Thursday, June 02, 2011

Revving Up the Hype

Two publications have released their preseason Top-25 lists and one Dartmouth opponent shows up on both. That opponent? Penn, which will visit Hanover on Oct. 1 in the Ivy League opener for both teams.

Lindy's has the two-time defending Ivy League champions slotted at No 20 while Sporting News has the Quakers at No. 24.

The only other 2011 opponent mentioned in either poll is Colgate, which Lindy's pegs at No. 23 and Sporting News does not rank. The Raiders will provide the opposition when Dartmouth opens the season on Sept. 17 at Memorial Field.

The switch a year ago from New Hampshire to Sacred Heart for the second game of the 2010 and '11 seasons saves the Big Green from facing nationally ranked teams in each of the first three weeks. UNH is No. 8 in the Lindy's poll and is ranked No. 11 by Sporting News.
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Sporting News has named its 2011 preseason FCS All-American team and it features just one player Dartmouth will see this year, Colgate tailback Nate Eachus.

This will be the first time the Big Green has gotten a look at Eachus. He bulled his way to 932 yards in just a little over six games as a running back when the teams met in his freshman year, but was still primarily a linebacker when the Raiders faced Dartmouth and did not have a carry. He ran for 919 yards in just over seven games as a sophomore but missed the Dartmouth game with an injury. Healthy and appearing in all 11 games last fall, he ran for 1,871 yards but yet again the Big Green did not see him because the Colgate game was replaced with a contest against Bucknell. (Instead of facing Dartmouth, Eachus ran 35 times for 147 yards and caught three passes for 20 more against Syracuse.)
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All Ivy League recruiting classes have finally been reported with Columbia finally releasing its list.
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Wandering through the Berry Sports Center yesterday I found the doors and windows looking into the old Kresge Fitness Center (opposite Leede Arena) papered over. That means work has commenced on the impressive new basketball suite that will feature upgraded offices for coaches, comfortable areas for team meetings, video review and studying, coaching locker rooms, a kitchen and a handsome reception area.

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