PRINCETON, N.J. – One week after Dartmouth threw the first punch and knocked Harvard from the ranks of the undefeated, it was Princeton doing the early damage and knocking the Big Green out of a tie for first place in the Ivy League.
The Tigers took the opening kickoff Saturday and put together a picture-perfect, eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, went 72 yards in 12 plays the next time they touched the ball, and followed with a seven-play, 73-yard TD march to grab a 21-0 lead but then had to hang on at the end to take a 21-14 win.
Princeton’s first victory over Dartmouth in the last four meetings dropped the Big Green to 4-4 overall, but more importantly 3-2 in the Ivy League. The Tigers, now 4-1 in the conference (and 6-2 overall) remain tied with Harvard atop the conference standings. With its three-game winning streak snapped, Dartmouth now needs both Princeton and Harvard to drop at least one of their final two games to have a chance at the Ivy League title and the conference’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.
Although the Big Green made a valiant bid to come back from the early three-touchdown deficit, a fourth-down play that came up less than two yards short with 1:20 remaining ended a game that left Dartmouth coach Sammy McCorkle understandably unhappy and puzzled.
“They were ready, and we weren’t ready,” he said flatly. “That’s very disappointing and just frustrating. It’s a head scratcher, but I take responsibility for that. You have to know you’re not just going to walk out there and it’s going to happen. You’ve got to be ready to play, and we weren’t.”
To Dartmouth’s credit, trailing by as many points as it has all year, the Big Green fought back. After Princeton built a 220-62 advantage in total offense over the first 20 minutes, Dartmouth outgained the Tigers the rest of the way, 302 yards to 132 while keeping Princeton out of the end zone. The Tigers ran for 118 yards in the first half and 46 in the second.
Senior safety Harrison Keith was pleased with the defensive improvement, but disappointed that the Tigers were able to build what proved to be an insurmountable lead by the 10:24 mark of the second quarter.
“We obviously got punched in the face early on,” the Dartmouth co-captain said. “We weren't playing the way that we know we can play. It was about kind of resetting and getting back to our brand of football, our brand of defense, and I think we did that in the second half.
“I’m proud of the guys for that, but obviously disappointed in how we did in the first half, myself included. But once you get a stop and get a turnover, you build momentum and confidence, and I think that’s what carried us in the second half.”
Stung by Princeton’s third touchdown in as many possessions, the Dartmouth offense answered for the first time by taking the ensuing kickoff and driving 75 yards in seven plays. Quarterback Grayson Saunier (22-31 for 262 yards) was three-for-three passing on the drive with a 36-yard thing-of-beauty pass to tight end Kristian Strong down the left sideline and a 16-yarder to fellow tight end Jason Bish on the right side that brought a first down at the 2.
Freshman Jacob Henry closed the deal, going up the middle for the touchdown and a 21-7 score with 6:35 left in the half. Henry would go on to finish with a team-high 51 yards rushing and a team-best four catches for 24 yards.
With the Dartmouth offense finally clicking, the defense got the jump-start Keith was talking about with a little help from Princeton.
After the Tigers looked ready to answer right back by driving from their own 17 to the Big Green 13, sophomore quarterback Ty Ciongoli made a freshman mistake and on first down threw the ball directly into the numbers of Dartmouth defensive back Johnny Stephens in the end zone.
Buoyed by the turnover, the Big Green offense picked up where it left off with Saunier digging his team out of a second-and-15 hole with consecutive completions of six to Henry, 35 to Ian Scott on third-and-nine, and nine yards to running back Dylan Elder (11 carries for 43 yards).
When an 11-yard Henry run brought a first down at the 24 with 32 seconds remaining, Dartmouth was knocking on the door of a late touchdown that would enable the Big Green to tie the game with a successful drive opening the second half.
Neither came about.
A Princeton defense ranked No. 4 in the nation in the “red zone” tightened up on Dartmouth’s final drive of the opening half and forced what would have been a 41-yard field goal attempt. That’s “would have been” because the operation went awry, the ball ended up on the ground, and Owen Zalc never got to try the kick.
The opening drive of the second half lasted just three plays before Kyler Ronquillo picked Saunier off in front of the Princeton bench to give the Tigers the ball at the plus-45. But then it was the Dartmouth defense’s turn to pick up the offense, making a third-and-nine stop at the 17, forcing a field goal attempt that sailed wide.
Taking over at his own 20 after the miss, Saunier completed 5-of-6 passes to drive the Big Green to the 19 before linebacker Connor Cronin made a back-to-the-QB interception in the end zone that would have made a wide receiver proud, snuffing out the threat.
But again it was the defense stepping up with a three-and-out as time ran down in the third quarter to give the offense another chance, one that this time it would capitalize on.
Saunier went 5-of-5 for 58 yards, the last a smart, well-executed shovel pass to Henry for 16 yards on a fourth-and-three at the 18 to bring a first down at the two. One play later, Saunier ran left for the touchdown, capping a 16-play, 75-yard march. With Zalc’s PAT it was a one-score game with almost exactly half of the fourth quarter remaining.
One more time, the defense stepped up. After Princeton got a first down near midfield, the Big Green secondary forced two incompletions and a short completion, leading to a punt.
Unfortunately for Dartmouth, Princeton punter Brady Clark is one of the best in the nation with a 45.8-yard average and almost half of his boots of the “inside the 20” variety. The 2025 FCS Punter of the Year semifinalist lived up to his reputation with the game potentially on the line by nailing a 45-yarder that pinned the Big Green at its own eight.
Still, there was 5:02 showing on the clock with a chance to force overtime or grab a win with a touchdown, a two-point conversion and a final stop if necessary.
Although Saunier converted a third-and-five with a completion to tight end Kyle Meier at the sticks, and ran two yards for a first down on a fourth-and-two, the initial seven plays of the drive advanced the ball to just the 28 by the two-minute timeout.
Then a couple of bugaboos bit the Big Green. First, a false start (one of six penalties for 45 yards on the day), and then a loss of seven yards on a sack (one of three Saunier suffered in the game) made it third-and-22 at the 17.
After an 11-yard completion to Cameron Bates, Dartmouth faced a fourth-and-11 with 1:26 remaining. The Big Green had converted 5-of-6 fourth downs on the day and needed to get to the 39 to convert one more. But a nine-yard completion and a tackle by Chase Christopher instead gave the ball back to the joyous Tigers at the 37. Then they ran out the clock, as they did to Dartmouth as the Big Green did to previously undefeated Harvard just a week before.
According to Keith, Dartmouth got the fight it anticipated from Princeton.
“Last week going into Harvard we gave them everything we had,” he said. “We knew what was at stake. As soon as you get a big win like that, the target is on your back. The seniors at Princeton hadn't beat us yet, so we knew they were going to come out with everything. Hats off to them. They came at us with everything they had.
“They got the best of us today. But I’m proud of the way that we fought in the second half. It just wasn't enough to get the job done.”
Dartmouth returns to action Saturday at Cornell, which fell to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Ivy League with a 14-13 home loss to Penn.