Philadelphia
It was the Big Green that woofed last during a 16-13 victory, however. Dual-threat quarterback Jared Gerbino, a sophomore who didn’t play a down last season, blasted up the middle on fourth down and a yard to go as time expired. Dartmouth needed four cracks at the end zone after earning a first down at the Quakers’ 2-yard line with 22 seconds remaining.
The Big Green, which had dropped eight consecutive games decided by seven or fewer points against Penn since 1996, avenged a home loss to the Quakers last season during which it was dominated along the line of scrimmage. To win this one by running up the gut, never mind the nail-biting fashion, was absolutely delicious.
“It’s a good confidence boost for our guys, because Penn traditionally has one of the tougher fronts,” said Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens, whose 3-0 squad overcame 11 penalties for 105 yards and hosts Yale for homecoming next week.
“If you see (offensive linemen) who are wide-eyed and not sure, you kick the field goal and go into overtime. But no one hesitated when I said, ‘What do you think?’ To me, it was a no-brainer.”
Penn kicked a 27-yard field goal with 5 minutes, 37 seconds remaining for a 13-10 advantage. The Big Green, however, drove 80 yards in 15 plays, converting four times on third down and twice on fourth down for the victory.
Starting quarterback Jack Heneghan connected on five of six passes during the last drive. Gerbino entered the game for the seventh time with 30 seconds remaining and played the final six snaps, rushing three times and throwing an incompletion. Heneghan completed 23 of 31 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown, and Gerbino carried 11 times for a team-high 71 yards and a score. Hunter Hagdorn caught nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown.
“The guys didn’t flinch as we went down the field,” said Teevens, who watched Gerbino get stopped on a third-down run whistled dead with 3 seconds to play.
The Big Green called a timeout and plowed the 6-foot-4, 230-pound native of suburban Rochester, N.Y., into the line once again.
Said Gerbino: “I knew the linemen were going to give me a good block, and I was only thinking about getting a victory. I thought I scored on the play before, but the referee said I didn’t extend the ball far enough.”
Dartmouth opened the night’s scoring two minutes into the second quarter when Hagdorn caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Heneghan. David Smith booted the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Pennsylvania received a major break midway through the second quarter when Isaiah Malcome signaled to fair catch a punt at his 20-yard line, dropped the ball and watched Dartmouth recover it. Television replays didn’t appear to show any Big Green contact with Malcome before the ball reached him, but interference was called and the Quakers gained possession.
Six plays later, Dartmouth’s Isiah Swann was whistled for pass interference while attempting to cover two-time All-American receiver Jordan Watson. That gave Penn the ball on the visitors’ 24-yard line. A face-masking foul was called on the Big Green two plays later, and Watson caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Will Fischer-Colbrie two plays after that. A minute and 20 seconds remained before intermission.
Smith broke the 7-7 tie as the first half expired by nailing a career-long 43-yard field goal. Penn called three consecutive timeouts, but failed to rattle the Canadian senior from St. Paul’s School in Concord.
Smith missed low and wide left, however, on a 42-yard attempt with three minutes remaining in the third quarter. That allowed his Quakers counterpart, Jack Soslow, to produce a 10-10 tie with a 31-yard boot of his own with 30 seconds to go in that stanza.
Dartmouth performed the uncommon feat of committing two personal fouls on the same offensive play during its first drive of the fourth quarter. Lineman Jack Anderson and running back Ryder Stone were the guilty parties, and the Big Green soon had to punt from deep in its own end.
The Quakers took over on their 39-yard line and drove 51 yards in 13 plays, scoring on Soslow’s 27-yard field goal with 5:37 on the clock for the three-point lead. Penn had fourth and inches at the Dartmouth 4-yard line the play before, but committed a false start. The hosts’ last march was aided by Dartmouth tackle Jackson Perry jumping offsides on one play and linebacker Jack Traynor committing pass interference on another.
“Those guys have a ton of weapons, and we knew going in we were going to have to throw the first punch in a 10-round fight,” said Traynor, who watched his team sweep left and throw an incomplete pass on its initial late tries at scoring from the Penn 2-yard line.
“It was crazy at the end with everyone on the sideline so excited and jumping around and freaking out about what might happen. You just sit there and kind of be a fan. We knew Jared would take in at some point; he just made it a little nerve-wracking at the end.”
Notes: Jimmy Fitzgerald, a sophomore who transferred in from Illinois and had been battling Jake Pallotta for the backup quarterback’s job, is out for the season after suffering a knee injury while running for a touchdown during a junior varsity scrimmage against Norwich University on Sunday. That moves freshman Derek Kyler from DeKalb, Ill., into the third-string role. … Also done for the campaign is sophomore defensive back D.J. Avery, who suffered a knee injury against Holy Cross. … Among those on the Dartmouth sideline on Friday was Delaware Gov. John Carney, a former Dartmouth player from the 1970s. Also present were former defensive standouts Folarin Orimolade and Brandon Cooper, both 2017 graduates. Orimolade, a late cut this summer by the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, said he’s continuing to train in hopes of another shot in the league. … NBC Sports Network, which televised Friday’s game, imposed three 2½-minute timeouts during each quarter. Next week’s game, which will be streamed on ESPN3, will feature three 2-minute timeouts per stanza. … Kendell “Doc” Bonner, of Gaithersburg, Md., was among a group of Dartmouth recruits visiting for last week’s game and has committed to play for the Big Green starting next season. The quarterback, listed at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, had offers from Air Force, Army, Bucknell and Towson. … Penn features transfers from Colorado, Georgia and Syracuse. … Dartmouth’s Ryder Stone last week became the 28th player in Dartmouth history to accumulate 1,000 yards rushing in a career. … As is tradition at Franklin Field during Penn games, the students tossed toast onto the track at the end of the third quarter. Quakers player Tristan Peyton picked up a piece, took a bite, and flipped the slice aside.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.