Saturday, November 29, 2025

Dougie, We Hardly Knew Ye

I’ve generally had good success using ChatGPT and artificial intelligence while doing research, but if there is even the slightest chance the answer I am looking for could be wrong, I always request links to the sources it uses for its answers and work backward.

Yesterday I asked ChatGPT for its opinion on the top-10 players in Dartmouth football history and did not ask for sources, because this was, after all, requesting an opinion. Here’s the player who came in at No. 10:

10. Doug Flutie (QB)

Years at Dartmouth: 1979–1981

Achievements: Flutie is most famous for his time at Boston College, but he briefly played at Dartmouth before transferring to BC. 

Even though his time at Dartmouth was short, Flutie’s impact on the football program helped lay the groundwork for his success in college football history. 

NFL: Flutie went on to a legendary career in the NFL, playing for several teams, including the Buffalo Bills, where he won an NFL MVP award and became one of the most popular quarterbacks of the 1990s.

If you don’t remember Flutie starting his career at Dartmouth or winning the NFL MVP award, give yourself a gold star. You have a better memory than ChatGPT when it comes to Big Green football or Doug Flutie. For what it’s worth, ChatGPT also offered up three or four other “players” who never played at Dartmouth, and I never heard of them playing anywhere else.

This was another example of AI “hallucination," but wouldn’t it have been fun to see Flutie on Memorial Field?

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Today’s FCS playoff schedule (all times Eastern and all games available on ESPN+):

Yale (8-2) at Youngstown State (8-4), Noon

Harvard (9-1) at Villanova (9-2), Noon

Central Connecticut (8-4) at Rhode Island (10-2), Noon

New Hampshire (8-4) at South Dakota State (8-4), 1 p.m.


Seeds

9 - Rhode Island

12 - Villanova

14 - South Dakota State

15 - Youngstown State

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EXTRA POINT

I’ve written about this before but when I was at the local daily I interviewed a young guy from nearby Woodstock, Vt. – he might have been 12 or so – and he told me about his dream. I clearly remember walking away and thinking something along the lines of, “Yeah, good luck with that.”


Yesterday that fully grown up fellow I interviewed all those years ago won . . . wait for it . . . $2.1 million.



It was at a fundraiser featuring LPGA Hall of Famer Pat Bradley that young Keegan, who was playing along with his famous aunt, told me he was going to one day play on the PGA Tour. Little did I know . . .

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Friday, November 28, 2025

Interesting

Three FCS teams whose 2026 schedules haven’t been posted but you might want to keep an eye on: LINK, LINK, LINK.
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Names of interest from a HERO posting that was led by this photo (LINK):

Highest-Graded FCS Tackles

1. Delby Lemieux, Dartmouth – 84.1

2. JT Cornelius, Monmouth – 80.0

3. Braden Zimmer, Montana State – 79.6

4. Xavier Jennings, Mercer – 77.6

5. Seth Anderson, North Dakota – 77.4


Highest-Graded FCS Tight Ends

1. Spencer Mermans, Yale – 90.1

2. Reis Kessel, NDSU – 86.8

3. Chris Corbo, Dartmouth – 85.1

4. Charlie Browder, ETSU – 78.6

5. Rocky Lencioni, Montana State – 77.0


Highest-Graded FCS Safeties

1. Maximus Pulley, Wofford – 92.8
2. Vincent Firenze, Dayton – 91.7
t3. Cam Chapa, Northern Colorado – 91.5
t3. Harrison Keith, Dartmouth – 91.5
 5. Colin Douglas, Saint Francis – 91.0


Highest-Graded FCS Wide Receivers

1. Nico Brown, Yale – 91.2

2. Bryce Lance, NDSU – 90.4

3. Josh Derry, Monmouth – 89.4

4. Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate – 89.3

5. Jalen Jones, Alabama State – 89.2


Highest-Graded FCS Centers

1. Colby Reph, Lehigh – 82.3

2. Jack Ziebell, Northern Colorado – 79.6

3. Mark Chapman, Columbia – 78.9

4. John Ohnegian, Bucknell – 77.4

5. Aidan Kilstrom, Harvard – 76.2

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As promised several days ago, graduating Dartmouth seniors with remaining eligibility have started putting their names out there. The key word: graduating.

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A story out of New Orleans details how Dartmouth-bound receiver George Loop has recovered from a hamstring issue in baseball season and has piled up 680 yards and 10 touchdowns as a receiver at Isidore Newman School, where Arch Manning, his father and famous uncles played as did Odell Beckham among others (LINK).

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Stats Perform has predictions for the FCS playoff opening round in a couple of stories and here’s how the site sees Ivy League teams and two other Dartmouth opponents faring tomorrow (LINK) (LINK):

Youngstown State 35, Yale 28

Villanova 28, Harvard 20 

 South Dakota State 28, New Hampshire 17

 Rhode Island 31, CCSU 17

A sidelight of some interest regarding the first game listed: Youngstown State defensive back Dathan Hickey has 57 tackles, two interceptions and . . . a psychology degree from Yale, where he played in seven games as a freshman way back in 2018. Find his Youngstown bio HERE.

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EXTRA POINT

That Certain Nittany Lion ’16 enjoys catching the sunrise when he’s visiting and snapped this picture earlier today of the sun climbing over the White Mountains:


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Thursday, November 27, 2025

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Wednesday, November 26, 2025

All-Ivy League

The All-Ivy League teams are in and Dartmouth had six on each of the first two teams. Harvard led the way with 15 selections overall, followed by Penn (14), Dartmouth and Yale (12 each), Princeton (10), Brown (9), and Columbia and Cornell (5 each).

Harvard, Yale and Penn had a league-high seven first-team picks each.

Dartmouth's dozen picks in the first two rounds represented a league high.

Big Green offensive tackle Delby Lemieux was one of four offensive players chosen unanimously.

FIRST TEAM ALL-IVY+

OFFENSE

Chris Corbo, Dartmouth (Sr., TE)

D.J. Crowther, Dartmouth (Sr., RB)

*Delby Lemieux, Dartmouth (Sr., OL)

*Jaden Craig, Harvard (Sr., QB)

Spencer Doan, Harvard (Jr., OL)

Thomas O’Brien, Harvard (Jr., OL)

Liam O’Brien, Penn (Sr., QB)

Netinho Olivieri, Penn (Sr., OL)

Bisi Owens, Penn (Sr., WR)

*Jared Richardson, Penn (Sr., WR)

Michael Bennett, Yale (Sr., OL)

Leo Bluhm, Yale (Sr., OL)

Nico Brown, Yale (Sr., WR)

*Josh Pitsenberger, Yale (Sr., RB)


DEFENSE

Thaddeus Gianaris, Dartmouth (Sr., LB)

Sean Williams, Dartmouth (Sr., DB)

Dakota Quiñonez, Dartmouth (Sr., DL)

Ty Bartrum, Harvard (Sr., DB)

Alex DeGrieck, Harvard (Sr., DL)

Sean Line, Harvard (Jr., LB)

Carter Janki, Penn (Sr., DL)

*John Lista, Penn (Sr., LB)

Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye, Yale (Sr., LB)

*Abu Kamara, Yale (Jr., DB)

*Ezekiel Larry, Yale (Jr., DL)

Brandon Webster, Yale (Jr., DB)

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kieran Corr, Harvard (So., K)

*Julien Stokes, Penn (Sr., RS)

*Brady Clark, Princeton (Jr., P) 

 

SECOND TEAM ALL-IVY+

OFFENSE       

Matt Childs, Brown (So., RB)

Trevor Foley, Brown (So., WR)

James Murphy, Brown (Jr., QB)

Ty Pezza, Brown (Sr., WR)

Noah Jordan, Columbia (Sr., OL)

Ryder Kurtz, Cornell (Jr., TE)

Grayson Saunier, Dartmouth (Jr., QB)

Konstantin Spörk, Dartmouth (Sr., OL)

Maxwell Wentz, Dartmouth (Sr., OL)

Xaviah Bascon, Harvard (Jr., RB)

Brady Blackburn, Harvard (So., WR)

Ethan Clark, Princeton (Jr., RB)

Barrett Eddlemon, Princeton (Jr., OL)

Justin Selbert, Princeton (Jr., OL)


DEFENSE

Elias Archie, Brown (Sr., DB)

Ike Odimegwu, Brown (Jr., DL)

Justin Townsend, Columbia (Sr., DL)

Damon Barnes, Cornell (5th, DB)

James Reinbold, Cornell (Sr., DL)

Ben Sahakian, Cornell (Sr., LB)

Zyion Freer-Brown, Dartmouth (Sr., LB)

Harrison Keith, Dartmouth (Jr., DB)

Damien Henderson, Harvard (Jr., DB)

Kadari Machen, Penn (Sr., LB)

Torian Roberts, Princeton (Jr., DB)

Marco Scarano, Princeton (Sr., LB)

Zairion Jackson-Bass, Yale (Jr., DL)


SPECIAL TEAMS

Tommy Sleeman, Columbia (So., P)

Luke Armistead, Dartmouth (So., P)

Jayden Drayton, Penn (Jr., RS)

Mason Walters, Penn (Fr., K)

 

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-IVY

OFFENSE

Levi Linowes, Brown (Jr., TE)

Mark Chapman, Columbia (Sr., OL)

Kevin Ma, Cornell (Sr., OL)

DJ Gordon, Harvard (So., RB)

Aidan Kilstrom, Harvard (Sr., OL)

Derek Osman, Harvard (Sr., OL)

Seamus Gilmartin, Harvard (Jr., TE)

Will Bergin, Penn (Sr., OL)

Donte West, Penn (So., RB)

Josh Robinson, Princeton (Fr., WR)

Quinton Lewis, Yale (Jr., OL)


DEFENSE

Jack Middleton, Brown (So., DL)

John Perdue, Brown (Sr., LB)

Jack Smiechowski, Columbia (Sr., LB)

Xavier Agostino, Harvard (Sr., DL)

Ty Cortes, Penn (So., DB)

Chase Christopher, Princeton (Jr., LB)

Evan Haynie, Princeton (Jr., DB)

Nasir Hill, Princeton (Sr., DB)

Phoenix Grant, Yale (Jr., LB)

Jaylin Tate, Yale (Jr., DL)


SPECIAL TEAMS

Santiago Sturla, Penn (Sr., P)


*Unanimous Selectio

 + Team Expanded Due to Tie in Voting


Green Alert Take: Maybe someone with an Ivy League degree can explain how Jaden Craig can be a unanimous selection at quarterback and yet be joined on the first team by Penn's Liam O'Brien. And while we are at it, there are eight teams in the Ivy League and no fewer than half of them had quarterbacks chosen on the first or second team. Sorry, but the math doesn't work.


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Apparently while I wasn't watching the Ivy League ended its gala finalists presentation for the player of the year awards and instead named them along with the All-Ivy teams. None of the selections should be a surprise:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (BUSHNELL CUP )

Josh Pitsenberger, Yale (Sr., RB)

 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (BUSHNELL CUP)

*Abu Kamara, Yale (Jr., DB)

 

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Julien Stokes, Penn (Sr., RS)


ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Josh Robinson, Princeton (Fr., WR)

 

COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR

Yale

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Academic All-Ivy League selection Konstantin Spörk quietly earned a distinction on the Dartmouth offensive line that the Gridiron Imports site shared:

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Stats Perform has announced 30 finalists for each of its player awards, and 15 finalists for its coaching award. Ivy Leaguers in the running:

Walter Payton Award - Offensive Player of the Year

QB Jaden Craig, Harvard

RB Josh Pitsenberger, Yale

WR Jared Richardson, Penn


Buck Buchanan Award - Defensive Player of the Year

DB Ty Bartrum, Harvard

DB Abu Kamara, Yale


Jerry Rice Award - Freshman of the Year

WR Josh Robinson, Princeton


Eddie Robinson Award - Coach of the Year

Andrew Aurich, Harvard

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EXTRA POINT

It took three rounds of backing in and pulling out of the garage – and then inching back and forth more times than I care to remember – to tuck our 1984 VW Westfalia into its winter hideaway while still leaving room for our cars. "Wiffle" – so named for its color – is a four-speed stick without power steering, and I'm here to tell you putting in hibernation was a pretty good workout.



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