Original Article: http://dartreview.com/archives/2008/10/04/indian_football_week_three.php
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The Indians (0-2) opened at home on September 27 against seventh-ranked University of New Hampshire (4-0). The Wildcats are a perennial challenger to the Division I-AA (Football Championship Subdivision) championship and have owned the Granite Bowl trophy for eleven straight years. The Wildcats have defeated a Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) team in each of the past two years: Northwestern (Big 10) in 2007 and Army in 2008. This is not an excuse for the Indians’ sloppy play and crushing defeat, but it is an attempt to put what happened on Memorial Field into perspective.
The Wildcats amassed 525 yards of total offense with a balanced passing and rushing attack. UNH gained 310 yards in the first half and had a commanding 28-0 lead. The Indian defense stepped up in the second half, but the offense could not get it going and had only 238 total yards, 146 coming in the second half.
The Indians came out a little slow, and as Coach Buddy Teevens described, “a little wide-eyed.” The class of 1979, winners of the 1978 Ivy League Championship, were there to root on the Indians but the team that Coach Teevens led to the promised land did not bring luck to the current squad of players.
The previous week, Dartmouth fell to Patriot League power Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. The final score was 34-20 but the Indians were in the game until the final moments, being tied at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Highlights of that game include junior quarterback Alex Jenny throwing for a career high, 343 passing yards. Jordan Scott (RB, Colgate), however, ran for 239 yards and stole the show from Jenny. Senior Phil Galligan also had a career day, making ten catches for 146 yards. Senior Eric Paul also had a big day, catching five balls for 87 yards. On defense, junior Peter Pidermann led the squad with 12 tackles, while senior Maxwell Copello forced and recovered a fumble while teaming up on a sack with sophomore Buddy Benaderet, senior Rehan Muttalib and junior Marlon Alebiosu.
There were many good things to take from the loss. Coach Buddy Teevens was quoted as saying: “We showed an ability to move the ball today.”
But with over 500 yards of offense, two turnovers and a blocked field goal in the red zone, UNH crippled the Indians. On a brighter note though, freshman Foley Schmidt, a place kicker from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, was named Ivy League Rookie of the week. He went 2-2 including a 39 yard attempt and hit both PAT attempts.
Dartmouth opens up Ivy League play at Franklin Field against the University of Pennsylvania (0-2) this Saturday. The Quakers have slipped recently from their position among the elite in the Ivy League but hope this season will help them regain their crown. The Indians defeated Penn last year in Hanover 21-13, and they hope to continue their success against the Quakers and open up Ivy play 1-0.
In other big news around the Ivy League, Harvard and Yale, 1 and 2 in the pre-season polls, both lost in their first week of Ivy play. Harvard lost to Brown and Yale dropped their opener to Cornell.
Side note: Soccer
Men’s:
The seventeenth-ranked Dartmouth men’s soccer team picked up their second loss of the season to Sacred Heart in Fairfield, CT. The Indians had 14-4 shot advantage, but Sacred Heart’s late first half goal was enough to trip up the Indians. On 9/28 the Indians returned home to take on San Diego State University at Burnham field. Senior Craig Henderson fired a free kick from 20 yards to give the Indians their fifth victory of the season (5-2) and hopefully enough to maintain their seventeenth-place ranking.
Women’s:
The women’s soccer team dropped to 4-3, 0-1 Ivy in Sunday’s match against Brown at Burnham field. The conditions were not perfect for the match as torrential downpours plagued the beginning of the second half causing tough conditions for the remainder of the game. The Bears had not defeated the Indians in their last 13 meetings. Dartmouth played again at Burnham field on Wednesday night when they hosted Boston University and will continue Ivy play Saturday at Princeton.