Big Green Pick Up Dramatic 16-14 Win Over Merrimack

Saturday, September 28

North Andover, Mass.

1:00 PM

Dartmouth College

2-0 , 0-0

Merrimack

1-4 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Dartmouth

Merrimack

Photo by: Cade Bettinger

Big Green Pick Up Dramatic 16-14 Win Over Merrimack

9/28/2024 6:22:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Owen Zalc knocks in three field goals, including the game-winner with three seconds remaining

By: Justin Lafleur

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Owen Zalc knocked through his third field goal of the afternoon, a 32-yarder with three seconds remaining, to help the Big Green erase a 14-10 fourth-quarter deficit and spoil Merrimack's homecoming, 16-14, on Saturday afternoon at Duane Stadium. In front of an announced crowd of more than 15,000 fans, the Big Green put together drives of 35 and 62 yards in the fourth quarter to improve to 2-0 on the season.

"Going into the game, we knew it was going to be a huge challenge. It was going to be a hostile environment," said Sammy McCorkle, Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach. "We knew they were a good football team. They came in with a lot of energy; they were an aggressive football team, and they were prepared to play us. I thought we didn't quite come out the way we needed to come out, but our guys came out of halftime, adjusted and made some changes offensively and defensively. Our guys came out with a lot more energy in the second half and played a lot more aggressively."

With 7:54 left in the fourth, Zalc converted a career-long 50-yarder as he finished the day with three field goals to tie a career high.

"Owen continues to do what he does," said McCorkle. "He's such a gamer. It's nice knowing you have a guy like that. It allows you to do some things earlier in the game that could put you in a situation at the end where he can win it for you."

"Just do the same thing I do every time," said Zalc, when asked about the game-winner. "I'm going to get good protection, I know that. The snap is going to be there, the hold's going to be there, I just have to kick it."

The snap. The hold. The win.#TheWoods #GoBigGreen pic.twitter.com/bUsRvOxgqL
— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) September 28, 2024

Quarterback Jackson Proctor finished 14-of-29 passing with 161 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 43 yards on 10 attempts, with Q Jones posting a team-high 52 rush yards.

Painter Richards-Baker had one catch, but it was for 75 yards and a first-quarter touchdown. All four of Paxton Scott's team-high four receptions were in the second half, with them going for 46 yards. Scott moved into fifth place in program history for career receptions, now with 142. Daniel Haughton and Chris Corbo each added two catches.

Micah Green led the Big Green in tackles with nine while Sean Williams added eight and Josiah Green tacked on seven. Ejike Adele had a half sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in a strong effort.

Merrimack's Jermaine Corbett, who entered the weekend 11th in the nation in rushing yards, led the Warriors with 137 yards on the ground (on 21 carries) and two touchdowns. He also led the Warriors in receiving yards (45).

After a Dartmouth three-and-out, Merrimack turned its first drive into a 7-0 lead, as Corbett finished it off with a 13-yard touchdown. Following the extra point, the Warriors led 7-0 with 8:40 on the first-quarter clock.

It took just 19 seconds for Dartmouth to answer. On the second play of the drive, a play-action pass finished with Proctor finding Richards-Baker down the right side. He went all the way for 75 yards, evening the score at seven with 8:21 left in the first. It marked the Big Green's longest reception since October of 2019.

"We needed a little jump start there," said McCorkle. "I felt like our guys were going through the motions a little bit, but that was helpful. The energy has to stay. We have to match our opponent's energy and even more. I thought [Merrimack] did a good job of coming out with more energy than us. We can't wait until the second half to do that. Luckily, we ended up on the winning side."

After each team had a touchdown, the defenses took over until late in the second quarter. A Merrimack running-into-the-punter penalty kept Dartmouth's drive alive, which finished with Zalc converting his first field goal of the afternoon, 31 yards, to give Dartmouth a 10-7 lead with 1:59 on the clock. That proved to be the halftime score.

Halftime 📸#TheWoods #GoBigGreen pic.twitter.com/tZG92dIp3N
— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) September 28, 2024

Merrimack took the opening drive of the second half 72 yards on seven plays, finishing with an 11-yard Corbett run, to put the Warriors back in front, 14-10.

On the ensuing drive, Dartmouth methodically marched down the field. Twelve plays later, Zalc had plenty of distance on a 50-yard field goal, but it fell wide of the mark.

Proctor played his best in the fourth quarter, finishing 6-of-9 for 70 yards. Three of those completions were to Scott to keep the chains moving. Midway through the fourth, Dartmouth was facing fourth-and-nine from the Merrimack 33-yard line. McCorkle sent Zalc back out for his second 50-yard attempt and he converted, pulling the Big Green within 14-13 with 7:54 on the clock.

On the ensuing drive, a sack by Josiah Green and Adele proved critical in forcing second-and-18. The Warriors would punt, as the Big Green started from their own 25-yard line. Dartmouth got first downs on each of its first two plays, via a 13-yard reception by Chris Corbo and 15-yard catch by Jones. The drive saw two more first downs, and ended with Zalck knocking through a 32-yard field goal with just three seconds remaining.

Total yards were 280-264 in favor of Dartmouth, with the Big Green holding a slim 18-15 edge in first downs.

"It's always good to get a win," said McCorkle. "It's hard to win. It's not always going to be pretty. A game like this, coming down to the wire, is going to help us for sure."

Dartmouth returns home next Saturday for its Ivy League opener, as the Big Green host Penn as part of the Buddy Teevens Stadium Dedication weekend. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

Questions can be directed to the Athletics Sales Office at athletics.sales@dartmouth.edu or by calling (603) 646-2466.

NOTES: Zalc's game-winning field goal marked the third of his young career in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. Last season, he converted a walk-off 37-yarder in overtime at Penn then later gave the Big Green a 23-21 lead over Princeton with 1:29 left in the fourth quarter, which proved to be the final … Richards Baker's 75-yard reception was the longest catch by a Big Green player since Oct. 12, 2019 when Drew Estrada had a 75-yard catch from Jared Gerbino in a 42-10 win over Yale … Paxton Scott passed Craig Morton (1986-88) for fifth place in program history for career receptions, now owning 142.