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:
“We have all been here before.
“We have all been here before.”
Keith Clark certainly has.
Not for the first time, the Big Green’s veteran offensive line coach is rebuilding a unit that has just one starter returning from the previous season. And in this case, the only returning starter hasn’t yet been in uniform this preseason.
The good news for Dartmouth followers is the last time Clark began a season with four untested starters, the Big Green finished as Ivy League champions.
“We were pretty inexperienced in 2019 and didn’t really have a lot of answers going into the season about who’s who, and who’s going to be the guy,” recalled Clark, who has been developing outstanding lines at Dartmouth since 2009. “There’s a lot of similarities this year.
“I hope the results are the same.”
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| The master teacher studies technique. BGA photo |
The good news is that four players on the second line of last year’s two-deep are back, and the lone underclass starter from 2025 will be available soon for the first time this fall.
Clark said Thursday he has a pretty good idea who figures to be in the mix, but not yet where they will play.
“I’m still flopping guys in a lot of different positions right now to cover every contingency that we may have during the season,” he said after practice on a delightful September afternoon. “An important part of the equation is seeing who is going to emerge as leaders the way Evan Hecimovich did (in ’19).”
The leading candidate to do that heading into Lehigh week is 6-foot-5, 290-pound senior Will Prince, who Clark calls his “bell cow.”
“He played for us last year and is someone we’re counting on as a leader,” Clark said.
Francisco Caballero, who saw action in six games a year ago, was expected to bring experience to the line, but the 6-3, 300-pound senior was lost to a season-ending injury. “That’s unfortunate, so other guys have had to step up,” said Clark. “Uncommonly, we plugged a sophomore in at right guard who had a good spring for us, Paul Binder.”
Prominent among those joining Prince and the 6-6, 315-pound Binder in pushing for time according to Clark have been 6-4, 315 junior Julian Sutton, 6-2, 287 center Ben Reagan, and 6-3, 290 senior Max Livingston. Anthony Ndika, a 6-4, 305 junior, Yuseph Mustafa, a 6-5, 267 sophomore, and 6-5, 317 senior Godson Ajoku, who for the first time in his career has avoided nagging injuries that previously limited his practice time, are all pushing for time.
“Julian Sutton hasn’t really played a lot, but he’s matured and developed through the program,” Clark said. “It’s the same thing with Reagan, but he’s missed a lot of spring. When he’s been able to participate and practice, he’s done pretty well. When he’s out, Livingston has to move to center.”
“Right tackle’s a battle right now. Max is a senior, but the young guys are climbing the ladder fast and putting pressure on him. Ndika and Mustafa have been really stepping up.”
Fortunately for Clark, experienced help is on the way in the form of 6-4, 345-pound senior Cam Davenport. “He started nine games until he got hurt,” said the coach. “He’ll be back with us real soon. It’s unfortunate we haven’t been able to have him, but he’s the one guy who brings the most experience.”
Although the line hasn’t been tested on Saturday afternoons to this point, Clark has learned a lot about his “room” in two preseason scrimmages.
“They made a lot of progress,” he said. “The mental part of the game was very good in scrimmage one. The physical part of the game got better at times in the second scrimmage.
“But the defense was getting better, too, and we had some guys get beat because they are still learning how hard you have to play on every play. That’s a big part of what we are teaching and emphasizing.”
Teaching has always been a Clark strength, and he’s been doing a lot of it, which he considered particularly important this time around.
“I’ve got to do a great job coaching the technical part of the game with these guys,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed watching them develop. A lot of it is one-on-one conversations in the background trying to nudge them along to get them to live up to the standard they need to be at.”
It certainly helps the new line to be playing in front of a veteran quarterback like Grayson Saunier.
“That’s huge,” Clark said. “Because he’s such a great athlete, he can get us out of bad situations. We’ve always prided ourselves on giving up very few sacks, and that involves not just the line but the quarterback, running backs, and receivers who can get open.
“Having Grayson back there is important because he’s seen a lot of defenses and can get the protection directed to the right place. That’s an absolutely crucial part of the game for us.”
It’s even more important because the line will be thrown into the fire from the outset, opening against a top-10 Lehigh team.
“That’s going to be a good challenge for us,” Clark said. “We pride ourselves on getting a hat on a hat and not making assignment mistakes. Knowing who to block and then blocking them appropriately.”
“If we can do that, we will give ourselves a chance because we do have big, strong, athletic guys.”
Just like they did in 2019.
HOW WAS PRACTICE, COACH?
Sammy McCorkle: “Good. It was long and physical, and it was hot out, which is what we wanted. It was a good one.”
FORE
McCorkle had the players decompress from the intense practice by cheering and razzing a handful of their teammates selected to take part in a chipping, pitching, and field goal contest with members of the Dartmouth men’s and women’s golf teams.
A variety of swings were on display as the football players and golfers hit 10-yard and 20-yard chips before trying to hit pitch shots through the north goal post. The good news was that no one got hit by a golf ball, and no windows were broken on shots that made it through the uprights.
