Friday's Practice

ROOM TO RUN
There's nothing but green grass (OK turf) ahead of Milan Williams as he crosses the 30 Friday with the help of a block from Taylor Layman (61). Leading the way is center Jared Dowdakin (50) while Alex Rapp (68) helps keep the path clear. Friday's practice was a prelude to Saturday's "situational" scrimmage. Read more about it on Green Alert premium.

Another Dour Prediction

Piling on doesn't just take place on the field. The Dartmouth football team is learning that.

The lastest to pile on is the Boston Globe, which predicts a last-place finish in the Ivy League for the Big Green. (link) The Globe "outlook" for Dartmouth says:

The good news is the Big Green return 25 starters. The bad news is those starters finished last in the league in rush defense (172.5 yards per game), scoring defense (25.4 points per game), and scoring offense (14.7).

Not that polls and predictions are worth the paper and bandwith that deliver them to you. As a story in the Yale Daily reports (link):

In the past seven years, only one team, the 2003 Pennsylvania Quakers, has been voted atop the Ancient Eight in the preseason poll and gone on to fulfill the media’s prediction by winning an Ivy crown three months later. So when the media resoundingly selected Yale to finish ahead of the pack in 2007, whispers of the “Poll Curse” could be heard within the Eli nation.

Here's the tease for a story in the Daily Pennsylvanian (link):

24 seniors are in danger of graduating without an Ivy title. They would be Bagnoli's first class to miss out

Bagnoli is Al Bagnoli, the dean of Ivy League coaches now in his 16th year at Penn. The Quakers have finished second, sixth and tied for fourth the past three years. (The story notes they've won 12 titles in the past 25 years.) For a position-by-position look at Bagnoli's team, click on this link.

Yale tailback Mike McLeod is finally getting some much-deserved attention. He's one of 16 players -- and the rare junior -- on the Sports Network's first Payton watch list for the best offensive player in the FCS. (link) New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos, who won the award last year, is on the list again.

The Sports Network's new FCS editor picks UMass over Dartmouth opponent Holy Cross (link) but does not offer a pick on Colgate-Albany.

Former Dartmouth tight end Casey Cramer sprained his ankle last night against the Green Bay Packers. (link) Cuts are coming for the Tennessee Titans, so that's not a good thing. He's mentioned in a cut story. (link)

In case you are wondering, Dartmouth's preseason camp has reached the halfway point. This afternoon's practice will be the 12th of 23 sessions. (The final week before Colgate is normal game prep, not camp.) Check in tonight for a report on practice No. 12 and information on the upcoming "situational" scrimmage.

And finally, a certain Hanover High sophomore will be starting in the midfield today as the Marauders' field hockey team opens the season on its new turf field. I hope to catch a few minutes of the action before crossing the road to report on what's happening on Memorial Field.

'It Was A Dark And Stormy Afternoon ... '

This is how it looked over Memorial Field shortly before practice was ended by thunder, lightning and heavy winds.A ladder used for work on the Floren Varsity House awnings was blown against the windows.
Players wasted no time getting off the field when the lightning started.

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Not surprisingly, if you know Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens, he found an interesting way to put punctuation on a storm-shortened second practice session Thursday. Check the Green Alert premium page to find out what how he capped off the practice.

Thursday A.M. Practice

Thursday morning was the first time I'd seen one of the awnings on the front of Floren Varsity House opened. In the picture below (shot before the fog had cleared) you can see how the awning fits in the overall scheme of the building. Hopefully the awnings will be retracted when it rains. Otherwise the folks who won the lottery to buy the new chairback seats will definitely need their umbrellas ;-)

Stick Around Long Enough
And You'll See Everything
Dartmouth's Thursday Morning Practice On Memorial Field Has A Surprise Or Two

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com

HANOVER -- You can watch an awful lot of football and not see what the odd onlooker or two at Memorial Field saw Thursday in the first half of the second two-a-day practice of the preseason.

More on Green Alert premium.

The Big Guy Addressing The Troops

Click photos to supersize (and be sure to scroll right on the top one)The Real Commander In Chief

Dartmouth President Jim Wright has the full attention of the Big Green players while addressing them early in Wednesday's practice. Wright spent the better part of an hour milling around Memorial Field, chatting with players and watching the action. It will probably soon be an urban legend (rural legend?) that he sent in the play that resulted in a touchdown on the first snap of the red zone scrimmaging. (See last night's practice story) ...

The second double-session of the fall will take place today with drills starting at 8:30. Check Green Alert for a full recap of the morning action by 12:30 p.m., or so, and look for a full report on the afternoon session at the usual time tonight. The temperature could hit 90 degrees this afternoon so it figures to be a l-o-n-g day for the guys. ...

Sophomore quarterback Max Heiges gets a mention about Marin players in college football in this story out of the Bay Area. ... The new editor of FCS football for The Sports Network chimes in with his picks in Week One of the regular season (for most schools) and he's going out on a limb regarding one of Dartmouth's opponents. He picks Holy Cross in what would be (for me, at least) a stunning upset of Massachusetts. He also takes Colgate over Albany in a close one. (link) ...

With the season upon us (OK, not us but them) it's time for a look at the College Sporting News consolidated rankings, which combines the results of six of the most respected sources in the FCS. The consensus regarding Dartmouth's opponents has New Hampshire fourth in the nation, Yale 34th, Princeton tied for 28th and Holy Cross tied for 31st. (link) ...

On the eve of the Tennessee Titans' final preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, another writer doing a story on imminent cuts went to Casey Cramer, the former Dartmouth tight end. (link) Said Cramer:

I used to lose sleep, I'd worry. But now I understand it is out of your hands and you just have to quit worrying about it. You can't control what happens.

It has definitely taken me four years to be able to come to that idea, to be able to live it. But I am probably still going to be nervous after the game, just because I'm a nervous guy.

Former Dartmouth kicker Dave Regula '98 gets a quick mention at the end of this Akron Beacon Journal story about soccer players who also kick PATs and field goals on the gridiron as Regs did in high school. Regula still holds the Dartmouth record with 38 career field goals.

The televised college football season kicks off tonight with LSU at Mississippi State on ESPN, Tulsa at Louisiana Monroe on ESPN2 and Tennessee Tech at Eastern Illinois on CSTV (which we still don't get).

And finally, you won't hear this from our hard-working friend Jake down at Columbia. On the way to practice yesterday I had to stop for a black bear cub crossing the road in front of me. I reached for my camera but by the time I got it the cub was gone.

Wednesday's Practice Report

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com

HANOVER -- Being able to think on your feet is an important skill for a college football coach.

On a day when Dartmouth President Jim Wright addressed the Big Green football team and then spent the better part of an hour milling around the sidelines chatting up a few of his players, Buddy Teevens proved adept at the aforementioned skill.

Read more on Green Alert Premium.

Passing Fancy

Blogger has added its own support for video so I thought I'd give it a try. ...

In the clip below Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens (gray sweatshirt) and his six quarterbacks throw consecutive passes to wide receiver Ian Ferrell during a Tuesday drill on Memorial Field. Ferrell's teammates congratulate him at the end of this 15-second clip, shot with a trusty four-year-old digital still camera in movie mode. From left to right the quarterbacks (and ex-quarterback) are Josh Cohen, Teevens, Alex Jenny, Tom Bennewitz, Max Heiges, Will Deevy and Tim McManus. The voice saying, "Good, good, good," as Ferrell makes catch after catch belongs to Teevens.


There's a story in the Baltimore Sun about Lane Clelland, brother of new Dartmouth assistant Lance Clelland. The younger brother, billed as Maryland's top prep lineman, is headed to Notre Dame next year. He's listed as 6-5, 270. There's a Baltimore Sun story that mentions the Dartmouth connection here.

Speaking of younger brothers, Chris Shannon, younger brother of former Dartmouth offensive lineman Mike Shannon '06 and a regular fixture at Dartmouth practices when he wasn't practicing himself, is set to begin his freshman year on the offensive line at Duke. Find his bio here. Chris is not listed on the first Duke two-deep of the season for the Blue Devils' opener against Connecticut.

Penn State quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno has an interesting way to get his players up to speed on the gameplan -- and to make sure they don't incur the old man's rath by showing up late for meetings. Check out this Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story.

And finally, it's the first day of school here in Hanover for a certain high school sophomore and her eighth-grade brother. No question, it's a little easier when they are in school, but I have to admit feeling a little sorry for them at breakfast this morning. That first day of school is a cold smack of reality.

The certain soph is playing varsity field hockey again and starting at link where her ability to run from now until next year without getting tired comes in handy. She wishes she lived in a town where she could play two sports in one season because the golf bug bit her hard this summer and she got pretty good pretty fast.

The eighth-grader is playing football again and the hope is that as one of the older kids on the 7th-8th grade team he'll have the success he had every year he's played until the last one, when the team was dominated by the eighth-graders. He, too, caught the golf bug this summer, playing virtually every day except when he was at camp. The only way to cheer him up this morning was to tell him today is one step closer to the course opening next spring. (He didn't bring up that it's also one step closer to the course closing this fall and I certainly didn't mention it.)

Now it's time to get back to that freelance magazine story about the local forester I'm writing. The deadline is tomorrow, so I've got to grind before today's practice.

Check in tonight for a look at Thursday's session.

Scenes From The First Double Session Day

Freshman running back TJ Cameron and freshman linebacker Matt Oh get acquainted Tuesday afternoon.
Freshman quarterback Will Deevy uses all of his 6-4 frame to get a pass over freshman defensive end Charles Bay Tuesday.
Junior defensive end Rehan Muttalib takes a cooling drink on a hot afternoon.
Did these guys come out of the fog Tuesday morning?

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By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com

HANOVER -- First day of practice. First day in pads. First day in full unis. First day of hitting.

The progression of preseason firsts continued Tuesday with the first double-session of the camp. Although it was a long day and a relatively hot one -- by Northern New England standards at least -- senior center Jared Dowdakin wasn’t complaining. Quite the opposite, actually.

Read more from Thursday afternoon's practice on Green Alert premium.

Tuesday Morning Practice

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com

HANOVER -- The story in the New York Times about moving NCAA kickoffs back five yards to the 30 this year posited that more injuries may result. It brought up the possibility that scoring will increase as a result of better field position. And it wondered about strategy changes at kickoff and in the style of kicks.

Buddy Teevens hadn’t seen the story before the first of two scheduled practices kicked off (pun intended) Tuesday morning. But after watching his four kickers split 12 kickoffs evenly in the first regular kickoff practice of the preseason, the Dartmouth coach addressed some of the ideas brought up in the Times’ piece.

To read what he had to say, check out the 1,265-word Green Alert premium story about Tuesday morning's practice. Check back tonight for a complete report on the afternoon session.

Dartmoose Making Noise ... And Video

However you feel about the Moose as a Dartmouth mascot -- the Dartmoose if you will -- there's a pretty fair PR campaign pushing it. Check out these videos:



and ...



The Moose certainly would be original in the NCAA ranks. But my vote would be for the Dartmouth North Stars. (I'm still partial to the Dartmouth BackPackers, but I can understand a few concerns about that name ...)

A Times-Picayune staff blogger uses Dartmouth to make a point (link):

BATON ROUGE - It is a truism that were the (LSU) Tigers playing Dartmouth, LSU Coach Les Miles would talk about how The Green are a, "quality opponent," not to be overlooked.

He did not disappoint at his first full-scale press conference Monday on campus, telling the assembled reporters the Mississippi State Bulldogs will represent a genuine challenge for the No. 2 ranked Tigers when they open the season Thursday night in Starkville.

In truth, Mississippi State is considerably better than Dartmouth in football, and LSU's coaches and staff insist no one on the team is looking past the Bulldogs, coming off back-to-back three-win seasons, to what could prove a tumultuous game against Virginia Tech in Tiger Stadium on Sept. 8.

He's right, of course. But it still feels like a shot.

The College Sporting News 2007 FCS Preseason Magazine is ready and the five-page Ivy League section can be previewed at this link. (That's a PDF file -- a 6.6 MB download). The CSN prediction for the league race looks like a lot of other predictions from the Dartmouth perspective:

1. Yale
2. Princeton
3. Cornell
4. Penn
5. Harvard
6. Columbia
7. Brown
8. Dartmouth

Yale tailback Mike McLeod is the CSN preseason offensive player of the year. Penn linebacker Joe Anastasio is a surprise defensive pick (in my humble estimation) over Yale's Bobby Abare.

CSN has 10 featured Ivy League games of the week. None include Dartmouth. Here's columnist Chuck Burton's bottom line on the Big Green:

"Teevens' rebuilding effort continues but with so many key offensive
players graduating it could be a tough year."

Not surprising giving his quotability as well as his seat on the Tennessee Titans bubble, The Nashville City Paper quoted Dartmouth grad Casey Cramer on what it's like as final cuts near. (link) Said Cramer:

If this is your first rodeo, you’re going to be a lot more nervous than someone who has been cut five times like I have.

Double sessions today. Check the Green Alert main site somewhere around 12:30 p.m., for a report on the first session. The second report will be up tonight. ... It's a gorgeous morning up here on the mountain with crystalline blue skies. It's foggy down in the valley but could hit 88 degrees so it will be a hot one on the artificial turf.

First Day Of Live Action

The ball flies off the the foot of Dartmouth punter Brian Scullin during Monday's practice. Scullin's spirals were regularly traveling upwards of 50 yards.

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Aug. 27, 2007

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com

HANOVER -- Junior Eric Paul went high for the pass over the middle on Memorial Field Monday afternoon. The ball and junior safety Kyle Cavanaugh arrived on Paul’s doorstep a blink-of-the-eye apart.

What happened next was symbolic of the first live scrimmaging of the 2007 Dartmouth preseason and brought a big smile to coach Buddy Teevens’ face.

To read more, click here.

Yes, Champing At The Bit

So now even my wife has added her voice to the electronic chorus with an email from work about "Champing at the Bit." ... One of the problems of being a trained journalist, I suppose, is that you get taught these rules and you find them hard to break. Here's an explanation of champing, stolen straight from the Internet (link):

Champing at the bit

If someone is eager or anxious to do something, they are said to be champing at the bit, (not chomping at the bit. nor chomping on the bit).

CHAMPING: Repetitious, strong opening and closing action of the mouth which
produces sounds when the teeth hit together. Champing in swine may be a
threat signal, but also is performed by boars during courtship and
mating. Definition from Hurnik et al., 1995.
- The Encyclopedia of Farm Animal Behavior
champ
v. tr. - To bite or chew upon noisily.
v. intr. - To work the jaws and teeth vigorously.
Idiom: - champ at the bit
To show impatience at being held back or delayed.
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

So there you have it (although I must admit I didn't know about the boar courtship stuff).

Several other sayings people usually get wrong that I had drilled into my head ...

A team that is stuggling is foundering .... not floundering.

A car careers around a curve ... not careens around a curve.

There are more, but I'm trying to forget them ;-)

Best Of Times, Worst Of Times

Quarterback Josh Cohen lets the Big Green offense know what he sees Sunday afternoon. Dartmouth will hit for the first time today at practice. Check in tonight for a full practice report on Big Green Alert.

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The New York Times kicked off its college football blog with a look at the Ivy League. That's the good news. The Times writes of Dartmouth: "The offensive line is much better. The running game is not." (link)

Now the bad news. At least one reader thought the Old Gray Lady should have started with another conference. He wrote:

... I realize your newsroom probably has a 3/1 Ivy League grad ratio but when your schools are better known for rowing and badminton…don’t come at us flatlanders with an Ivy League football preview. I can’t watch these games on TV ANYWHERE, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.

Preview the conferences, please do. Start with the Big 10, move on to the SEC, then the PAC 10, Big East, you can even bother with the ACC, but the Ivy League?
Seriously?

Ouch. Badminton?

The Cornell Sun has a writeup of the Big Red's scrimmage. (link)

UNH football will have a bye week while most of the rest of the Colonial Athletic Association is opening up this week. (link)

Say what you want about Keggy the Keg -- the student-created character that shows up at occasional Dartmouth football games as well as other contests and events around campus -- the beer-bellied one is pretty photogenic. I stumbled across the Kegmeister's blog yesterday (link). It hasn't been updated in a while, but it's kind of fun to scan down.

Sunday Practice

Senior Jason Reid pops through a hole for a good gain during Sunday's first practice in full pads.

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Aug. 26, 2007

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com

HANOVER -- Imagine the old man finally hands you the keys to the ‘65 Mustang only to toss a caveat over his shoulder as he heads for the refrigerator. “Don’t take it out of the driveway.”

Now you know how the Dartmouth football team felt Sunday.

To read more, visit Green Alert premium.

Hank The Hammer

Running back footballs await use during Saturday's steamy practice. There are 20 days until the opener against Colgate on Memorial Field.

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A story out of England about Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson '68 touches on his football background. (link) From the story:

On Wall Street they still call him Hank The Hammer, but US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has refrained from striking blows in attempts to solve America's worsening financial problems. Rather, the 6ft 1in former Ivy League American football champ has walked softly to chart an unusually quiet path of diplomacy, leaving it largely up to others to speak out in an effort to ease panic and restore order to global markets.

By some accounts, the biggest concern at Princeton this year is quarterback. The feeling here is that senior Bill Foran, who started his college football career at Purdue, is going to do just fine. A story in the Trenton Times (link) tosses out a few stats that are eye-openers. As a high school senior, Foran completed 67 percent of his passes, threw for more than 1,800 yards, had one interception in 172 throws, ran for more than 1,000 yards and scored 21 touchdowns.

Speaking of quarterbacks, Ricky Santos wasn't particularly happy with the UNH offense after yesterday's scrimmage in Durham. (link) ... I've mentioned this before but if UNH receiver Mike Boyle is healthy -- and that seems to always be a question -- the Wildcats are going to be just fine without David Ball. The speedy Boyle has been battling injury but when he's good to go, he can really go. Against Northeastern last year he caught 14 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. (link)

Although the current work on Memorial Field is wrapping up there won't be a new scoreboard this year as Dartmouth continues to study the possibility of a video board. William & Mary has just put one up. (photo)

Check back tonight for a review of the first practice in full pads. Fortunately the weather is expected to be more reasonable today with the temperature topping out in the low 80's.

Nelson Second In World Shot

Former Dartmouth defensive lineman Adam Nelson '97 finished second in the shot put at the world championships in Osaka, Japan. (link) In part because of his talent at longsnapping and in part because he came along at the right time, Nelson was the first freshman to play for the Big Green after they were made eligible in 1993.

A Hot Time In Hanover

Saturday's air temperature was in the low 90's. On the field it was hotter.

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By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com

HANOVER -- Given the way Saturday’s football practice ended, Dartmouth coaches may well have forgotten the way it started.

If the Big Green players are smart -- and brave enough -- they’ll remind the braintrust about a little agreement they had with the staff before Sunday’s practice kicks off. A case can be made that the coaches still owe 'em one.

Visit Green Alert Premium to find out what.

Of Bobble Heads And Helmets

On a hot and humid Friday afternoon, Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens is cool, calm and collected -- OK cool -- despite a long-sleeved sweatshirt. It's going to be a scorcher today with the temperature at the start of practice at 4 p.m., expected to be 90 degrees and humidity at 50 percent.

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Took a cruise through eBay this morning and found a couple of interesting things. First, an old Dartmouth football bobblehead. I don't recall having seen one before. As of 9:30 Saturday morning the bid was at $131.66. The auction ends Sunday. Auction link From the description accompanying the item: "This is an ORIGINAL bobblehead nodder from the 1960s of a football player for the Dartmouth University Big Green out of the Ivy League." The guess here is that the person who wrote up the description is not a Dartmouth alum. ;-)

The other item is a used football helmet. Here's what the seller had to say: "I'm not TOTALLY positive this is a Dartmouth Collee helmet but assuming it is from the green color and the white D logo. I'll let you decide for sure." OK, I've decided. Nice helmet. Not Dartmouth. And yeah, I'm sure. Auction link

Check Green Alert premium tonight for coverage of a steamy day of practice.

Friday's Practice

Andrew von Kuhn makes a one-handed grab during Friday's practice session on Memorial Field.

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By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com

HANOVER -- On the first day of preseason camp held on Memorial Field onlookers saw something from the Dartmouth football team they hadn’t seen much of in the recent past. And coach Buddy Teevens couldn’t be happier about it.

What did they see? Visit Green Alert premium to find out.

Shots From Practice

Senior quarterback Tom Bennewitz fires a spiral Thursday.
You might call this trashing the opposition.
Freshman Donald Kephart kicks off an Alex Jenny hold.

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There was a light rain overnight and the hourly forecast calls for isolated thunder storms so the early guess here is that practice will be held for the first time on Memorial Field. But only time will tell because it's getting lighter out as we speak. ... ;-)

Amazing as it sounds given that Dartmouth hasn't yet strapped on the pads, Cornell's camp is over. (link) That doesn't mean the first game is just around the corner. The Big Red starts the same day Dartmouth starts -- Sept. 15. It's just that with classes beginning, the practice schedule in Ithaca now reverts to the regular weekly in-season schedule. Dartmouth classes don't kick off until Sept. 26.

The Princeton Packet has a story (link) about new starting quarterback Bill Foran, who spent one season at Purdue before coming to the Ivy League. Foran will be a key to the Tigers' bid to defend their crown. The Packet story talks about Foran having "speed that made him among the top sprinters on the indoor track and field team," and about "the jitterbug moves that made him tough to tackle." Having talked with Princeton coach Roger Hughes about his new QB, I expect him to have a huge impact this fall.

Speaking of Princeton ... enough already with the school's football web site popping a video up on my screen every time I visit. Hey you in TigerTown: Cease and desist. It's ANNOYING!

Dartmouth (and the other Ivies) have been in contact with a couple of student-athletes who credit military parents for their discipline. One is a fullback/linebacker from Western P-A (as we Penn Staters call it--link) and the other is a quarterback from California. (link)

Thursday's Practice Report Posted

Dartmouth players stretch prior to Thursday's second practice of the preseason.

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Aug. 23, 2007
By Bruce Wood
www.biggreenalert.com

HANOVER -- A scan of Dartmouth practice field Thursday revealed several familiar numbers missing, perhaps most notably the No. 3 worn by flashy junior tailback Milan Williams.

To find out why no one was worried, visit Green Alert premium.

Catch This

Wide receivers coach JJ Jackson looked none the worse for wear yesterday and said his knee is fine despite suffering an injury in a playoff loss with the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of Arena Football2. Jackson had a black elastic brace on his knee yesterday but wasn't limping.

A former Oklahoma Sooner, Jackson played 10 games for the Manchester Wolves before returning to the Dawgz.

Jackson was named the af2-Schutt Offensive Player of the Week with the Dawgz after racking up a record 440 all-purpose yards in the regular-season finale against Lubbock. He had seven touchdowns and a two-point conversation in the contest.

His 15 career kickoff returns for a touchdown are the all-time af2 record. He is just the third player in af2 history to score 900 points. In his four-game stint in Oklahoma City this year he had 29 catches for 327 yards and eight touchdowns. He also returned 26 kicks for 690 yards. ...

Dartmouth's opener against Colgate on Sept. 15 will be a fund-raiser for the United Way. (link) Two dollars from every adult ticket sold will be donated to the United Way. ...

A 59-year-old college linebacker? A subscriber sent along this link to a story about one at Division III Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. ...

It's an overcast day in the Upper Valley with a few showers forecast to begin right about when practice starts. If it rains, expect the session to be shifted to Memorial Field. Check in tonight to see how it goes.

A Lot To Like On Day One Of Practice

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreenalert.com

HANOVER -- When Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens sees things in practice that he likes and gets to talking about them, it’s huge help having new batteries in the ol’ recorder.

The rechargeables in the camera failed on the first day of Big Green practice Wednesday afternoon, but the digital recorder held on and that’s a good thing because Teevens -- on a battleship gray day that felt more like fall than summer -- saw a lot that he liked on the Blackman Practice Fields.

Ironically, though, the most telling comment he made after the 2-hour, 15-minute session might have come after the recorder was shut off.

To learn what that comment was and find out about a new transfer from a scholarship program joining the Big Green program, visit Green Alert premium.

Photo: Freshman John Spradling grabs a pass Wednesday.

Jayvee Schedule

Here's the Dartmouth jayvee schedule. There will be full coverage of each game on the Green Alert premium site.

• Sun, Sep 16 MIDDLEBURY Hanover, 1 p.m.
  
• Sun, Oct 07 MILFORD ACADEMY Hanover, 2 p.m.
  
• Fri, Oct 26 Harvard at Cambridge, Mass. 2 p.m.
  
• Sun, Nov 11 BRIDGTON ACADEMY Hanover, Noon

A few things. ... The Middlebury date is against the DIII school's varsity and is usually referred to as a scrimmage. ... Milford is a prep school that in recent years has had players earmarked for places like West Virginia, Penn State and Miami. ... The Harvard game is usually fun.* ... Bridgton is over in Maine and is almost always a very competitive game. ... For what it's worth, Dartmouth has little more than a late-week walkthrough as an actual jayvee team, so playing against squads that practice together is a challenge.

*I hope that if -- for some reason -- the Harvard game is called off I find out about it in time. Rather than drive back and forth two years ago, I took a motel room in the Boston suburbs for Friday night and headed on down ... only to check my wifi once I got down there and learn the game had been canceled. Rather than drive all the way back to Hanover only to turn around the next morning and drive back to Boston, I stayed at the motel and swallowed the bill. ;-)

Tough To Do. Tough To Watch.

Former players usually miss Saturday afternoons. Not many miss the late August morning when they are put through their annual preseason conditioning test.

Dartmouth tested players who haven't been on campus Wednesday morning, starting in a heavy fog at 6:30. Players had to run 16 110-meter sprints on Memorial Field in set amounts of time according to position.






In the top photo, the team assembles shortly before the running began. In the next photo, gray ghosts run through the fog. By the third photo, the fog had lifted. In the final photo, some players paid the price (and yes, one player's mug has been intentionally smudged to protect the innocent).

During the run, those players who had been on campus and previously tested lined up on the sidelines and encouraged their teammates shouting things like, "Let's go guys," "Good job boys," "Get some air guys," and, "Almost done boys."

Check Green Alert premium tonight for Coach Buddy Teevens' take on how the team fared in the conditioning run and for a full recap on the first day of practice.

The Wait Is Over

Work has begun on attaching the green awning to the front of the Floren Varsity House. (Click photo to enlarge)

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Off to catch a glimpse of the 6:30 a.m. conditioning tests shortly. On tap on the Green Alert Premium site later today: a preview of the 2007 Princeton team. Tonight: the first practice report of the preseason.

In the meantime, there's a short story about the start of Dartmouth practice on the school web site that includes the preseason schedule. (link) Here's the practice schedule:

Wednesday, Aug. 22
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 1
Thursday, Aug. 23
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 2 (Helmets)
Friday, Aug. 24
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 3
Saturday, Aug. 25
4-6:15 Practice No. 4
Sunday, Aug. 26
3:30-5:45 Practice No. 5
Monday, Aug. 27
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 6
Tuesday, Aug. 28
8:30-10:25 Practice No. 7
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 8
Wednesday, Aug. 29
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 9
Thursday, Aug. 30
8:30-10:25 a.m. Practice No. 10
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 11
Friday, Aug. 31
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 12
Saturday, Sept. 1
9-10:25 a.m. Walkthru/Practice No. 13
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 14 (Situational Scrimmage with officials)
Sunday, Sept. 2
Off Day
Monday, Sept. 3
8:30-10:25 a.m. Practice No. 15
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 16
Tuesday, Sept. 4
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 17
Wednesday, Sept. 5
8:30-10:25 a.m. Practice No. 18
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 19
Thursday, Sept. 6
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 20 (Intrasquad Scrimmage)
Friday, Sept. 7
4-6:15 p.m. Practice No. 22
Saturday, Sept. 8
10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Practice No. 23 (Mock Game with Officials)
Sunday, Sept. 9
Off Day
Monday, Sept. 10
Colgate practice begins

The first FCS Coaches Poll (link) is out and Yale and Princeton finished 24 and 25. The poll looks like this:

1. Appalachian State (27) 699
2. Montana 656
3. Massachusetts (1) 612
4. North Dakota State 609
5. New Hampshire 559
6. Youngstown State 550
7. James Madison 477
8. Illinois State 471
9. Northern Iowa 424
10. Furman 416
11 Southern Illinois 406
12. McNeese State 365
13. Portland State 313
14. Cal Poly 302
15. Wofford 265
16. Hampton 242
17. Eastern Illinois 203
18. UT-Martin 202
19. South Dakota State 198
20. Coastal Carolina 191
21. Delaware 172
22. Montana State 168
23. Sam Houston State 130
24. Yale 76
25. Princeton 50

FCS Coaches Poll voting panel: Stacy Adams (Valparaiso), Rob Ash (Montana State), David Bennett (Coastal Carolina), Bob Biggs (UC-Davis), Don Brown (Massachusetts), Kevin Callahan (Monmouth), Rich Ellerson (Cal Poly), Bob Ford (Albany), Henry Frazier (Prairie View A&M), Tom Gilmore (Holy Cross), J.C. Harper (Stephen F. Austin), Danny Hope (Eastern Kentucky), Denver Johnson (Illinois State), Anthony Jones (Alabama A&M), Kevin Kelly (Georgetown), Bobby Lamb (Furman), Pete Lembo (Elon), Mike Lucas (Southeastern Louisiana), Mickey Matthews (James Madison), Tripp Merritt (Davidson), Jay Mills (Charleston Southern), Tim Murphy (Harvard), Don Patterson (Western Illinois), Oliver Pough (South Carolina State), Tony Samuel (Southeast Missouri State), Jack Siedlecki (Yale), Jerome Souers (Northern Arizona), Joe Taylor (Hampton)

Missed this the first time around but the College Sporting News had a column (link) about "anonymous" players who could have a major impact on the FCS scene this year. Three Ivy players make the list and one other Ivy opponent. The Ivies are tailback Mike McLeod and linebacker Bobby Abare of Yale and linebacker Joe Anastasio, Penn. New Hampshire wide receiver Keith Levan is also on the list.

Green Alert Take: McLeod absolutely shouldn't be anonymous. And Abare is hardly anonymous in the Ivies.

Name the sport and Princeton's game notes are always the best or among the best. The 100 Fast Facts To Get You Ready For The 2007 Princeton Football Season (link) is a sampling of the kind of things you'll find in their notes. Here's just one of the Fast Facts:

Head coach Roger Hughes is the only coach in Ivy League history to improve three straight teams by at least two wins.

Is Harvard rich? Um, yes. And getting richer as this link a subscriber passed along from the New York Times shows. From the story:

The Harvard Management Company, which oversees the university’s endowment, reported today that the endowment had posted a 23 percent gain for the fiscal year ended June 30.

That brought the value of the nation’s largest university endowment, now overseen by Mohamed A. El-Erian, who formerly ran Pimco’s emerging market bond fund, to $34.9 billion.

One Big Family

10:45 update: Should have mentioned this earlier. The Brown season preview -- ninth in a series of 10 -- will be posted later today on Green Alert Premium.

I was privileged to have dinner last night at Jesse's Restaurant with the Dartmouth freshman football players and their families and came away impressed by the size and demeanor of the players, as well as the way the families have melded so quickly into one big family. Thanks to the organizers for inviting me, and to everyone for the warm reception.

Coach Buddy Teevens had a few opening remarks for the group before heading back to campus to continue the seemingly endless preparations for tomorrow's official start of practice.

Players check in today between 8 a.m. and noon. The first official practice is at 4 p.m., Wednesday. It's a long preseason -- there are still 25 days until the opener against Colgate -- but the three-plus weeks aren't all about football. I got a copy of the practice schedule yesterday and it includes periods dedicated to, among other things:

• Freshman Orientation -- Resume Building
• Freshman Orientation -- Library Tour
• "Dine With Your Dean"
• Mentors lunch
• Dartmouth History-Dartmouth Songs, Alma Mater, Backs Go Tearing By, Glory to Dartmouth
• Sophomores: Picking a Major
• Juniors and Seniors: Career Services

And a whole lot more ...

Columbia kicked off practice yesterday. (link) ... Yale gets the ball rolling today. (link)

For someone whose biggest sin was replacing Dan Marino, former Dartmouth quarterback Jay Fiedler has been the victim of his share of cheap shots in the press over the years. A Miami Herald story headlined, "Dolphins' offense gets its first undisputed leader since Marino," has something a little more flattering to day about him. The story (link) says:

"Jay Fiedler was a man of infinite courage who won a lot of games and could have been a classic leader. But his inconsistent skills and the coaching staff's constant search for his replacement conspired to take the mantle from him."

To see a picture of Tennessee Titans tight end/fullback Casey Cramer signing autographs after a game, click on this link. For an action shot of the former Dartmouth tight end blocking, click on this link.

Penn is now offering a service that says you can:

Receive at least seven in-game football scoring updates on your mobile phone for each home and away game.

The graphic goes on to say the cost is $4.99 per month for up to 30 messages. Now, I choose not own a cell phone and don't really know about text messages and how they charge for all that stuff. But with tongue in cheek I submit that the ad is worthy of the inside back page of Consumer Reports for the overly optimistic graphic that accompanies it. The illustration of a cell phone shows the following message on the screen:

Penn 35
Oklahoma 28
(End of 3rd)

Speaking of marketing, Columbia's press guide is on sale at the Columbia Media Guide store. (link) I have to admit the $20 price (plus $2 shipping and handling) took me for a loop. I would expect that it is in line with what other schools charge and is priced the way it is only to help cover costs, but it's still a lot of money.

NFF Ivy Poll

As we speak the National Football Foundation poll is: Who will win the 2007 Ivy League football championship? link

The (modest) results as of 4:45 p.m.:

• Penn 13 votes
• Princeton 9 votes
• Yale 8 votes
• Harvard 7 votes
• Dartmouth 6 votes
• Brown 4 votes
• Cornell 3 votes
• Columbia 2 votes

Cornell Preview Posted; Jake's Take On Dartmouth

The Cornell preview has been posted on Green Alert premium -- but I suspect that's not going to be your first stop. If you haven't already, I'm sure you'll want to head on over to the Roar Lions Roar blog for Jake Novak's take on the Big Green. Hint: Jake projects yet another 2-8 record and a 1-6 Ivy League mark.

Remember, Green Alert premium will feature full coverage of Dartmouth's preseason beginning Wednesday. I'll be at EVERY Dartmouth practice and have newspaper-length wrap-ups within several hours of the final wind sprint every day from the first day of camp until the last. And there will be stories after each double-session, so you can read about the first while the second is taking place. This is the place for timely comments from coach Buddy Teevens, his assistants and the Big Green players as the 2007 season kicks off. If you haven't renewed your subscription or started one, don't wait!

A Sixth Home Game? Could Happen

Don't look now but Dartmouth might have another home game this fall. It probably won't happen but this morning's Manchester Union Leader (link) reports that the FieldTurf installation at New Hampshire's Cowell Stadium has hit a snag. The paper says work "started over" on the project last week. From the story:

"The field, (Athletic Direct Marty) Scarano said, needs to be finished by Sept. 17 to leave time to paint lines on it. If the field isn't going to be ready by Sept. 22, Scarano said, an obvious option would be to see if Dartmouth would be willing to host the game."

The Union Leader story starts with a note that three UNH grads bidding for NFL spots will be on the tube tonight when the Chicago Bears take on the Indianapolis Colts. Wide receiver David Ball and defensive back Corey Graham are on the Bears' roster while wide receiver Aaron Brown is with the Colts.

Casey Cramer is the subject of a story from a Union Leader reporter's trip to to the Patriots-Titans game. link

Since Jay Fiedler and his group have decided to put their new CBA team in Pikeville, Kent., the former Dartmouth and NFL quarterback is making more appearances than a politician running for office. According to a story, he "will be present on both nights of the 23rd Annual Pike County Bowl. This year's Pike County Bowl will feature all six local teams (Pikeville, Belfry, Pike County Central, Shelby Valley, East Ridge and Phelps) as well as Corbin and Louisville Holy Cross." link

Dartmouth's freshman players are in town and will gather with their families for an informal dinner tonight. The rest of the team, if not already here, will report tomorrow. Practice begins Wednesday.

Later today on Green Alert premium: the Cornell preview.

Sunday Smorgasbord

Another slow day in the Blogosphere as we set up for Day II of the Great Garage Sale 2007. (As you might know, Sundays don't hold much promise for these things but we'd *love* to get rid of some of the detritus from a successful Saturday in the driveway.)

I've been sitting on this one for a while, but you may find it interesting. When Dartmouth opens the season with a home game Sept. 15 against Colgate it will tie the record for the earliest opener in school history. Only one other time has Dartmouth played this early in the month and that was in 1990 when the Big Green lost to Penn, 16-6.

In the hurry to get posted yesterday I failed to mention that Casey Cramer caught two passes for 45 yards in the Tennessee Titans game against the New England Patriots Friday night.

Harvard's night game against Brown that conflicts with a Jewish holiday has been moved from Sept. 21 to 22. It will be the first night home game ever at Harvard Stadium. Link.

Brown sports info has a quick look at the start of preseason. Link.

USA Today had a neat feature on the Wing T offense that includes video. It's well worth the click. Link.

Saturday Stuff

Just a couple of quick notes a few minutes after 5 a.m. Then I've got to get to work setting up our yard sale. ...

Former Dartmouth standout Bill Roberts '51, who caught a pass from Bart Starr in a short stint with the Packers and was later both a CIA operative and a U.S. marine, has died at 77. Find a story about his amazing life here. From the story:

A highlight of Roberts' collegiate career was a game against Holy Cross, when he tallied runs of 34, 52 and 55 yards. In two seasons playing football for Dartmouth, in New Hampshire, he gained just under 1,500 yards, Michael Roberts said. He also set the single-game rushing record for the college. That record has since been broken.

In fact, this record was 698 yards in 1951, a record that stood until Jake Crouthamel broke it in 1958. Roberts' yardage is 16th on the single-season Dartmouth list. He's 19th in career rushing yardage with 1,237 yards in just two years. He also held that mark until Crouthamel came along.

Call it a draw between Dartmouth grad Anthony Gargiulo and Columbia grad Tad Crawford. Gargiulo's Calgary Stampedes and Crawford's British Columbia Lions both scored 14 points in overtime and had to settle for a 45-45 tie. The draw continued: Gargiulo had one tackle at defensive end; Crawford one stop in the secondary. Stats are here. ...

New Hampshire's new turf field is being delayed according to this story. It should be ready in time for the home opener against Dartmouth, but there is probably some hand wringing going on over in Durham...

Later today: A look at Columbia on Green Alert premium.

Harvard-Brown Date May Move

Missed this the first time through ...

Harvard is considering a change of date for that first night football game against Brown to avoid a conflict with a Jewish holiday. The Boston Globe reports.

Of Rankings And Polls

The U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings are something like preseason football polls in that their greatest value might be that they get people talking. Do they mean anything? Sure. Does it make any difference if you are No. 9 last year and No. 11 this year, as Dartmouth is? Not really, if you ask me. But like the polls, people will discuss the rankings, brag about the rankings and complain about them. Here's what The Dartmouth wrote about them.

In case you are wondering, here's where the Ivies fall this year and where they were last year:

1. Princeton University (2007: 1st)
2. Harvard University (2007: 2nd)
3. Yale University (2007: 3rd)
5. University of Pennsylvania (2007: 7th)
9. Columbia University (2007: 9th)
11. Dartmouth College (2007: 9th)
12. Cornell University (2007: 12th)
14. Brown University (2007: 15th)

Also in the top 10:
Stanford was No. 4, Cal Tech No. 6, MIT No. 7, Duke No. 8, Chicago tied with Columba at No. 9.

Dartmouth has a new dean of the college. Replacing Jim Larimore is Thomas Crady, a graduate of Northern Michigan, where he went on to earn his masters. He holds a Ph.D. from Iowa State.

Crady comes from Grinnell College in Iowa where he was the vice president of student services. The Dartmouth College release on his appointment is here. The Daily Dartmouth story can be found here.

Neighbors around Harvard Stadium are complaining about the scheduling of a night football game against Brown according to this story. Said one neighbor after being told there have been no real problems with the Boston Cannons pro lacrosse night games played at the stadium: “Football caters to undergrads and drinking before. It’s a completely different atmosphere. Anyone around for football games knows they have tremendous impact on the community.”

Green Alert Take: If only it were still so in the Ivy League. Harvard-Yale, yes. Harvard-Brown? She's kidding, right?

Want your own Derham Cato '04 autographed Toronto Argonauts' jersey? Find it on eBay.

Princeton grad Jason Garrett's first preseason game as offensive coordinator couldn't have been much more productive. Here's a story.

Casey Cramer and the Tennessee Titans invade New England tonight. (Story) Those of you who can pick up WMUR-TV, the ABC affiliate out of Manchester, N.H., can see the game live. Those of us who live in the shadow of Moose Mountain's north peak can't, unless we have the right satellite package or a massive antenna. We don't.

Out in Calgary meanwhile, this from the Calgary Sun in anticipation of the Stampeders' game against the BC Lions and Columbia grad Tad Crawford tonight:

KEY ROSTER MOVES

CALGARY -- DE Anthony Gargiulo return from his ankle injury, taking the place of Pat MacDonald and going back to his starting position.

Coming up later today on Green Alert premium: A look at Holy Cross, the fifth in a series of previews of Dartmouth's 2007 opponents.

... And then it's back to the garage where we are preparing a two-day yard sale up here on the mountain. Too bad we aren't in town because we're selling off a ton of stuff that would be perfect for student apartments. Anyone interested in a nearly complete set of Noritake Joanne china? Or a 27-inch TV that works perfect except that the speaker is kaput and you need to run it through your stereo? ;-)

Yale Preview Posted

No less than Harvard coach Tim Murphy has said Yale may be as loaded with talent and experience as any team he's seen in his 14 seasons.

The Penn teams that lost just three Ivy League games over five seasons might have a quibble with Murph on that account, but you get the point.

Yale's Mike McLeod might be as good as any running back in the country and Matt Polhemus is the established veteran quarterback that is usually vital to Ivy teams.

If there are questions on the Yale offensive line, there are few on the other side of the ball where the interior defensive line and secondary return intact. The linebacking crew is led by Bobby Abare, one of the Ivy League's top playmakers.

Add it all up and there are no fewer than 11 players returning with All-Ivy on their resumes.

Visit Green Alert premium to read the full Yale preview.

***

Did you see that Cornell has scheduled a home-and-home with FCS-bound Old Dominion? Find the story here. The Monarchs will travel to Ithaca in 2010 and host the Big Red in 2011.

History lesson: Old Dominion will play its first season of football in 2009 and join the CAA -- along with UNH, James Madison, etc.). ODU announced its decision to restore football for the first time since 1940. Find that story here.

For what it's worth, ODU coach Bobby Wilder played quarterback for Buddy Teevens at Maine.

Green Alert Take: It's disappointing to see Dartmouth's Ivy League opponents scheduling teams like San Diego, Georgetown, Hampton, Duquesne and even Army (Yale will play there in 2010 and 2012) while the Big Green seems forever stuck in the Colgate, New Hampshire, Holy Cross rut. The time has come to do something different. Anything different. A home-and-home with ODU would be fun and would be an interesting storyline given the tie between the coaches.

Preseason All-America Opponents

Four Ivy Leaguers and eight players Dartmouth will face this year have been chosen to one of the three Sports Network preseason All-America teams.

Named to the first team (hardly a surprise) is UNH quarterback Ricky Santos, a unanimous selection. He's joined on the other side of the ball by Colgate linebacker Mike Gallihugh.

On the second team are Yale running back Mike McLeod and Holy Cross defensive back Casey Gough.

Third-team offensive picks are Brown kicker Steve Morgan and Colgate tailback Jordan Scott. Yale tackle Brandt Hollander and Yale linebacker Bobby Abare were tapped on the defensive third team.

Tennessee Titan Casey Cramer's big toe gets some pretty good ink in the Clarksville, Tenn., newspaper. Seems Casey is one of a number of Titans who likes to take a knife to his cleats.

The Daily Press in Virginia has a story about former Columbia coach (and onetime Yale standout) Bob Shoop, now in his first year as defensive coordinator at William & Mary. Shoop accepts responsibility for the way things turned out at Columbia (7-23 in three years) but in so doing fires a broadside that will raise a few eyebrows in New York City as well as other Ivy League outposts. Said Shoop:

"I failed as an Ivy League coach partly because of (passion). I was more passionate than some of the student-athletes."

This story sounds as if Anthony Gargiulo will be on the field for the Calgary Stampeders against the BC Lions this week before getting some time off when the CFL team enjoys its bye week.

The Colgate web site reports that, "Fans who purchase one general admission ticket (in advance) to the Albany game can receive up to three free."

Smart. The bet here is the marketing idea will result in an average ticket sale but an above-average crowd. The thought is probably that while some people who were going to buy tickets will get in for free, others who wouldn't normally go to the game would make up for them and swell the crowd. They might even have a good enough time to come back. Kind of a "loss leader" -- not unlike the Green Alert blog ;-)

There's a big push to pack the Memorial Field stands for Dartmouth's opener against these same Colgate Raiders. It might be worth watching what happens over in Hamilton and then calling a quick audible if it works.

Graduated Harvard offensive tackle Nik Sobic has signed with the New Orleans Saints. The Harvard web site now lists no fewer than six former Crimson players in NFL camps: Matt Birk '98 (Vikings); Clifton Dawson '07 (Colts); Matt Farbotko '07 (Colts); Ryan Fitzpatrick '05 (Rams); Isaiah Kacyvenksi '00 (Raiders injured reserve).

Later today on Green Alert premium: A look at preseason Ivy favorite Yale.

Penn Preview Posted

Should have blogged this earlier. The Penn preview is up on Green Alert premium. Tomorrow I'll take a look at Week 4 opponent Yale. ... Now back to that freelance magazine story I'm writing about a forester ;-)

Even More Rankings

The Sports Network has released its FCS preseason poll and six Dartmouth opponents received votes with New Hampshire leading the way at No. 6. Others drawing votes: No. 24 Yale; No. 26 Princeton; No. 40 Holy Cross; No. 51 Harvard; No. 55 Colgate.

The College Sports Network compiles a consolidated ranking that averages the results from polls and rankings done by Lindy's, Street & Smiths, College Sports Network, Any Given Saturday and the Sports Network. The consolidated poll has UNH at No. 4 and No. 24 Yale, No. 30 (tie) Princeton and Holy Cross.

Allen Lessels of the Manchester Union Leader writes about the media day kickoff of preseason at UNH. His lede: "New pants. New field. New players." All that's true, but the objective is the same one they've had for several years now. After saying the Wildcats have to focus on Game One, quarterback Ricky Santos admitted to a long-term vision as well. He said:

"I'm not going to lie to you. I do feel we have a team that could win the national championship. But at this point it's do what we need to do."

From north of the border comes this: "D-lineman Anthony Gargiulo (ankle) practised and appears ready to go." Gargiulo and the Calgary Stampeders take on the British Columbia Lions and Columbia grad Tad Crawford Friday night in Alberta.

There's a newspaper story about a Georgia preacher who has written books entitled God Bless the Crimson Tide and God Bless the Vols. The paper writes that the books include a series of devotions and ...

Each devotion in the series begins with a Bible verse. Then there’s an anecdote, or the story of a player who won over adversity, or lost. The books include a wealth of well-written sports stories, some funny, some sad, some exciting, each one leading to a thoughtful, spiritual conclusion, and some thinking points.

That's all well and good, but why do I bring it up? The newspaper story says of the author:

"He’s proud to report, though, that his son, David, turned out to be 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, and won a football scholarship to Dartmouth College."

That sent me to the roster of letterwinners in the back of the Dartmouth media guide because David McMinn is not a name that I recognized. I found him listed in the 1994 media guide as a 6-1, 185 defensive back prospect. He is not listed in '95. One thing is certain: He didn't win a football scholarship to Dartmouth.

Later today on Green Alert premium: A look at the 2007 Penn team, the third in a series of previews of Dartmouth opponents.

2007 UNH Preview

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreenalert.com

Here’s all you need to know about UNH -- The lede of one of the final preseason stories before the Wildcats reported to camp was who is going to be the quarterback. The backup quarterback.

You know what that means. Ricky Santos, winner of the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FBS, is back again. He’s one of seven starters back on offense. Six more return on defense.

To read the full UNH preview, visit Green Alert premium.

Casey And The Car

Tennessee Titans tight end/fullback Casey Cramer is the subject of this AP story that plays on the good sense he's showing with his money. Says the 2004 Dartmouth graduate of still owning the same car he had in college:

"I'm taking my money and investing my excess, It's better to invest it than to invest in a depreciating asset, especially when you're paying on a depreciating asset. That's really silly."

The always-quotable Casey also says:

"It's the NFL. The NFL stands for 'Not For Long.' You never really feel secure. You feel like every year you have to go out and prove yourself again and earn a spot."

Cramer and fellow Dartmouth alum Matt Burke, now a coach for the Titans, are mentioned in the New England Patriots' game notes heading into a preseason game between Tennessee and New England.

If you think FCS (formerly I-AA) football and sports are without the problems seen in the FBS, check out this SI.com story about what's happened at Montana State. The subhead for the story:

Two former athletes allegedly murder a drug dealer. An ex-football player is charged with heading a cocaine ring. Montana State is coping with a crime wave.

At the Ivy League media day we were told about rules changes for this year. The National Football Foundation shared a rule change I heard nothing about:

"Computers may not be used by coaches or for coaching purposes anytime during the game or between periods."

Green Alert Take: Jay Leno would probably say something along the lines of, "There goes the Ivy League's chance of winning any non-league games." It's an interesting rule. I've wondered if someone might be typing in a play-by-play during the game and crunching the tendency numbers in order to phone them down to the sidelines.

That's about it for today, folks. I'm heading out to the woods to shadow a forester for a freelance magazine story I am writing. Did you know there's a difference between a forester and a logger? No, huh? I'll let you know.

Opponent Previews Kick Off

It's time to start previewing Dartmouth opponents in the order in which the games will be played.

Later today: Previewing Colgate on Green Alert premium.
Tomorrow: New Hampshire
Wednesday: Penn
Thursday: Yale
Friday: Holy Cross
Saturday: Columbia
Sunday: Harvard
Monday: Cornell
Tuesday: Brown
Wednesday: Princeton

The first of the daily practice stories will be posted after the opening session, Wednesday, Aug. 22!

Be sure to sign up for Green Alert premium to have access to every newspaper-length practice report -- including two on days of double-sessions. On most days stories will be posted within three hours of the end of practice.

Still Another Ivy Projection

I was talking to a friend/subscriber yesterday who brought up the Green Alert story about the preseason polls and asked something along the lines of, "Why do they even bother?"

Good question and I offered what I think is a good answer: Because like 'em or hate 'em, they get us talking and excited about the season. ...

... Which is why this morning I introduce you to Keeper's College Football Ratings. This fellow says he arrives at his predictions by "applying pre-season power rating against the
schedule including home and away adjustments." Well, OK then.

And what does the Keeper's system have to say about the Ivy League race and Dartmouth? Glad you asked. Keeper's has Yale winning the title with a 7-0 league record and a 10-0 overall mark. It has Dartmouth tied for last along with Columbia and Brown at 1-6. Keeper's has the Big Green 1-9 overall, the same as Brown.

The predicted order of finish:
1. Yale
2. Harvard
3. Penn
4. Princeton
5. Cornell
6. Columbia
6. Dartmouth
6. Brown

For more information on how these ratings are arrived at, click here. Now, discuss among yourselves ...

Want a Dartmouth football Ivy League championship pin? You can find one on eBay. (Thanks to a subscriber for ferreting this item out.) This pin, which resembles a championship ring, is thought to be from the '60s or '70s.

Casey Cramer and former Dartmouth decathlete Mustafa "Moose" Adbur-Rahim, visited a school together this winter. Scroll down this page to read a bit about the visit and see a picture of Casey visiting the classroom in his Tennessee Titans jersey.

Anthony Gargiulo's replacement with the Calgary Stampeders had a rough debut in Montreal Thursday. Fortunately, Gargiulo '06 could possible be back for Friday's game with the BC Lions according to a note in this story.

Colgate had its first practice in pads on Friday. ... UNH hits the field for the first time today. This story notes that the Wildcats have a rugged early season schedule.

Dartmouth is on the radar of a 6-5, 285 offensive lineman in South Carolina. Or, more correctly, the lineman is on Dartmouth's radar. This story says he's been offered by that noted football powerhouse Newberry, and has already heard from Clemson, Vanderbilt, Delaware, Dartmouth, Liberty, Furman, Lehigh and Elon.