BGA Overtime is the successor to BGA Premium, a site that covered Dartmouth football with daily stories starting in 2005. The OT is written and edited by Bruce Wood, a former beat writer who has covered Dartmouth sports since the early 1980s. It is not affiliated with Dartmouth College and is supported by your generous donations..
HANOVER – You can spend a lot of time at Dartmouth practices, and it’s a pretty safe bet you will never hear the sweet harmony of Crosby, Still, Nash & Young coming out of the huge boom box on the sidelines.
Still, it would only be fitting if a lyric from the group’s 1970 album Déjà Vu echoed through Buddy Teevens Stadium one afternoon:
HANOVER – It’s easy from the sidelines to see wide receivers breaking free, how accurate the quarterbacks are, who is knocking down passes, and which defensive ends are bear-hugging running backs.
It’s a little harder to see what happens in the trenches, which is something that caught Dartmouth coach Sammy McCorkle’s attention in film review from Monday’s second scrimmage of the preseason.
HANOVER – What’s the opposite of, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts?”
Whatever it is, it tells the story of Dartmouth’s second scrimmage of the preseason.
HANOVER – On days when a Dartmouth football practice went particularly well and someone made an outstanding play in the final minute – or even sometimes two minutes – Buddy Teevens would sometimes blow the whistle to end the practice.
The players would cheer lustily, not because they were being cut much a break, but rather because they knew they had put together the kind of practice Teevens wanted to see.
The weather had finally turned, and he was on a spring recruiting trip when an old friend pointed out something he’d already discovered on his own.
“This was at a big high school combine with 50 different schools there,” recalled Montgomery. “A coach from the SEC who I’ve known for a long time told me, ‘I’ve been on the phone trying to get transfers for two months. I’ve neglected our players.’
“He said, ‘Shane, I envy you. You might have the best job of anybody here.’ ”
HANOVER – With the benefit of video review and 48 hours to reflect on the first scrimmage of the camp, Dartmouth coach Sammy McCorkle gave it a passing grade after Friday’s practice, much as he did in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s action.
“We had some guys step up that we need to step up, guys that we’re counting on to play for us this year,” he said. “Assignment-wise, we didn’t have many busts, which was good. We’ve still got some stuff we’re putting in, but overall I thought the guys knew where to be and how to line up.
“I liked the physicality. The guys did a good job of getting after each other. That’s always important and will be important for us this fall.”
HANOVER – You might say it was a meaningless play featuring freshmen at the end of a meaningless scrimmage.
And you would be wrong.
On all accounts.
HANOVER – Dartmouth finished final exams on Monday.
Midterms are on Wednesday.
Confused yet? Listen to what Big Green coach Sammy McCorkle had to say Tuesday morning after the final practice ahead of the first of two preseason scrimmages.