HANOVER – Given that Dartmouth opening with back-to-back nonconference games, it's time to look at the Big Green's out-of-league competition this fall.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Coach: Ricky Santos 31-20
Last Year: 8-5 (6-2 CAA)
2019-2024: 24-16 (32-27 CAA)
The last time Dartmouth faced New Hampshire back in 2023, the Wildcats were led by a quarterback now on the Minnesota Vikings, and a running back now with the Las Vegas Raiders.
QB Max Brosmer and Dylan Laube are in the NFL these days but three games into the season, UNH (2-1) hasn’t missed a beat, thanks in part to a promising young dual-threat quarterback. Matt Vezza, a redshirt sophomore, has completed 46-of-82 passes for 574 yards and three touchdowns while leading the Wildcats in rushing with 160 yards (53.3 per game). In a 34-29 loss at FBS Ball State last week, he went 25-for-44 for 259 yards and ran for 98 yards (netting 78). UNH had the ball near midfield with a chance to pull the upset on its final series.
New Hampshire came into the season in something of a rebuilding mode, having to replace its starting quarterback, top rusher and leading wide receiver while returning just one starter on defense. So far, so good for coach Ricky Santos’ bunch, who opened the year with a 27-10 win at North Carolina Central and then squeaked past Holy Cross on a field goal at the gun that clinched a rainy 19-16 victory.
Even with three starters back on the offensive line, the run game hasn’t yet shown up but the pass defense – bolstered by safety Jackson Stone from nearby Lebanon – has been terrific and it’s hard to argue with three blocked kicks in as many weeks. Aiding the cause is kicker Nick Reed, who booted the gamewinner against Holy Cross. He’s hit on 8-of-10 attempts with a long of 52.
Best Case Scenario: Picked fifth in the CAA preseason poll, the Wildcats go 8-4 against a schedule featuring an FBS team and three opponents ranked in the FCS top-25 this week.
Worst Case Scenario: The run game continues to struggle, the new QB can’t carry the load by himself and a tough schedule leaves UNH needing a strong finish to go 6-6.
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT
Coach: Adam Lechtenberg 12-15
Last Year: 7-6 (5-1 NEC)
2019-2024: 27-32 (19-15)
Central Connecticut brought a veteran squad into the 2025 season looking to build on a 5-1 Northeast Conference campaign that culminated in a hard-fought, 21-17 loss at No. 10 Rhode Island in the FCS playoffs. The Blue Devils roster features the last two NEC offense players of the year, their second- and third-leading tacklers from last fall, and the starting quarterback.
Getting a read on Central Connecticut is tricky, however, because they opened this fall with a lopsided loss to FBS UConn (59-13) and then won handily over Division II American International (34-7) and Saint Francis (31-7), the Western Pennsylvania school that announced it is dropping to Division III next year.
The good news for CCSU is starting quarterback Brady Olson is back this year. The troubling news is that he’s still completing just 53.4 percent of his attempts. That said, he has dangerous weapons he can call on. Running back Elijah Howard, last year’s NEC offensive POY, has 2,012 yards rushing in his career. And transfer receiver Donovan Wadley, who preceded Howard as the player of the year in his final season at Merrimack, is one of the most dynamic return specialists in the nation. Dave Pardo, a 6-foot-4 receiver who had four catches for 64 yards in last year’s narrow loss to Dartmouth (2016), is another solid target.
The Blue Devils defense was second in the nation in turnovers last year and ninth in the nation in sacks per game. They feature another solid secondary and four members of the Phil Steele preseason All-NEC defense.Through three games this fall they’ve recovered four fumbles and had two interceptions, so they have picked right up where they left off.
Best Case Scenario: Central Connecticut is rightfully a strong favorite to repeat as the NEC champion. We’ll know more after this week’s test against Merrimack, but the Blue Devils should have no problem improving on last year’s overall record.
Worst Case Scenario: So-so quarterback play, and tough games against Dartmouth, Merrimack, Sacred Heart and Duquesne leave the Wildcats needing a strong end of season to finish above .500.
FORDHAM
Coach: Joe Conlin 31-44
Last Year: 2-10 (2-4 Patriot)
2019-2024:* 27-31 (15-15)
After a disastrous 2024 season and an 0-3 start this fall, the message boards are all over coach Joe Conlin, the former associate head coach at Yale and prior to that an assistant at Harvard and New Hampshire. It doesn’t help that the scores this fall have been lopsided: a 66-10 loss at Boston College, a 49-28 loss to Monmouth and a 41-18 loss at Stony Brook.
Leading the offense for Conlin is a player with the kind of transfer background that he never saw in New Haven or Cambridge. Junior Gunnar Smith started his career at South Florida, where he appeared in one game. Then he went to Central Florida, where he did not get on the field. From there it was on to Highland Community College in Kansas, where he threw for 2,455 yards and 19 touchdowns last fall. After three games this fall he’s completing a below-average 52.1 percent of his attempts for 232.3 yards per game, with four touchdowns and four interceptions. It does not help that the sack issues which plagued the Rams last year are back, with Smith being taken down 12 times in three games.
Nor does it help that the most productive running back has just 85 yards on the season, averaging 3.3 yards per carry.
The runaway star of the Fordham team is linebacker James Conway, the all-time leader in career tackles in the Patriot League and the active leader in the FCS. Three games into the season, the graduate student has a whopping 488 career stops, including 17 against Boston College and 20 in the loss to Monmouth. Defensive back Alex Kemper is another standout on that side of the ball.
Fordham is solid on the special teams front with field goal kicker Bennett Henderson (10-for-12 last year with a long of 49) and Will Haslett, who is on the preseason watchlist for top punter in the nation. He’s averaging 42.8 yards this season.
Best Case Scenario: The Rams put the tough start behind them, tighten up the defense and escape the basement predicted for them in the league’s preseason poll.
Worst Case Scenario: Don’t ask.
* Does not include the bizarre 2020 COVID season.