HANOVER – The Optimist and The Pessimist are at their usual table at the usual time on the usual day. But something unusual is about to happen.
The Pessimist is going to speak first.
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Your Mileage May Vary After Princeton
HANOVER – Another baker’s half-dozen thoughts, observations, and opinions after Dartmouth’s loss at Princeton Saturday, starting with an interesting twist in the FCS Playoffs situation.
What They Did & What They Said After Princeton
HANOVER – Wipe it, flush it, turn the page. Super-excited. Attack mode, and attention to detail. Urgency, energy, and focus and finish. One-and-oh. Super-excited. Our standard and our brand of football.
Dartmouth coach Sammy McCorkle has a regular catalog of words and phrases he chooses from both when he’s talking to, and talking about the Big Green.
While his players were quietly changing in the locker room behind him after the disappointing outcome at Princeton, McCorkle fell back on a few of those phrases.
“We weren’t ready to play, and I have to take responsibility for that,” he said in the bowels of Princeton Stadium. “They had more energy than us, and more of a sense of urgency. We had uncharacteristic penalties in critical situations and that’s on me. They outcoached us.”
Big Green safety Harrison Keith, like his teammates, has come to use many of the expressions McCorkle uses.
But for as much as he’s on the same wavelength as his head coach – even using some of the same language talking about the Princeton loss – the senior captain disagreed with McCorkle on one count.
Big Green Digs A Hole A Little Too Deep
PRINCETON, N.J. – One week after Dartmouth threw the first punch and knocked Harvard from the ranks of the undefeated, it was Princeton doing the early damage and knocking the Big Green out of a tie for first place in the Ivy League.
The Tigers took the opening kickoff Saturday and put together a picture-perfect, eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, went 72 yards in 12 plays the next time they touched the ball, and followed with a seven-play, 73-yard TD march to grab a 21-0 lead but then had to hang on at the end to take a 21-14 win.
Big Green Big Game Hunting
PRINCETON, N.J. – How does the saying go?
When you are sawing away on the fiddle and you happen to hit a couple of notes from a symphony, the trick is to not drop the fiddle.
Dartmouth hit more than a couple of sweet notes in last week’s 24-14 win over Harvard. But it’s all for naught if the Big Green drops the fiddle, er, ball, Saturday at Princeton.
Fearful Forecast For Week Eight
HANOVER – This Fearful Forecast thing is tough.
Last week FF went 5-1. What did that do for the season winning percentage? It went all the way up from .828 to .829. Yeah, that’s tough.
There are six games on the docket this week with one absolute slam dunk and two others I feel pretty good about.
The others? I’m already working on the excuses for why I got them wrong. I'll be more than happy with my winning percentage goes up one more point.
Here goes.
Penn (3-4, 1-3 Ivy) at Cornell (3-4, 1-3 Ivy)
Cornell has a better offense and the Big Red is at home. That should be enough. Cornell 28, Penn 17.
Cornell has a better offense and the Big Red is at home. That should be enough. Cornell 28, Penn 17.
Brown (4-3, 2-2 Ivy) at Yale (4-3, 2-2 Ivy)
The Bulldogs are up and down. This week they are up. Yale 28, Brown 14.
The Bulldogs are up and down. This week they are up. Yale 28, Brown 14.
Columbia (4-3, 1-3 Ivy) at Harvard (6-1, 3-1 Ivy)
Bad, bad, bad week for the Lions to be playing at Harvard Stadium. Harvard 25, Columbia 7.
Bad, bad, bad week for the Lions to be playing at Harvard Stadium. Harvard 25, Columbia 7.
Colgate (5-4, 4-2 Patriot) at Lehigh (7-2, 5-1)
Mountain Hawks are wounded but have a lot of pride. It’s enough. Lehigh 24, Colgate 21.
Mountain Hawks are wounded but have a lot of pride. It’s enough. Lehigh 24, Colgate 21.
North Carolina A&T (4-5, 3-2 CAA) at Monmouth (7-2, 6-0 CAA)
Aggies have won four of their last five, the only loss by a single point, but Hawks have won their last six. Monmouth 35, NC A&T 20.
Aggies have won four of their last five, the only loss by a single point, but Hawks have won their last six. Monmouth 35, NC A&T 20.
Merrimack (4-5, Independent at Wake Forest 7-1, 5-1 ACC)
The only question is whether Wake will score 50. The answer: Not quite. Wake Forest 49, Merrimack 0.
The only question is whether Wake will score 50. The answer: Not quite. Wake Forest 49, Merrimack 0.
LAST WEEK
This BGA Guy Is A Genius
Predicted: Brown 17, Penn 14
Actual: Brown 36, Penn 17
Comment: Bears will be dangerous if they can score.
This BGA Guy Is A Genius
Predicted: Brown 17, Penn 14
Actual: Brown 36, Penn 17
Comment: Bears will be dangerous if they can score.
Predicted: Yale 28, Columbia 14
Actual: Yale 26, Columbia 8
Comment: While Yale is up and down, Columbia is down.
Actual: Yale 26, Columbia 8
Comment: While Yale is up and down, Columbia is down.
Predicted: Lehigh 38, Bucknell 14
Actual: Lehigh 31, Bucknell 30
Comment: Mountain Hawks living on the edge.
Actual: Lehigh 31, Bucknell 30
Comment: Mountain Hawks living on the edge.
Predicted: Merrimack 28, Wagner 7
Actual: Merrimack 19, Wagner 14
Comment: Merrimack picks on someone its own size.
Actual: Merrimack 19, Wagner 14
Comment: Merrimack picks on someone its own size.
Predicted: Monmouth 24 Bryant 21
Actual: Monmouth 34, Bryant 21
Comment: Monmouth keeps rolling.
Actual: Monmouth 34, Bryant 21
Comment: Monmouth keeps rolling.
This BGA Guy is a Dolt
Predicted: Cornell 17, Princeton 16
Actual: Princeton 21, Cornell 20
Comment: As close as expected
Predicted: Cornell 17, Princeton 16
Actual: Princeton 21, Cornell 20
Comment: As close as expected
Last Week: 5-1
Season Record: 29-6 (.829)
Season Record: 29-6 (.829)
The Optimist-The Pessimist Between Harvard And Princeton
HANOVER – The Pessimist walks into the appointed place at the appointed time and cracks up when he sees what The Optimist has in front of him. It is an airline schedule with flight times between Manchester, N.H., and Fargo, N.D.
Your Mileage May Vary
A half-dozen random thoughts between Dartmouth’s win over Harvard and the must-win at Princeton:
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