Thursday, September 20, 2012

Gearing Up For Holy Cross

Dartmouth's game notes have been posted here. From the notes:

A victory over Holy Cross would not only give the Green their first five-game win streak since the 1997 squad won its first five games (extending an overall streak to 15 wins), but it would also even the series with the Crusaders at 36-36-4. Dartmouth has dropped its last four games in Worcester with the last victory coming in 2003, 24-20.
And . . .
Holy Cross still plays on natural grass, a surface that the Big Green have struggled on since installing FieldTurf at Memorial Field prior to the 2006 season. Until Dartmouth knocked off Brown in Providence in the penultimate game of 2011, it had lost 14 straight games on natural grass. 

In his weekly report the Bleacher Report's Ivy League correspondent writes:

The rushing attack for the Big Green was incredibly impressive in their opening 35-7 win over Butler. However, the Bulldogs are relatively weak competition and this week’s matchup against Holy Cross will provide better insight on Dartmouth’s team. They could be a surprise squad in this year’s Ivy League.
The Butler Collegian has a follow on Saturday night's game that includes this:
Butler coach Jeff Voris said the team kept it closer than the score shows. 
“We didn’t play complementary football,” Voris said. “When the defense got a stop, we didn’t capitalize on it, and when the offense scored, they came back and scored.”
With Holy Cross next on the Dartmouth slate, it's timely that Yahoo's Pat Forde has a blurb about Crusader lineman Jack Maliska. Forde writes:
Because of injuries, the star defensive tackle was called upon to also play offensive guard for the Crusaders last Saturday against Brown. Maliska played 30 snaps on defense and made one tackle, took 36 snaps on offense (including being part of two touchdown drives) and also had six plays on special teams. This Saturday against Dartmouth ...
Hmmm. Starting quarterback out. Injuries forcing a lineman to go both ways. Should be an interesting afternoon in Worcester.
 The Dartmouth catches up with record-setting tailback Nick Schwieger '12, who tells the college paper he's had offers to play in Canada and France since being cut by the St. Louis Rams but that he's leaning toward getting a real world job. Schwieger does a good job of not burning bridges while getting across the idea that he didn't get much of a shot at showing what he could do.
From the Princeton Alumni Weekly:
More than 209 alumni, mostly former football players, have signed a letter to President Tilghman calling on her to 'personally act to help restore Princeton's winning football tradition.
More from the PAW:
The group wants Tilghman to change several policies that are not in line with other Ivy League schools.  The letter asks the admissions office to move up the date when it sends 'likely' letters indicating an applicant's chance of admission; ease academic standards for athletes; and start accepting transfer students.  It also wants changes to Princeton's rules on injuries -- the University is alone in the league in requiring students with major injuries or medical problems to sit out the entire academic year rather than one semester.
Be sure to drop by Green Alert Premium today for an interesting (hopefully ;-) new feature recommended by a reader.