do what we were able to accomplish. The seniors showed up every day on the practice field, the game field, in the weight room, everyone followed them. I've been on championship teams before, but there is something different about this group with what they had to face, what they had to endure and overcome. There are so many emotions right now, but I'll tell you what. We're going to enjoy this championship."

It was the ground game and a stellar defensive effort that carried Dartmouth to victory. Running back Q Jones led the rushing attack with a season-high 124 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns while quarterback Jackson Proctor ran for 103 more, including a 78-yard sprint to the end zone as the Big Green averaged nearly eight yards per rush while piling up 386 yards on the ground. Quarterback Nick Howard nearly made it a trio over the century mark as he ran 16 times for 96 yards.

We have another @KingJones____ sighting! That's 2⃣ TDs and 102 yards already today!

Watch on @ESPNPlus: https://t.co/Y5BXRRzJ6e #TheWoods 🌲 | #GoBigGreen pic.twitter.com/HoX0xZrNhp
— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) November 18, 2023

By the time Jones had broken free for touchdown runs of 19 and 38 yards and Proctor had connected with tight end Chris Corbo on an 8-yard touchdown pass to give Dartmouth a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter, Brown had managed to advance the ball a mere 51 yards. That third score was set up by an interception by cornerback Patrick Campbell, which he returned 22 yards to the Brown 37.

Although the Bears did finally reach the end zone on a 35-yard pass from Jake Willcox to Graham Walker, the Big Green quickly answered two plays later when Proctor faked a handoff, found daylight around the left side and outran the defense for his 78-yard touchdown — the longest run by a Dartmouth player in five years — for a 28-7 lead they took into the locker room.

Brown received the kickoff to start the second half, looking to get back into the game. But after driving down to the Dartmouth 33, the Big Green defense stuffed a 4th-and-2 run as linebacker Danny Cronin provided one of his dozen tackles on the afternoon. Later in the quarter, first-year place kicker Owen Zalc booted a 25-yard field goal, his program-record 17th of the season and 14th in Ivy League play, the latter breaking the conference mark.

The Dartmouth defense continued to assert itself as Charles Looes dropped Willcox for a sack on a third-down play, forcing a punt late in the third quarter. And on the next Bears possession when they drove down to the Big Green 2-yard line, linebacker Macklin Ayers forced a hurried throw for an incompletion on third down and Joe Onuwabhagbe smothered Willcox for a 10-yard sack to turn the ball over on downs.

With the game in hand, Brown sent reserve quarterback Nate Lussier into the game, and he surprised everyone by running 30 yards on a keeper for a touchdown. Again Dartmouth had an answer, this time in the form of a 39-yard burst up the middle across the goal line by running back D.J. Crowther.

He's gone! @jacksonlproctor covers 78 yards for the touchdown! Longest Big Green run in 5 years!

Watch on @ESPNPlus: https://t.co/Y5BXRRzJ6e #TheWoods 🌲 | #GoBigGreen pic.twitter.com/r3UVI6F6zR
— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) November 18, 2023

The defense got one more opportunity to flex in the final minute after Brown had a touchdown overturned on review, leaving the Bears on the 1-yard line. Lussier attempted a little misdirection before throwing toward the left corner of the end zone, only to have safety Sean Williams there to intercept the pass. One kneel down later and Dartmouth had its victory.

Ayers joined Cronin with 12 tackles to lead the Big Green, and six different players contributed to sacking Willcox five times as Dartmouth held a Brown offense to 98 rushing yards and half its scoring average on the season. Willcox ended the game 20-of-37 passing the ball for 193 yards — more than 100 under his season average — with one touchdown and one interception.

Proctor wasn't asked to throw very often but was effective, going 6-for-10 for 42 yards, a score and an interception to go with his 103 yards on five carries. Paxton Scott was his favorite target, hauling in four of the six completions for 21 yards.

"The running backs ran really hard today, the line kept everyone safe and the receivers blocked well. We couldn't have done what we did today as a single person, it was a complete unit today," Proctor said. "I knew we had a good team going into the year, but obviously with what happened to Coach T and J.B. in the spring, we had a chip on our shoulder. We wanted to play for them. I don't even have the words right now, I'm just so proud of these guys."

Notes: This is the third time in Ivy League history that the championship was shared by teams with two losses, the other instances coming in 1963 and 1982 … Dartmouth is the only team to earn a share of the title in each of those three seasons … in the 100th game between Dartmouth and Brown, the Big Green improved to 64-32-4 all-time in the series … Dartmouth has won three Ivy titles in the last four seasons — all three of which were clinched on Brown's field … the Big Green also have won their last six contests at Brown Stadium … Jones enjoyed his second career 100-yard game and first since week two of the 2022 season … Howard concludes his Big Green career fourth all-time with 1,925 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns, the most in program history … Scott moved into a tie for 10th in receptions in the Dartmouth annals with 131 to his credit.