A Big Green Surprise?

The Sports Network takes a look at seven FCS teams that could, "rise up and break through the expectations from past seasons and reach what you could consider the next level of success for the program."

Dartmouth is one of the seven.

From the column:

... (A) 6-4 record after 12 straight losing seasons was impressive enough to make headlines in Hanover.

This year, the Big Green can build on that success from last season - which included a 4-1 record on the road - behind senior quarterback Connor Kempe, who is sixth on the school's all-time passing list. Also, for the first time in the long history of Dartmouth football, games will be played under the lights at Memorial Stadium (sic), a move that could add some excitement around the program.

By the way, the concrete supports for the new lights are being installed as we speak.

The other schools on the Sports Network list:

Rhode Island
Sacramento State
Stony Brook
Murray State
Chattanooga
Sam Houston

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The Philadelphia Inquirer has a story about the Ivy League initiative to cut back on hitting in practice as a way to limit head injuries and concussions. Veteran Penn coach Penn coach Al Bagnoli worked with the committee that recommended the changes. Bagnoli told the Inky:

"We had coaches, administrators, trainers, doctors, and medical staffers, various specialists, and (the changes) summed up our thoughts coming out of the meeting. What we did was based on medical studies, but we didn't want to compromise the integrity of the game or the quality of the product. It just streamlined everything."

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The Daily Pennsylvanian has an editorial applauding the move and adding this:

It is imperative that the League also look at other high-risk sports — lacrosse, ice hockey and soccer are not far behind football in incidence of concussions — and continue to press on the issue of safety in college sports.

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The DP also has a story that includes thoughts from Bagnoli.

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Scout Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier asked about whether he thinks the Ivy rules would work in the SEC:

Yeah, I do. That’s about what we do, to tell you the truth. To me, it doesn’t make any sense to get your own players hurt in practice. Just doesn’t make any sense at all.

And this:

I heard one time when the Army guys practice against each other, they don’t use live bullets. Why do football teams use live hits against each other? Doesn’t make sense. So we try to protect each other in all practices.

Find his whole answer here.

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The two-hour Colonial Athletic Association media day on July 27 is going to be broadcast live on ESPN3.

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On the eve of the start of training camp the United Football League announced it will delay the start of their season by a month. Former Dartmouth assistant Joe Moglia, the new head coach of the Omaha Nighthawks, had this to say to his players according to the Omaha World-Herald:

"I told them there's not 100 percent certainty that we will play, but I do believe we are going to play. I explained why I thought we were going to play.

I tried to answer every question that they had, and I didn't try to shade the truth or spin anything any specific way. Everybody was disappointed that we're not playing now but at the end of the day, they want to play football."

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While the rest of us might think the NFL lockout made this the perfect time for the UFL to kick off, the league's commissioner said just the opposite. In a letter to fans Michael Huyghue wrote:

Today we announced that the 2011 United Football League season will now kickoff in mid-September as opposed to August 13 as originally announced. At the conclusion of last season we announced that we would play in August because we believed then, and now, that playing in August provides a compelling opportunity for us to offer meaningful games during the NFL preseason. At the time we could not have predicted that the uncertainty of the NFL and NBA lockouts would create a destabilizing, negative impact throughout the professional sports industry.