A half-dozen random thoughts between Dartmouth’s win over Harvard and the must-win at Princeton:
1) One of Sammy McCorkle’s repeated messages to his team is straight out of Ted Lasso. He doesn’t use the goldfish story, but the idea is the same. McCorkle says it all the time: If you make a mistake, don’t let it drag you down. Grayson Saunier was living proof Friday night that the message has gotten through. The Dartmouth quarterback suffered three interceptions, completed just 5-of-12 passes for 42 yards, and could have hung his head at any point. Instead, he just kept plowing forward. He would finish the night with 109 yards and one touchdown rushing, two touchdowns passing, and one very important win.
2) Dartmouth had two interceptions in the first quarter Friday night, and it’s hard to overstate the importance of each one. The first pick came after the Harvard defense had gotten a stop and managed to get a hand on the Big Green punt. It was starting to look as if Harvard’s decision to defer possession after winning the coin flip could be paying off. But if momentum was with the Crimson it lasted just one play. Cameron Best-Alston jumped a Harvard route, made the interception, and set up Dartmouth’s first touchdown. Minutes later, the Crimson again appeared to be ready to wrest the momentum with an impressive 16-play march down the field, only to have Matthew Boydell steal it right back again with an interception at the Big Green three. Dartmouth then proceeded to march down the field for its second touchdown. Instead of being in position to tie the game Harvard was forced to play from behind, at it would the rest of the night.
3) Leading rusher Myles Craddock was a gametime decision after an ankle issue a week earlier against Columbia, and ultimately the decision was made to give him another week to recover. Coming to the forefront in his place were a couple of players who didn’t seem to be in position to get much work coming into the season. Freshman Jacob Henry had five older running backs ahead of him on the roster. Junior Dylan Elder didn’t even go through preseason camp. But on Friday night, the two were a reminder that the Dartmouth running back room is ready to step up when needed. Henry, who had run for just 37 yards this year in four appearances coming in, carried 14 times against Harvard for 53 yards. Elder, who had just one carry for a single yard, gained 46 yards on 18 carries against the Crimson and added a touchdown reception.
4) When the game is on the line, kicker Owen Zalc continues to be money. Given the way the game played out, Dartmouth would have won without Zalc’s 30-yard field goal, but the kick took the threat of overtime and a lot of pressure off by making it a two-possession game with just over four minutes remaining.
5) It was both the worst game and the best game for Cameron Best-Alston to have his first two collegiate interceptions. It was the worst game because Xaden Benson would overshadow him by pulling down three interceptions for the second time this season. But it was the best game because it helped the Big Green defeat Benson’s team, which just so happened to be Harvard.
6) No one wants to start a season 1-3 but Dartmouth’s challenging early-season schedule paid off Friday night. Harvard came in as an FCS heavyweight, but the Big Green had already been in the ring with a couple of others this fall. McCorkle’s bunch knew how to take a punch and keep coming.
And as you expected . . .
7) There are no gimmes left on the schedule for Dartmouth, but if the Big Green wins out, not only does it get at least a share of the Ivy League title, but also the conference’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
In a year of great parity in the Ivies, it’s a fool’s errand to compare remaining schedules, but here goes. Harvard might have the easiest schedule with Columbia and Penn both struggling. But that Week 10 game against Yale, of course, could be a problem. In addition to Dartmouth, Princeton has a "big three" game against Yale and a rivalry game with Penn. The Tigers will be up for Yale, but you can be sure Penn will be up for them. After Princeton, the Big Green has Cornell and Brown, both of which are bigger challenges than they were a lot of years in the past. Harvard may have the easiest of the schedules simply because Dartmouth and Princeton have each other.