HANOVER — “There was never a doubt.”
That’s what one of junior kicker Owen Zalc’s teammates told him in the locker room after he drilled a 51-yard field goal as time expired to give Dartmouth College a 17-16 win over Yale in Saturday afternoon’s homecoming game.
With four seconds remaining and the Big Green trailing by two, Zalc — who missed two field goals earlier in the game and has endured an up-and-down start to the season — delivered when it mattered most before an announced crowd of 8,000 at Buddy Teevens Stadium at Memorial Field.
“It’s fun,” he said after the game, later adding, “It’s a good feeling, bouncing back from two misses early in the game.”
Dartmouth scored all 17 points in the fourth quarter after entering the final period trailing 10-0.
Yale’s kicker missed an extra point with less than a minute remaining in the game to set the stage for Zalc’s heroics.
“I’m just so proud of this team, proud of our staff — just battling to the end,” head coach Sammy McCorkle said. “Everything didn’t go our way, but we didn’t flinch, we didn’t blink, and we believed. Our guys believed the entire time.”
Junior quarterback Grayson Saunier led the Big Green in rushing with 95 yards and threw for 158. Senior linebacker Nico Schwikal, whose family traveled from Germany for homecoming, paced the defense with 12 tackles.
For a brief time, it looked like Yale might deal the Big Green its second straight Ivy League loss to start the conference season. The Bulldogs retook the lead with 37 seconds remaining on a four-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Dante Reno to senior wide receiver Nico Brown. But the missed extra point was pivotal.
Down to its last possession and needing a score, Dartmouth faced a third down at its own 45-yard line when Saunier found Ky’Dric Fisher for a 22-yard reception to get into range for Zalc’s field goal attempt. The sophomore wideout is the same receiver who caught the game-winning touchdown against Central Connecticut in the final minute earlier this season.
“He’s a stud,” Saunier said of Fisher. “We’ve got a bunch of studs, and it’s really cool to see the younger guys stepping up. Any one of our guys can make that catch, but I’m really happy for Ky’Dric.”
After one more short run from Saunier, Zalc stepped on the field and buried the 51-yarder as time expired.
Up until the final quarter, it was an afternoon of frustration and squandered opportunities for McCorkle’s squad.
Zalc missed a 31-yard field goal on the Big Green’s opening drive, and Dartmouth was stuffed on four straight plays from Yale’s goal line late in the second quarter and went into halftime trailing 3-0.
The Big Green punted on their first possession of the third quarter, then turned the ball over on their next drive when Saunier was strip-sacked following Dartmouth’s own goal-line stand.
Yale capitalized immediately. On the next play, Reno connected with Brown for a six-yard touchdown, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 10-0 with under five minutes left in the third.
Zalc missed again from 56 yards on Dartmouth’s next drive, but the Big Green defense forced a punt to give their offense another possession.
Starting from their own 8-yard line with 35 seconds left in the third, Dartmouth marched 92 yards in 11 plays, highlighted by a pair of 20-yard catches from senior wide receiver Grayson O’Bara. Saunier capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown run to make it 10-7.
On Yale’s next possession, senior defensive back Sean Williams intercepted Reno on fourth-and-one from the Dartmouth 35, giving the Big Green the ball back.
A Yale interception was negated by a roughing-the-passer penalty on the ensuing possession, which ended when Saunier broke loose down the sideline for a 37-yard touchdown run two plays later, giving Dartmouth its first lead, 14-10.
That lead did not last for long, but thanks to Yale’s untimely special teams mishap and Zalc’s leg, Dartmouth was able to steal the victory.
The win improved Dartmouth to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the Ivy League.
The Big Green will look to make it two straight next Saturday when they travel to Fordham (1-5) for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
