Your Mileage May Vary – Week One
Here are six thoughts I had after watching Dartmouth come from behind and then hold off New Hampshire, 27-20, in Saturday's season opener:
1) Senior tailback DJ Crowther is the real thing. He's a quick, violent runner who does not look like he'd be fun to tackle. If you are frustrated by flashy runners who dance, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Crowther is your guy. He's going to be an absolute handful for Ivy League defenders to bring down. With Crowther joined on the depth chart by well-regarded classmate Desmin Jackson and promising sophomore Dylan Elder, the trio of D.J., Desmin and Dylan – The 'D' Squad – should be, well, Dynamite.
2) All credit to the offensive line for the way it opened holes for the run game. But that's not all. Dartmouth did not allow a sack by a team that recorded five against Holy Cross and three against North Carolina Central. O-line coach/magician Keith Clark hasn't lost his touch.
3) Junior quarterback Grayson Saunier picked up right where he left off during his mid-season stint as the starter last year when Jackson Proctor was hurt. He did an excellent job spreading the ball around to seven different receivers, didn't let an interception get him down, and showed what he could do with his feet, running for a touchdown and a two-point conversion while accounting for 37 yards in eight carries. Kudos to offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery as well.
4) Speaking of receivers, Grayson O'Bara felt like Saunier's security blanket during the preseason and it looked the same way Saturday when he posted six catches for 106 yards, most in the second half when the Big Green needed to get going. Interestingly, Grayson O'Bara was Grayson Saunier's host on his recruiting trip. Either the coach who arranged that had a sense of humor, or he had a little Nostradamus in him.
5) When all-time Dartmouth receiver Craig Morton '89 was a sophomore, coach Joe Yukica was almost giddy before the Holy Cross game, telling insiders the Crusaders had no idea how fast Morton could run and that he was going to call his number early. There weren't many highlights for the Big Green in that game but one came on the second play from scrimmage when Morton blew past defenders for a 64-yard touchdown from David Gabianelli. That play came to mind against New Hampshire when Dartmouth sent Luke Rives streaking down the field on the first play of the game. Sammy McCorkle said without a second's hesitation in the lead-up to the opener that Rives was the fastest player on the team and he looked it on that play. A New Hampshire defender managed to knock the pass away late, but it was close to a 75-yard touchdown. Rives had just one reception in the opener but it went for 34 yards. He'll be a weapon this fall.
6) It was a weird kicking day for the Big Green with steady Owen Zalc missing just the second PAT of his career after going 35-for-35 last fall and 61-for-62 over his first two years-plus before the miss. Give credit to the New Hampshire special teams, which had kick or punt blocks in each of its first three games (but none against Dartmouth). Kickoff specialist Matisse Weaver averaged just 54.4 yards with some strange looking kicks, although if that was by design it did not come up in the postgame press conference. But after Dartmouth had taken the lead and in the fourth quarter and could not risk a good runback, Weaver boomed the ball into the end zone for his only touchback of the day. Punter Luke Armistead averaged 37.0 yards on three punts, with a long of 39. What to make of all that? Anyone who has concerns about Zalc should relax. He's an All-American for a reason. Weaver is a proven commodity, and it's worth noting New Hampshire had just four yards returning Armistead's punts.
And the bonus you knew was coming . . .
7) The guess here is New Hampshire might not be a top-25 team when all is said and done, but it's a talented, scholarship program that will do well in a very strong league. The Wildcats went toe-to-toe with FBS Ball State a week earlier and Dartmouth not only went toe-to-toe with them, but won the game. We're only one week in but I'm not sure where you go right now if you want to nitpick the Big Green. McCorkle's team looks solid right across the board. We'll learn more this week when Dartmouth goes on the road for the first time, but it was a very promising start.
