Completed Event: Football at Fordham on October 18, 2025 , Win , 30, to, 13
Final
Football
at Fordham
30
13
Football to Tackle Ivy Co-Leader on Saturday
10/28/2009 12:45:00 PM | Football
HANOVER, N.H. — Coming off its first victory of the season, the Dartmouth football squad (1-5, 1-2 Ivy) gets the challenging task of putting together a winning streak when it plays at noon on Saturday at defending Ivy co-champion Harvard (4-2, 3-0 Ivy), which currently is tied at the top of the league standings with Penn. The Big Green are 45-62-5 against the Crimson on the gridiron and have lost the last five meetings, but their last victory in the series came at Harvard Stadium in 2003 by a 30-16 count.
This past Saturday Dartmouth ended nearly two seasons of frustration by defeating Columbia in Hanover, 28-6, with running back Nick Schwieger leading the charge. The sophomore from Norton, Mass., piled up 242 rushing yards to set a new school record and earn not only Ivy Offensive Player of the Week honors, but the National Offensive Player of the Week award from The Sports Network. He also had a 66-yard touchdown run, the longest run for a Dartmouth player in 19 years, to put the finishing touch on his historic day.
With a win under his belt, sophomore quarterback Conner Kempe is aiming for another triumph which would give Dartmouth its first winning streak in six years. After throwing for 312 yards in his first start at Holy Cross, he managed just 75 yards on 8-of-22 passing versus the Lions, partly due to the steady — and sometimes torrential — rain throughout the game. Kempe did throw the ball well on the first two drives before getting water-logged, however, completing 5-of-7 for 50 yards and two touchdowns. For the Big Green to pull off the upset against Harvard, however, his productivity will need to be like it was in the first quarter against Columbia.
The defense played a big part in bringing the 17-game losing streak to a halt as well, forcing three turnovers — doubling its season total — including a 39-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by junior defensive end Charles Bay. The fumble was forced by sophomore Shawn Abuhoff, who also tipped a field goal attempt to thwart a Lion scoring opportunity. Senior free safety Pete Pidermann provided an additional highlight when he intercepted a Columbia pass at the one-yard line to preserve a 14-0 lead late in the third quarter.
Several players who have recently been thrust into the defensive starting lineup played well. Junior linebacker Alex Johns tied for the team lead in tackles with 10 stops, while sophomore strong safety Anthony Diblasi and freshman linebacker Garrett Wymore had eight and seven tackles, respectively. They each contributed to holding Columbia to six points, the fewest for a Dartmouth opponent in four years. Only a fourth-quarter touchdown kept the Big Green from posting their first shutout in 13 seasons.
Dartmouth features a very young team with 13 sophomores and a freshman in the starting lineup. Just three seniors — two on offense and one on defense — grace the starting rotation. Eight of the 11 offensive spots are taken by sophomores, with four linemen, the quarterback, running back, tight end and a wide receiver. The Big Green has played the second-most difficult schedule in the FCS to date (just behind Massachusetts).
Last year the Green suffered a 35-7 defeat against Harvard in Hanover. Kempe came off the bench and orchestrated the only Dartmouth scoring drive of the day, traversing 70 yards in under three minutes to spoil the Crimson's bid for a shutout in the final minute. The Big Green were held to negative-two yards rushing and 123 total yards in the game while Harvard ran for 368 yards alone.
Harvard produced a convincing 37-3 triumph this past Saturday against Princeton. The Crimson defense allowed just 157 yards, and five different Harvard players scored touchdowns in the game. Three different running backs had between 59 and 84 yards in the game, while quarterback Collie Winters was 13-of-19 for 190 yards and two touchdowns.
The game will be broadcast by WFRD 99.3 FM out of Hanover with Bob Lipman calling the action and Wayne Young '72 providing analysis. Sirius Satellite Radio will also broadcast the game on channel 130 utilizing the Harvard radio feed. Big Green fans can also listen over the internet at www.DartmouthSportsNetwork.com, or purchase a game-day pass on the Harvard web site, www.GoCrimson.com, to watch the video stream of the event.
Players Mentioned
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Hurdles
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