Week Six Roundup

Whoa Nellie, here we go ...

Jake Novak over at Roar Lions Roar offers a capsule explanation of Dartmouth's 28-6 win over Columbia Saturday under the headline Hurtin' in Hanover that kicks off this way:

The Big Green immediately established a running attack and passed the ball just well enough to score points when they needed them. Nick Schwieger broke a school record with 242 yards rushing. Meanwhile, the defense gave up a lot of yards but forced Columbia mistakes time after time.

The Daily Dartmouth story is mostly a reaction story. ... Speaking of reactions, the D also has an "Inquiring Photographer," type piece about what the win means (sans the photographer ;-). It's well-balanced, but one response to the win will certainly not be received well in either the Big Green or Lions camp, but it has a ring to it (link):

Winning a Homecoming game against a perennial conference doormat should not be big news.

Not to be outdone in the semi-mudslinging, the Columbia Spectator has a story under the headline, Football embarrassed by lowly Dartmouth. It includes this quote from coach Norries Wilson, whose team now has lost its last three games:

“There’s going to be some changes, there has to be. Guys need to be accountable to themselves. It’s not okay to lose. They keep score in these football games. This ain’t four-year-old tee ball.”

For the edification of both sides, the current Ivy League standings show "doormat" Columbia and "lowly" Dartmouth tied in the league standings:

1. Harvard 3-0 (4-2 )
1. Pennsylvania 3-0 (4-2)
2. Brown 2-1 (4-2)
4. Yale 1-2 (3-3)
4. Columbia 1-2 (2-4)
4. Cornell 1-2 (2-4)
4. Dartmouth 1-2 (1-5)
8. Princeton 0-3 (1-5)

The Columbia Spec also has a sidebar headlined Light Blue unable to capitalize on red zone opportunities.

The Daily Pennsylvanian writes has an Ivy roundup under the headline Dartmouth’s long nightmare is over.

USA Today took note of the interesting happenings at the top of the list of teams with lengthy losing streaks and used it as the Stat of the week:

Going into last weekend, the three teams with the longest losing streaks in the Football Championship Subdivision were Indiana State at 33 games, Dartmouth at 17 and Northeastern at 13. All three won.

Speaking of which, the Ivy League is well represented in the longest losing streaks in the country, even with Dartmouth now vacating its spot. Cornell and Princeton are ranked 13th nationally with four consecutive losses while Columbia is tied for 16th. Heading the list: Georgetown and Idaho State with eight consecutive losses apiece.

Win or no win, the equal-opportunity Harvard Crimson isn't going to cut Dartmouth or Columbia any slack, writing:

Safe to say, even with a win under its belt, Dartmouth won’t be challenging anybody for the Ivy crown. But it’s also safe to say that upstart Columbia shouldn’t be included in any more discussions of the Ancient Eight’s upper echelon.

Speaking of not cutting anyone slack, there was this on the Ivy League football message board from someone who calls himself/herself IvyFootballFan:

At least now when Dartmouth beats Princeton in a few weeks, it won't be to break the streak, thanks Columbia for doing the Tigers a favor.

Ouch.

And yes, there was other football played Saturday including a huge Patriot League game down in Worcester where Holy Cross dispatched previously unbeaten Colgate, 42-28. The Sports Network's David Coulson makes an interesting observation:

Who would have expected that (Holy Cross quarterback Dominic) Randolph would gain more yards on the ground than Nate Eachus, Jordan McCord, or anyone else in Colgate's prominent ground attack?

Randolph passed for 288 yards and ran for another 116. Eachus had just 69 yards on 23 carries while McCord had 15 yards on nine carries. The guess here is that Randolph's enormous day is probably going to cost Dartmouth's Nick Schwieger a chance at being the region's player of the week after breaking the school record with 242 rushing yards in the win over Columbia. But time will tell. (Stay tuned for the announcement of the weekly Ivy League honors.)

Admit it, you were wondering what happened with those weekly power ratings, weren't you? Ask and ye shall receive.

The Sagarin Ratings for Dartmouth and its opponents, current and future:
(All of Division I – FBS and FCS. Last week's ranking in parentheses.)
149. Penn (150)
160. Harvard (178)
165. Brown (185)
186. Columbia (164)
191. Yale (196)
204. Dartmouth (224)
215. Cornell (210)
227. Princeton (236)

91. New Hampshire (96)
153. Holy Cross (171)
161. Colgate (160)
231. Butler (221)
237. Sacred Heart (237)
241. Georgetown (243)

The Dunkel Index
(FCS Only)
27. Penn (28)
29. Harvard (36)
37. Brown (41)
47. Yale (44)
67. Columbia (51)
81. Dartmouth (99)
84. Cornell (77)
106. Princeton

11. UNH (10)
28. Holy Cross (33)
52. Colgate (47)
112. Sacred Heart (109)
113. Butler (116)
118. Georgetown (115)