Indians Escape Columbia Surge

By Benjamin Flickinger | Monday, November 3, 2003

Everything necessary for a successful event was present: It was Homecoming Saturday, a season-best 8125 green-wearing spectators, multiple freshmen field-rushers, Keggie the Keg's first appearance'surely making the administration cringe?and a former player honored for his impending induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Oh yeah, and a football game, which Dartmouth won 26-21 over Columbia to improve their record to 2-4 and 1-2 in Ivy play. It was the first home win for Dartmouth this year, and the first Homecoming win since 1999.

Ten minutes into the fourth quarter, Dartmouth seemed to have the game wrapped up, leading 26-7 with roughly ten minutes left in the fourth quarter. But troubles soon started. Columbia scored and Dartmouth went three and out on its next series. A blocked Columbia field-goal attempt, however, seemed to put the Indians again in position for a win.

But Dartmouth went three and out again, this time throwing two incomplete passes and taking only 27 seconds off the clock. Columbia struck quickly, going 61 yards on four plays in 51 seconds against a prevent defense that let Lions wide receiver Zach Van Zant behind them for a 35-yard touchdown pass. And to top it off, there was a personal foul for roughing the passer that was assessed on the ensuing kickoff.

After Ikechi Ogbonna returned the kickoff from two yards deep in the end zone to the 11-yard line rather than taking the touchback, Dartmouth once more went three and out, giving Columbia one last crack with exactly two minutes left on the clock. With the game on the line, the Dartmouth defense stiffened, and as the crowd rose to its feet on fourth-and-ten, the defense sacked Jeff Otis, allowing the Indians to run down the clock and clinch their Homecoming victory.

Prior to the fourth quarter fireworks, Dartmouth controlled the momentum for much of the game. Chris Little '05 carried 31 times for 137 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Little's 31-yard touchdown-run early in the third quarter put Dartmouth on top 23-7.

Later in the third quarter, after Columbia downed a punt on the two-yard line, Little almost broke free on what would have been a 91-yard touchdown run, but appeared to stumble over the 15-yard line and ended up settling for a 14-yard run for a first down.

Charlie Rittgers '06 won his second game as quarterback, throwing 18 completions on 27 attempts for 234 yards and two touchdowns. He had one pass intercepted late in the first half.

During halftime, one Homecoming tradition was renewed after a one-year hiatus. Roughly a dozen people rushed onto the field just as the Dartmouth marching band was starting its halftime routine, drawing perhaps the biggest cheers of the day from the student section. The brave soul who initiated the stampede made avoided capture before hopping into the stands on the far side and running down the tunnel.

The other field rushers appeared to make it with little trouble as the police attention was focused on the initial person. One fan, however, that stopped to high-five Keggie ended up running from corner to corner before eventually escaping over a fence and across Red Rolfe Field.

Also at halftime, Murray Bowden ?71 was honored for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Bowden was an All-American defensive back for a defense that had six shutouts and allowed a total of 42 points in 1970 on a team that went 9-0 and won the Lambert Trophy as the Eastern Champion and was ranked 14th nationally. That 1970 team won the second of five straight Ivy League titles, spanning from 1969-1973.

Bowden played much of his senior season without taking part in contact drills in practice after having off-season surgery to repair knee and shoulder injuries. Despite being only 5?11? and 190 pounds, he was regarded as the hardest hitter on the team that year, becoming the inspirational leader for the nation's leading defense.

With Homecoming and its revelry in the rearview mirror, Dartmouth now turns its attention to unbeaten and 18th ranked Harvard. Harvard improved to 6-0 this past weekend after surviving a scare from 1-5 Princeton, which took the Crimson to overtime before losing 43-40.

Dartmouth will be looking for its first win over Harvard since 1996, where the Indians beat the Crimson 6-3 en route to a 10-0 season. Dartmouth has had their chances the past two years only to falter in the second half of both games.

For the Dartmouth team, a win against Harvard would boost confidence and present an opportunity to finish a 6-4 season. A loss would not be devastating, but would end any chance of finishing over .500.

Kickoff Saturday is at 12:30 at Harvard Stadium. Dartmouth returns home in 2 weeks to play Cornell on November 8th.

Sports News and Notes

Both hockey teams officially start their seasons at home this weekend, with the 2nd ranked women's team facing off against 4th ranked Providence Friday night. The men will open their season against Holy Cross on Saturday. Game time both nights is 7 p.m. at Thompson Arena. The men's hockey team lost their exhibition to St. Francis Xavier 6-3 and their scrimmage to Harvard 4-1 this past weekend, but some key players performed well. Dan Yacey '05 allowed just one goal on 23 shots on the weekend, and stopped all 13 he faced in the second period against Harvard. New York Rangers? 1st round draft pick Hugh Jessiman '06 had two goals on the weekend. The women's soccer team remained unbeaten in Ivy play after settling for a 1-1 tie against Columbia despite controlling the play for the majority of the game. Both teams hit post late in the game in their efforts to break the tie. The men's soccer team dropped a 2-1 decision to the Lions. The team has lost six in a row after opening the season 4-0-2

Indians Escape Columbia Surge

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