West Haven, Conn.
“Dartmouth’s an elite team and they played like an elite team tonight,” said Yale coach Tony Reno, whose quarterback, Kurt Rawlings, threw for 299 yards, but had two passes intercepted that turned into 14 points. “We did the things that cost you football games. When you play a team like Dartmouth, you can’t have the mistakes we had.”
Yale, the defending Ivy League champion, surrendered 448 yards of offense, 302 of them during the first half, when Dartmouth built a 27-10 lead. Dartmouth Wildcat formation quarterback Jared Gerbino rumbled for 169 yards in 20 carries. The Bulldogs had 429 yards themselves, but costly penalties and turnovers short-circuited their drives.
Leading, 20-10, with less than a minute remaining in the first half, Dartmouth pushed its lead to 17 points when Hunter Hagdorn caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Derek Kyler and Connor Davis kicked one of his five extra points 21 seconds before the break. Dartmouth received the second-half kickoff and Caylin Parker burst up the middle for a 66-yard touchdown run three plays later, 1 minute and 25 seconds into the third quarter.
A gathering announced at 10,176, but appearing significantly smaller, fell almost completely silent. Those watching an ESPNU national telecast presumably thumbed the remote in search of more competitive clashes.
“We’ve got to continue to roll, and we’ve got some mature kids who, when people pat them on the back, it won’t make any difference,” said Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens, whose team improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Ivy League play. “If we play well, we’re a tough team to beat.”
Gerbino, a powerful junior who missed the season’s first two games because of a hamstring injury, averaged 8.4 yards per carry. He shared time behind center with roommate Derek Kyler, who completed 5 of 8 throws for 96 yards and a touchdown. Parker and Miles Smith combined to rush 12 times for 113 yards.
Yale’s comeback attempt created a late fourth-down-and-six situation at the Dartmouth 20-yard line. However, Rawlings was sacked by defensive end Rocco Di Leo with three minutes to go, sealing the victory for all intents and purposes. Dartmouth cornerback Isiah Swann intercepted a Rawlings pass and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown with 31 seconds to play.
“I told our guys at halftime that the first drive for both sides would be critical,” Teevens said. “What happened was tough on our opponent and exciting for us.”
Dartmouth opened the scoring by driving 82 yards in seven plays, the last a 31-yard Gerbino run during the sixth minute. Yale answered when Reed Klubnik caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Kurt Rawlings. Yale (2-2, 1-1) took a 7-6 lead with four minutes remaining in the first quarter on Alex Galland’s conversion kick.
Dartmouth freshman Zach Bair gained 28 yards in three carries Friday and scored on a 13-yard touchdown run a minute before the first quarter’s end. Davis’ kick made the score 13-7, capping a nine-play, 75-yard march.
Gerbino scored his second touchdown on a 6-yard run six minutes into the second quarter, high-stepping into the end zone’s right side. Yale seemingly had no answer for the upstate New York native, who alternately slithered through the line or powered past defenders. A Davis kick made the score 20-7.
“Today, I worked on being a little bit slower coming off the ball and followed my linemen,” said Gerbino, who completed 1 of 2 passes for 5 yards. “We’re a fast-temp offense, but I wanted to take my time and get things right.”
Yale managed a 30-yard Galland field goal to pull within 20-10 with three minutes remaining before halftime. However, Dartmouth scored twice in fewer than two minutes overlapping intermission and the rout was on.
As it has all season, Dartmouth began to substitute on defense in the fourth quarter, when Yale drove 74 yards in 14 plays and scored on Zane Dudek’s 1-yard run. The Bulldogs used a shovel pass for a 2-point conversion and pulled within 34-18 with 10 minutes remaining.
If there was a small, dark lining to a splendid and spot-lit night for Dartmouth, it was the continued woes of Davis, who not only missed an extra-point try, but also wasn’t close on a 37-yard field-goal try midway through the third quarter. The freshman Floridian is 5 of 10 on field-goal attempts, 18 of 20 on PATs, and doesn’t have a legitimate backup.
Still, that’s nitpicking for a Dartmouth team that, along with Princeton, must be considered a top-notch contender for its 19th Ivy League title. Up next is a 6 p.m. game next Saturday against visiting Sacred Heart, the season’s final nonleague opponent.
Notes: Reno is 1-6 against the Big Green. … Dartmouth linebacker Nigel Alexander was ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter after hitting a sliding Russell in the flat. He will miss the first half of Saturday’s game per NCAA rules. … The Big Green punted three times but not until the fourth quarter. … Dartmouth’s 10 pass attempts were its fewest in a game since 1995. … Dartmouth athletic director Harry Sheehy said the game was one of six Friday night telecasts agreed upon between the Ivy League and ESPN. He said there were no guarantees when the deal was reached that the Big Green would be in such a game and that it had no say in which contest became a Friday night matchup. … Delaware Gov. John Carney, a onetime Dartmouth player, was on the sideline, along with former Big Green athletics administrator Drew Galbraith, now the athletic director at Trinity (Conn.) College. … The surname of late Yale football coach Carm Cozza, written in white inside a blue football shape, is painted on the Bowl field in two locations. Cozza, Yale’s coach from 1965-96, won 10 Ivy League titles. … Gerbino stepped out of a shoe on one run, absorbing a heavy hit from Yale’s Ryan Burke while loping along on his sock. … Yale’s 25 first downs were more than Dartmouth’s first there opponents combined, who managed only 23. … Di Leo’s brother, Frank, a walk-on linebacker at Penn State, missed a bus ride intended to bring him to Friday’s game. “He watched on television,” said Rocco Di Leo. “My parents aren’t too happy.”
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.