Worcester, Mass.
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down …
It didn’t take long for the leveling to start, but it was Dartmouth College swinging the scythe. The Big Green laid a 34-14 beating on the Crusaders, who trailed 20-0 at halftime and 34-0 in the final quarter. Holy Cross failed to produce a first down during the initial three stanzas, rallying only when the visitors were starting wholesale substitutions.
“I think Holy Cross’ win over Yale last week caught our guys’ attention,” said Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens, referring to the Crusaders’ overtime defeat of the defending Ivy League champion. “Our guys played hard, and they were excited.”
So, too, now is the Big Green fanbase. It’s hard to imagine a better start to the season than walloping Georgetown, 41-0, before taking a step up in competition and producing essentially the same result. Reality may arrive next week with the Ancient Eight opener against visiting Pennsylvania, but for now Dartmouth boosters can jut out their chins and chests.
Junior cornerback Isiah Swann, the Ivies’ reigning defensive player of the week, intercepted three passes and D.J. Terry snagged another toss from beleaguered Holy Cross quarterback Geoff Wade, the son of a Dartmouth graduate and a onetime Big Green recruit. The Crusaders gained 175 of their 209 yards during the fourth quarter.
“It’s so much easier to catch picks when the quarterback is running for his life,” Swann said. “He can’t look at the secondary, because he’s looking at the pressure. All gas and no brakes, we say.”
Dartmouth’s offense, led by sophomore quarterback Derek Kyler, produced 448 yards, and the first-year starter completed 25 of 35 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns. The slender Illinois native has yet to have a pass intercepted and slithers, sidesteps and scoots away from defenders.
“He hasn’t played a lot of football in the last two years, but it’s ‘bing-bing’ and he ricochets off people,” said Teevens of a signal-caller who scrambled for 31 yards in eight carries and wasn’t sacked. “That was his game in high school, and it’s nice to have a guy with that capability.”
Dartmouth’s Drew Estrada caught seven passes for 70 yards and a 17-yard touchdown. Junior tight end Connor Rempel went justifiably bonkers after the first of his two touchdown catches, the first scores of his collegiate career. Third-string running back Caylin Parker had a team-high 52 yards in 11 carries, including a 25-yard sprint up the middle for a score.
If there was a downer, it was the 2-of-4 performance by touted freshman placekicker Connor Davis. The Floridian was 2-of-3 last week. On Saturday, he missed a 25-yard attempt before making one from the same distance for a 3-0 lead. Davis then missed from 29 yards and converted from 38 yards for a 6-0 advantage. With a dearth of encouraging backup options, Teevens desperately needs the rookie to be reliable.
“He has it in him, and you don’t want him to go in the tank,” the coach said of a player who made all four of his extra-point attempts. “He powered through (the last field-goal attempt) and was fine from that point forward.”
Parker’s touchdown run followed Davis’ second field goal, and the visitors led, 13-0, two minutes before halftime. Estrada then hauled in his touchdown three seconds before the break, and thoughts of a Crusaders comeback became harder to realistically entertain.
“That was key, and I was proud of our offense,” Teevens said. “To do that is a dagger in the heart of an opponent.”
Dartmouth’s Rashaad Cooper carried nine times for 45 yards, and Miles Smith ran 13 times for 34 yards. The senior pair is being pressured not only by Parker, however, but by freshman Zack Bair, who gained 19 yards in four carries but also caught two passes for 11 yards and seems to stand out more by the day.
The Big Green’s Drew Hunnicutt caught five passes for 76 yards. Holy Cross’ Wade completed 20 of 31 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns and had four tosses picked off. He was sacked four times, twice by Niko Lalos.
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Notes: Dartmouth enjoyed nearly 40 minutes of possession time. … Jared Gerbino, Dartmouth’s wildcat formation quarterback, didn’t dress for the game, allowing extra time for an injury to heal. It would be a solid bet, however, that the junior will be ready for this week’s contest. … Dartmouth has won 12 consecutive nonleague games, extending its longest such streak since the Ivy League formed in 1956. … The Big Green improved to 40-37-1 against Holy Cross. … Dartmouth has forced seven turnovers and allowed just 11 first downs. … The last Big Green player with three interceptions in a game was Sal Sciretto during a 23-6 victory over Princeton that clinched a tie for the Ivy League title on Nov. 17, 1990. … Linebacker Jack Traynor made a team-best nine tackles and position mate David Emanuels, a former walk-on, had eight stops. … Although Holy Cross prohibits tailgating gatherings after the game, alcohol containers littered the grass and paths and overflowed garbage cans in the stadium’s vicinity.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.