A Special(ists) Win For The Big Green
(BGA – Nov. 8) Dartmouth’s 26-17 win over Princeton Friday night won’t be framed and hung on a wall anytime soon, unless it is in the Museum of Special Teams.
On a night when a lot went wrong for the Big Green, special teams did right by Dartmouth. Among other things they:
• set up a touchdown with a punt block.
• forced a fumble on a Princeton punt to get good field position.
• had a clean snap-block-hold-kick operation for a critical field goal after the drive stalled.
• set the table for a critical safety with a massive punt that pinned the Tigers at their own two.
• recorded not just one, but the two longest punts Dartmouth has had in nine years while the outcome was in doubt in the fourth quarter.
Those plays helped offset an otherwise uneven performance as Dartmouth improved to 7-1 overall and, more importantly, held serve at the top of the Ivy League standings with a 4-1 record.
“We just did a great job of doing what we had to do to win,” said defensive lineman Ejike Adele, who had two tackles for loss among his career-high 10 stops. “Coming into it, we knew with one loss that we had to win out. There’s no other option, and that’s what we did.”
Princeton fell to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the conference, and while Adele and crew limited the Tigers to just 180 yards of total offense, they didn’t go down without a fight.
“We knew we were going to get their ‘A’ game, and that’s what we got,” said Dartmouth coach Sammy McCorkle. “I’m just glad that we battled to the end and came out on top.”
Because they did, they need only win their final two games to assure themselves of at least a tie for the Ivy League title, although after a night of nationally televised craziness in front of 3,222 in New Jersey, nothing seems assured.
Princeton, which came into the game needing to win its final three contests to avoid its first losing season since 2011, took the early lead with help from something Dartmouth hasn’t done much this year. And with help from something else it had done too much of this fall until last week.
On the Big Green’s opening drive, quarterback Jackson Proctor (21-of-30, 185 yards) lost the ball while being tackled at his own 39. Just Dartmouth’s third lost fumble of the season, it allowed the Tigers to start their first possession at the plus 39-yard line.
It looked as if Dartmouth had survived the threat on an interception in the end zone only to have the play nullified by an offsides call. That would be one of four first-quarter flags (and eight on the night) against Dartmouth, which, to McCorkle’s chagrin, had been among the most penalized teams in the country before last week.
The penalty gave Princeton a first down at the 12, and three plays later, quarterback Blaine Hipa hit Conor Hulstein from eight yards out to give the home team a 7-0 lead with the PAT.
It stayed that way until Dartmouth reeled off three unanswered touchdowns in the final 12:32 of the opening half.
The Big Green got on the board for the first time when Daniel Haughton (three catches for 41 yards) was tackled at the one after a 22-yard reception and Grayson Saunier rotated in for Proctor. The backup QB took the first-down snap and ran untouched around the right side to cap an eight-play, 68-yard march that tied the game with the PAT.
On the Tigers’ ensuing possession, Thaddeus Gianaris sacked Hipa for a loss of eight yards on first down, Adele and Braden Mullen collared John Volker for a loss of three yards, and Adele brought Hipa down for a loss of five yards, forcing a punt from the Princeton nine.
Taking over near midfield after the kick, Dartmouth drove 49 yards in nine plays before Saunier came in for his second one-yard TD run and a 14-7 lead with Owen Zalc’s kick.
It looked as if it would stay that way when Princeton forced a punt with 1:50 left in the half. But the Dartmouth defense and special teams had a different idea.
Thanks to a couple of Big Green timeouts and back-to-back five-yard penalties, the Tigers burned just 32 seconds off the clock before having to punt on fourth-and-14 from their own 25. Reserve linebacker Nico Schwikal and speedy receiver Luke Rives broke through for a block that Lou Lamar scooped up and brought back eight yards, setting Dartmouth up at the Princeton 17 with 1:10 remaining.
Five plays later, Proctor hit Chris Corbo (eight catches for 42 yards) in the back corner of the end zone, and when video review showed the big tight end got a foot down, Dartmouth had a 21-7 lead at the half.
To Princeton’s credit, the second half looked nothing like the first for the Tigers’ offense. Held to 31 yards of total offense over the first 30 minutes, they managed 149 yards in the second, pulling within 21-14 after three quarters thanks to an ill-advised play that they survived because of a costly Dartmouth penalty.
Facing heavy pressure on a fourth-and-two play at the Big Green 33, Hipa tossed up a prayer that Dartmouth’s Cameron Best-Alston intercepted. But a late flag signaling pass interference against a teammate instead gave the Tigers a first down at the 18. On the next play, Hipa hit Luke Colella for a touchdown to make it a one-possession game again.
The Tigers, who after the futility of the first half outgained the Big Green in the third quarter, 93 yards to 37, were in position to potentially tie the score early in the fourth quarter when they forced a punt from the Dartmouth eight..
Yet again, the Big Green's special teams stepped up.
This time it was Davis Golick getting off a 62-yarder, Jackson Namian yanking the ball out of returner AJ Barber’s grasp, and Braden Mullen recovering at the Princeton 37.
When the Big Green drive stalled after one first down, Zalc came on and knocked a 34-yard field goal through swirling wind and the uprights for a 24-14 lead with 9:58 left.
After the Tigers answered with a field goal of their own to make it a one-possession game once more, it was time for still another Big Green special teams play. This time it was Golick, who averaged 46.5 yards on his six punts, nailing a 59-yarder from his own 39 that rolled dead at the two.
That left a struggling Princeton offense needing to march 98 yards in the final 2:42 to either force overtime or win the game outright. The Dartmouth defense made sure neither happened.
After a three-yard run on first down gave the Tigers breathing room, Hipa dropped back to pass and under a heavy rush and barely escaped the end zone while having the long sleeve of his undershirt pulled off.
He wouldn’t be as lucky on a third-and-seven pass play as Gianaris corralled him in the end zone. When the quarterback flung the ball wildly forward trying to avoid a sack he was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, by rule a safety. With 1:54 remaining, Dartmouth’s lead was back to two possessions.
The Tigers’ last hope for a massive upset would evaporate when the Big Green specialists – natch – recovered an onside kick with Corbo ending up with the ball.
“It wasn’t pretty, but the guys did a good job of fighting and kept putting themselves in situations to make plays when we needed them,” McCorkle said. “We were fortunate enough to come out with a win at the end.”
Dartmouth travels to Cornell on Nov. 16 before finishing at home against Brown a week later.
