The Big Green Finds A Way. Or Makes A Way
(BGA Oct. 20) – “Find a way, make a way,” long has been Dartmouth coach Sammy McCorkle’s mantra.
Whether his team found a way or made a way is open for debate. Either way, the Big Green managed some way to squeeze out a fourth nail biting win in as many weeks on a sunny Saturday afternoon, holding off Central Connecticut, 20-16.
Dartmouth improved to 5-0 . . .
• because after Central Connecticut (3-4) took a 16-13 lead early in the fourth quarter the Blue Devils’ extra point doinked off the left upright. That would prove critical.
• because what at first looked like a crushing lost fumble at the Central 1-yard-line on Dartmouth’s game-winning drive was negated by an offsides penalty with 5:25 remaining.
• because quarterback Grayson Saunier – who was on the sidelines watching the fumble because by rule he had to miss a play after his helmet popped off – returned to the field and ran around left end for the touchdown that gave Dartmouth a four-point lead.
• because a Central receiver dropped what for all the world looked like a 6-yard touchdown pass to grab the lead back with 56 seconds remaining.
• because the missed extra point earlier in the final quarter meant Central Connecticut couldn’t kick a gimme field goal on fourth down at the end of the game to probably force overtime.
• because the Blue Devils’ subsequent fourth-down pass from the 6-yard line with 46 seconds remaining glanced off the outstretched hand of the well-covered Central Connecticut tight end at the back of the end zone, finally allowing Dartmouth to close out the game in victory formation.
With the win the Big Green remains undefeated heading into Saturday’s showdown at surprising 4-1 Columbia. Both teams are 2-0 in the Ivy League.
While Central Connecticut fell to 3-4 with just its second loss to an FCS team this fall, the athletic Blue Devils gave Dartmouth exactly the kind of challenge McCorkle expected.
“I thought our offense, defense, and special teams, they all stepped up and did a good job, especially in the second half,” he said. “It took the whole team. CCSU is a very good football team and we knew that going in there. And we knew it was going to be a battle.”
How close a battle was it?
The game was tied at the half, 10-10. Each team had 12 first downs at that juncture. Each had exactly 67 yards rushing over the first two quarters. Dartmouth finished the half with 178 yards of offense and Central 170.
It would stay just about that close the rest of the way on a day when both teams would score two touchdowns but the Big Green somehow, some way manage to win..
“It wasn't always pretty,” admitted McCorkle. “It didn't always work. It wasn't always good plays. There were a number of bad plays in different phases. But I thought our guys just kept going, kept going, and leaned on each other.
“We talked about, You’re going go out there and you're going to have a one-on-one battle, but you're going to have to go out there as a team and win this game. And I think that was the big difference; that we played as a team.”
Central Connecticut opened the afternoon's scoring with 3:19 to play in the first quarter on a 12-yard pass from Brady Olson to Isaac Boston, who very nearly caught a touchdown pass on the final drive.
If the name sounds familiar it’s because Boston graduated from Dartmouth last fall and is using his final year of eligibility at Central.
There were no hard feelings on the part of McCorkle that Boston helped throw a serious scare at his team.
“He’s a fantastic young man,” the coach said. “I enjoyed him being in our program, and am super proud of what he's doing at Central Connecticut right now. I saw him after the game and we gave each other a big hug. I told him, ‘Man, holy cow, you’re the guy that almost got us.’ ”
On Dartmouth’s first drive after the TD grab by Boston – who is just 10 months removed from ACL surgery – the Big Green drove to the Central four, where McCorkle originally decided to go for it on fourth down. After a timeout, he changed his mind and sent Owen Zalc out for a 22-yard field rather than risk a CCSU stop.
“I'm sure the analytics says I should have gone for it,” he said. “But no, I just think right there, in my mind, I wanted points. I wanted points.
"I wanted a lead because I feel like if we get the lead, then we build energy. Our guys will start to feel like, Hey, we're in front now. And it would allow our guys to kind of try to put the foot on the gas.”
They did just that after Central answered Zalc's kick with a 24-yard field goal of their own. The Big Green drove 78 yards in 10 plays, the last a four-yard run by Saunier around left end to tie the game for the first time at 10-10. Saunier, starting in place of the injured-but-dressed Jackson Proctor, completed 15-of-21 passes for 177 yards and ran 13 times for 42 yards and both touchdowns.
Central had a chance to take a lead into the half only to have Jordan Washington burst through to block a low 50-yard field goal attempt with 28 seconds left before the break.
A dropped past on the opening drive of the second half cost Dartmouth a chance to move in front before the Big Green took its first lead of the game on a ground-and-pound march the very next time it had the ball. Q Jones (16 carries for 51 yards) reeled off two 10-yard runs and Saunier added a 17-yarder before the 12-play, 64-yard drive stalled at the 18. That sent Zalc out for a 36-yard boot that made it 13-10 Dartmouth. It would stay that way into the fourth quarter.
Central Connecticut regained the lead early in the final period on a 66-yard sortie featuring 19- and 24-yard completions by Olson (15-of-29 for 168 yards), the strong-armed but occasionally erratic transfer from UMass. Jadon Turner, Central’s feature back with leading rusher Elijah Howard unavailable, got the touchdown on a 13-yard, second-effort run with 12:34 left.
Then the Big Green caught a critical break.
Kicker Jack Barnum, who had been a perfect 19-for-19 on extra points this season, shanked his PAT into the left upright, leaving the score 16-13. The miss meant Dartmouth could still tie the game with a field goal, or take an all-important four-point lead with a touchdown and PAT.
That's exactly what happened after a Dartmouth stop forced a CCSU punt from its won 31 with just over nine minutes remaining.
Sean Williams, the Big Green’s dynamic returner who has been waiting to break one this fall, brought the kick back 26 yards. With a facemask penalty tacking on another 15 yards, Dartmouth was set up that quickly at the plus 32.
The drive appeared to bog down with a third-and-five incompletion from the 15, put plagued by penalties all game (nine for 68 yards) the Blue Devils were whistled for pass interference. Instead of Zalc trotting out for a 32-yard field goal attempt Dartmouth had new life with a first down at the six.
After a five-yard Saunier run to the one on first down the QB’s helmet came off when he was stopped for no gain. With Saunier on the sidelines, Dartmouth sent in Kyle Meier, the freshman quarterback cut from the same cloth as hard-running former QBs Nick Howard and Jared Gerbino. But a shotgun snap to a new, first-year quarterback coming in cold in his first pressure-packed situation was a bit of a gamble and the bobbled snap was batted and eventually recovered by Central Connecticut.
But a flag on the play had McCorkle feeling his team would get another chance.
“I figured it was probably offsides on them,” he said later. “We looked pretty clean. Our guys do a good job at the wide receiver position making sure they’re properly lined up. But yeah, I was hoping that’s what it was going to be.”
Because it was Central offsides, and because Saunier was able to pull his helmet back on and run in for the touchdown on the next play – and because of everything that would happen on the ensuing Central Connecticut drive – Dartmouth was able to survive.
Again they had found a way. Or made a way.
Either way they were able to battle back the way McCorkle has seen them do all season.
“That’s who we are," he said.
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