Completed Event: Football at #7/7 Lehigh on September 19, 2026 , Loss , 20, to, 24
Final
Football
at #7/7 Lehigh
20
24
Saturday, September 26
Hanover, N.H.
1:00 PM
Dartmouth College
vs
(RV) Monmouth
Football to Host Monmouth in Home Opener
9/24/2026 1:00:00 PM | Football
Game Two:Â (RV) Dartmouth (0-1) vs (RV) Monmouth (2-2, 2-0) - Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, 1 p.m.
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HANOVER, N.H. – The Dartmouth football team opens its 2026 home slate on Saturday, Sept. 26, against Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) opponent Monmouth.
Setting the Scene
The Big Green return home to open Buddy Teevens Stadium at Memorial Field on Saturday, Sept. 26, hosting Monmouth for Dartmouth's home opener and Family Weekend, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. It marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Dartmouth will be aiming for a fifth Ivy League title in the past seven years in 2026, and returned a talented roster headlined by Phil Steele Preseason All-Ivy honorees Grayson Saunier and Harrison Keith.
Dartmouth owns the most all-time Ivy League Championships, with 22, and has won a title in four of the past six seasons. The Big Green opened the season on the road and almost knocked off a top-10 opponent, falling 24-20 at No. 7 Lehigh on Saturday, Sept. 19, despite a go-ahead touchdown from Myles Craddock in the third quarter.Â
Sammy McCorkle, the Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach, enters his fourth season at the helm in 2026. The Big Green won Ivy League titles in 2023 and 2024 under McCorkle.
Core contributors return throughout the lineup for the Big Green, including quarterback Grayson Saunier, who threw for 2,143 yards and 9 touchdowns, while also rushing for 413 yards and a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns last season. Ky'Dric Fisher will be the top returning pass catcher, with 21 catches for 341 yards and 2 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025.
Harrison Keith, a Third Team Associated Press (AP) All-American last season, returns and led the team with four interceptions as a junior. Cameron Alston-Best enters his senior year after a 40-tackle 2025 season and is up to 59 career tackles over 20 games. Bruce Williams and Joshua Johnson combined for four sacks and 37 tackles as juniors last year and will look to take their production to the next level in 2026.
Last Time Out
Dartmouth opened its season on the road against #7 Lehigh and came within a possession of the winning, falling 24-20 at Goodman Stadium. Lehigh, the two-time defending Patriot League champion riding a 20-game regular-season win streak, needed a late touchdown with 8:46 left, aided by a pass interference call, to reclaim the lead for good after Dartmouth had grabbed its first advantage of the game, 20-17, on a Myles Craddock touchdown run late in the third quarter. It was Lehigh's closest game of the season. Dartmouth outgained the Mountain Hawks, 324-291, in total yards and held Lehigh to a season-low 218 rushing yards, while converting 9-for-14 third downs. The game was Lehigh's closest all season, with the Mountain Hawks earning wins over Holy Cross (35-10), Georgetown (45-14), and #16Â William & Mary (44-20).
Grayson Saunier went 17-for-30 for 262 yards and a touchdown, with Nick Lemon catching five passes for a career-high 102 yards. Kicker Owen Zalc nailed both his field goal attempts, a 5-yarder and a 51-yarder, and moved into second on Dartmouth's all-time scoring list. On defense, Steve Simpkins Jr. had a career-best 10 tackles. Dartmouth mounted one last drive in the closing seconds, highlighted by catches from Lemon and James Elliott that pushed the ball to Lehigh's 26-yard line, but couldn't complete the comeback.Â
Receiving Votes
The Big Green received six votes in the Monday, Sept. 21, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll.
With a Win on Saturday…
Scouting Monmouth
Monmouth enters Buddy Teevens Stadium at Memorial Field under first-year head coach Jeff Gallo and comes in off a 28-20 win at UAlbany. The Hawks opened the 2026 season ranked #23 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and #22 in the STATS Perform FCS Poll, one of only two Coastal Athletic Association programs in either preseason Top 25. Monmouth is coming off a 9-3 campaign in 2025 and returns quarterback Frankie Weaver along with receivers Gavin Nelson and Tra Neal from what was the top offense in FCS football a year ago. All-America safety Jaeden Jones, the CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, anchors the Hawks' defense.
In the most recent AFCA FCS Coaches Poll Monmouth earned five votes in the most recent STATS Perform FCS Top 25, the Hawks received nine votes.
Last Time vs. Monmouth
There is no last time vs. Monmouth. The Saturday, Sept. 26 contest will be the first in history between the programs.
Sammy McCorkle Against the CAA
McCorkle holds a 1-0 record as Robert L. Blackman Head Coach against the CAA:
- def. New Hampshire, 27-20: Saturday, Sept. 20 2026, at Buddy Teevens Stadium and Memorial Field.
Elite Company for Saunier
Grayson Saunier has etched his name in the Dartmouth record book in multiple statistical categories:
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- Points in a season: 60 (2025) — tied for Ivy League-best (with Yale's Josh Pitsenberger).
- Career completion percentage: .640 — 2nd in program history (behind Derek Kyler '21's .693); 9th in Ivy League history.
- Single-game passing yards: 407 yards vs. CCSU (2025) — tied for 5th in program history.Â
- Season completions: 183 (2025) — 7th all-time in program history.Â
- Season passing yards: 2,143 yards (2025) — 8th all-time in program history.
- Season rushing touchdowns: 11 (2025) — 9th all-time in program history.
- Career rushing touchdowns: 19 — 10th all-time in program history.
- Career total offense: 3,603 yards — 10th all-time in program history.Â
- Career completions: 247— 10th all-time in program history.
- Career passing yards: 2,938 yards — 12th all-time in program history.Â
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Saunier Among Active FCS Players
Saunier ranks 20th among active FCS players in career passing efficiency (137.15), 34th in total offense (3,603), 35th in (171.6) total offense-per-game.
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Weekly Honors For Zalc
On Monday, Sept. 21, Zalc was named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week for the seventh time in his career.
An Active Career Leader
Zalc is the FCS active career leader in field goals made-per-game (1.32) and ranks second among active players in made field goals (41), ninth in PATs (91) and tenth in points (214).
Zalc in the Record Book
- Single-season field goals: 17 made on 21 attempts (2023) — program record.Â
- Career field goals: 41 made on 58 attempts — Dartmouth record.
- Career field goals (Ivy League context): 41 — tied 5th all-time in Ivy League history; needs 11 to tie and 12 to pass Brown's Steve Morgan (2004-07), the conference record holder.
- Single-season field goals (Ivy League context): 14 field goals in 2023 — Ivy League single-season record.
-Â Career points-kicking:Â tops Dartmouth's career points-kicking chart, with 91 of 93 extra points made and 41 of 58 field goals made.
- Career points 214 points — 2nd all-time in program history.
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Big Green Receive Preseason Honors From Phil Steele
Grayson Saunier and Harrison Keith were named to the Phil Steele Magazine Preseason All-Ivy League Team, with both collecting first team honors.Â
Preseason Phil Steele All-Ivy honors:
First Team
Grayson Saunier quarterback
Harrison Keith, defensive back
Recapping 2025
The Big Green finished third in the Ivy League in the 2025 season, recording a 7-3 overall record and a 4-3 record in Ivy League play. The season opened with a 27-20 win over #23/25 New Hampshire, before a 35-28 victory over Central Connecticut State in another non-conference matchup. Dartmouth also defeated Fordham in its other non-conference play. While the Big Green fell to #12/15 Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and Brown in Ivy League play, Dartmouth earned victories over Princeton, Cornell, Columbia and Yale. The Big Green's 17-16 win over the Bulldogs was a thriller that was decided by a 51-yard Owen Zalc field goal.
30 Years from Perfection
This season marks the 30th anniversary of Dartmouth's perfect 1996 campaign, one of the finest in program history. Led by fifth-year head coach John Lyons, the Big Green went a perfect 10–0 overall and 7–0 in the Ivy League, finishing the year ranked No. 17 in the national rankings and capturing the program's 17th Ivy League title. The championship run featured signature wins over Cornell and Harvard, a dominant 40-0 shutout of Columbia, and a title-clinching victory at Brown, before the Big Green closed the year at Princeton, beating the Tigers 24-0 to complete the undefeated season. Thirty years later, that 1996 squad remains a touchstone for Dartmouth football and a fitting piece of history to celebrate this season.
Watch:Â ESPN+Â |Â International Feed
Live Stats
Listen
Tickets
Game Notes
Program
X
HANOVER, N.H. – The Dartmouth football team opens its 2026 home slate on Saturday, Sept. 26, against Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) opponent Monmouth.
Setting the Scene
The Big Green return home to open Buddy Teevens Stadium at Memorial Field on Saturday, Sept. 26, hosting Monmouth for Dartmouth's home opener and Family Weekend, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. It marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Dartmouth will be aiming for a fifth Ivy League title in the past seven years in 2026, and returned a talented roster headlined by Phil Steele Preseason All-Ivy honorees Grayson Saunier and Harrison Keith.
Dartmouth owns the most all-time Ivy League Championships, with 22, and has won a title in four of the past six seasons. The Big Green opened the season on the road and almost knocked off a top-10 opponent, falling 24-20 at No. 7 Lehigh on Saturday, Sept. 19, despite a go-ahead touchdown from Myles Craddock in the third quarter.Â
Sammy McCorkle, the Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach, enters his fourth season at the helm in 2026. The Big Green won Ivy League titles in 2023 and 2024 under McCorkle.
Core contributors return throughout the lineup for the Big Green, including quarterback Grayson Saunier, who threw for 2,143 yards and 9 touchdowns, while also rushing for 413 yards and a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns last season. Ky'Dric Fisher will be the top returning pass catcher, with 21 catches for 341 yards and 2 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025.
Harrison Keith, a Third Team Associated Press (AP) All-American last season, returns and led the team with four interceptions as a junior. Cameron Alston-Best enters his senior year after a 40-tackle 2025 season and is up to 59 career tackles over 20 games. Bruce Williams and Joshua Johnson combined for four sacks and 37 tackles as juniors last year and will look to take their production to the next level in 2026.
Last Time Out
Dartmouth opened its season on the road against #7 Lehigh and came within a possession of the winning, falling 24-20 at Goodman Stadium. Lehigh, the two-time defending Patriot League champion riding a 20-game regular-season win streak, needed a late touchdown with 8:46 left, aided by a pass interference call, to reclaim the lead for good after Dartmouth had grabbed its first advantage of the game, 20-17, on a Myles Craddock touchdown run late in the third quarter. It was Lehigh's closest game of the season. Dartmouth outgained the Mountain Hawks, 324-291, in total yards and held Lehigh to a season-low 218 rushing yards, while converting 9-for-14 third downs. The game was Lehigh's closest all season, with the Mountain Hawks earning wins over Holy Cross (35-10), Georgetown (45-14), and #16Â William & Mary (44-20).
Grayson Saunier went 17-for-30 for 262 yards and a touchdown, with Nick Lemon catching five passes for a career-high 102 yards. Kicker Owen Zalc nailed both his field goal attempts, a 5-yarder and a 51-yarder, and moved into second on Dartmouth's all-time scoring list. On defense, Steve Simpkins Jr. had a career-best 10 tackles. Dartmouth mounted one last drive in the closing seconds, highlighted by catches from Lemon and James Elliott that pushed the ball to Lehigh's 26-yard line, but couldn't complete the comeback.Â
Receiving Votes
The Big Green received six votes in the Monday, Sept. 21, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll.
With a Win on Saturday…
- Dartmouth would improve to 15-2 at home over its last 17 games, dating back to the 2022 season finale.
- The Big Green would win a seventh consecutive home game.
- Dartmouth would win its first game in history against Monmouth.
Scouting Monmouth
Monmouth enters Buddy Teevens Stadium at Memorial Field under first-year head coach Jeff Gallo and comes in off a 28-20 win at UAlbany. The Hawks opened the 2026 season ranked #23 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and #22 in the STATS Perform FCS Poll, one of only two Coastal Athletic Association programs in either preseason Top 25. Monmouth is coming off a 9-3 campaign in 2025 and returns quarterback Frankie Weaver along with receivers Gavin Nelson and Tra Neal from what was the top offense in FCS football a year ago. All-America safety Jaeden Jones, the CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, anchors the Hawks' defense.
In the most recent AFCA FCS Coaches Poll Monmouth earned five votes in the most recent STATS Perform FCS Top 25, the Hawks received nine votes.
Last Time vs. Monmouth
There is no last time vs. Monmouth. The Saturday, Sept. 26 contest will be the first in history between the programs.
Sammy McCorkle Against the CAA
McCorkle holds a 1-0 record as Robert L. Blackman Head Coach against the CAA:
- def. New Hampshire, 27-20: Saturday, Sept. 20 2026, at Buddy Teevens Stadium and Memorial Field.
Elite Company for Saunier
Grayson Saunier has etched his name in the Dartmouth record book in multiple statistical categories:
Â
- Points in a season: 60 (2025) — tied for Ivy League-best (with Yale's Josh Pitsenberger).
- Career completion percentage: .640 — 2nd in program history (behind Derek Kyler '21's .693); 9th in Ivy League history.
- Single-game passing yards: 407 yards vs. CCSU (2025) — tied for 5th in program history.Â
- Season completions: 183 (2025) — 7th all-time in program history.Â
- Season passing yards: 2,143 yards (2025) — 8th all-time in program history.
- Season rushing touchdowns: 11 (2025) — 9th all-time in program history.
- Career rushing touchdowns: 19 — 10th all-time in program history.
- Career total offense: 3,603 yards — 10th all-time in program history.Â
- Career completions: 247— 10th all-time in program history.
- Career passing yards: 2,938 yards — 12th all-time in program history.Â
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Saunier Among Active FCS Players
Saunier ranks 20th among active FCS players in career passing efficiency (137.15), 34th in total offense (3,603), 35th in (171.6) total offense-per-game.
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Weekly Honors For Zalc
On Monday, Sept. 21, Zalc was named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week for the seventh time in his career.
An Active Career Leader
Zalc is the FCS active career leader in field goals made-per-game (1.32) and ranks second among active players in made field goals (41), ninth in PATs (91) and tenth in points (214).
Zalc in the Record Book
- Single-season field goals: 17 made on 21 attempts (2023) — program record.Â
- Career field goals: 41 made on 58 attempts — Dartmouth record.
- Career field goals (Ivy League context): 41 — tied 5th all-time in Ivy League history; needs 11 to tie and 12 to pass Brown's Steve Morgan (2004-07), the conference record holder.
- Single-season field goals (Ivy League context): 14 field goals in 2023 — Ivy League single-season record.
-Â Career points-kicking:Â tops Dartmouth's career points-kicking chart, with 91 of 93 extra points made and 41 of 58 field goals made.
- Career points 214 points — 2nd all-time in program history.
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Big Green Receive Preseason Honors From Phil Steele
Grayson Saunier and Harrison Keith were named to the Phil Steele Magazine Preseason All-Ivy League Team, with both collecting first team honors.Â
Preseason Phil Steele All-Ivy honors:
First Team
Grayson Saunier quarterback
Harrison Keith, defensive back
Recapping 2025
The Big Green finished third in the Ivy League in the 2025 season, recording a 7-3 overall record and a 4-3 record in Ivy League play. The season opened with a 27-20 win over #23/25 New Hampshire, before a 35-28 victory over Central Connecticut State in another non-conference matchup. Dartmouth also defeated Fordham in its other non-conference play. While the Big Green fell to #12/15 Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and Brown in Ivy League play, Dartmouth earned victories over Princeton, Cornell, Columbia and Yale. The Big Green's 17-16 win over the Bulldogs was a thriller that was decided by a 51-yard Owen Zalc field goal.
30 Years from Perfection
This season marks the 30th anniversary of Dartmouth's perfect 1996 campaign, one of the finest in program history. Led by fifth-year head coach John Lyons, the Big Green went a perfect 10–0 overall and 7–0 in the Ivy League, finishing the year ranked No. 17 in the national rankings and capturing the program's 17th Ivy League title. The championship run featured signature wins over Cornell and Harvard, a dominant 40-0 shutout of Columbia, and a title-clinching victory at Brown, before the Big Green closed the year at Princeton, beating the Tigers 24-0 to complete the undefeated season. Thirty years later, that 1996 squad remains a touchstone for Dartmouth football and a fitting piece of history to celebrate this season.
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