Listen - If You Dare

OK, you have to be careful with this one given the ridiculous typo at the bottom of the photo above, not to mention that The College Experience is produced by SGPN, which a little Googling reveals is Sports Gambling Podcast Network.

That said, there's actually some decent analysis in the video, and a lot of it. If you are brave enough and don't mind a few four-letter words, you can hear 20 minutes of Dartmouth talk with game-by-game predictions and a good number of names mentioned if you CLICK HERE.

And if you are really brave, once you get past the blabber at the start there's a pretty good look at every Ivy League team on the podcast.

Green Alert Take: The "Ive" preview notwithstanding, if you want an extensively researched and thorough look at each Ivy League team and Dartmouth's three non-league opponents, my suggestion would be to check out the preview series starting one week from Wednesday on BGA Premium. (The previews will be available only to subscribers who are current as of that date.)

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The Toronto Argonauts are 6-0 and off to their best start since 1935. Dartmouth alum Flo Orimolade '17 is a big reason why. In his first year after moving over from the Calgary Stampeders he leads the CFL team with five sacks and 26 yards lost to sacks.

In the video above, the former Bushnell winner as the Ivy League defensive player of the year shares post-practice thoughts before the Boatmen's most recent win. CLICK HERE to watch.

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Flo isn't the only former Big Green standout in uniform right now. Jake Guidone '21, who did a grad transfer season at UConn, went to camp with the Baltimore Ravens as a a 6-foot-3, 299 free agent center.

And Niko Lalos '20, who made a splash with the New York Giants as a defensive end several year ago and played this spring in the XFL, has been back with the New Orleans Saints. He previously spent time on the team's practice squad. 

Not in uniform right now, but playing this spring with the champion Birmingham Stallions of the USF,L was offensive lineman Matt Kaskey '19, who could get an NFL call at any time. Here's a photo from his social media:

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EXTRA POINT
As was the case with my laptop, which if you've been following along you know I finally replaced, our toaster oven had seen better days. Much better days, I realized that after we finally replaced it with a dedicated toaster.

Given how much easier and more efficient the new unit is, I've had toast for breakfast a few times since we bought it, always two slices at a time.

The other day I went to make a sandwich for lunch and though I wasn't going to use the toaster, something occurred to me. I've never counted so I don't know if it works this way, but I think a loaf of bread should always have an even number of slices. It's no fun getting down to the bottom of the loaf with a jar of peanut butter at hand and having a single slice of bread left.

More Phil

Phil Steele's all-encompassing preseason Ivy League defense:

FIRST TEAM

LINEMAN

Thor Griffith, Harvard, Sr.

Nate Leskoves, Harvard, Sr.

Clay Patterson, Yale, Sr.

Justin Townsend, Columbia, Jr.

LINEBACKER

Liam Johnson, Princeton, Sr.

Jake Stebbins, Cornell, Sr.

Macklin Ayers, Dartmouth, Sr.

Hamilton Moore, Yale, Sr.

DEFENSIVE BACK

Wande Owens, Yale, Sr.

Jaden Key, Penn, Sr.

Kendren Smith, Penn, Sr.

Quinten Arello, Dartmouth, Sr.

SECOND TEAM

LINEMAN

Micah Morris, Penn, Sr,

Alvin Gulley Jr., Yale, Jr.

Charles Loos, Dartmouth, Sr.

Joey Slackman, Penn, Sr.

LINEBACKER

Jack Fairman, Penn, Sr.

Joseph Vaughn, Yale, Sr.

Ozzie Nicholas Princeton, Jr.

Jonathan Melvin, Penn, Sr.

DEFENSIVE BACK

Cooper DeVeau, Brown, Sr.

Sean Williams, Dartmouth, So.

Isaiah Reid, Brown, Jr.

Seth Parker, Columbia, Sr.

THIRD TEAM

LINEMAN

Terrence Lane II, Brown, Sr.

Tyler Huenemann, Harvard, Sr.

Patrick Passalacqua, Columbia, Jr.

Kyle Philbin, Brown, Jr.

LINEBACKER

Matt Hudson, Harvard, Sr.

Connor Henderson, Cormell, Sr.

Isaiah Gamble, Brown, Sr.

Braden Mullen, Dartmouth, Jr.

DEFENSIVE BACK

Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye, Yale, So.

Mason Armstcad, Princeton, Sr.

Aaron Brebnor, Columbia, Jr.

Jalen Newman, Princeton, Jr.

DEFENSIVE MENTIONS
Brown: 0 first team, 2 second team, 2 third team
Columbia: 1 first team, 1 second team, 2 third team
Cornell: 1 first team, 0 second team, 1 third team
Dartmouth: 2 first team, 2 second team, 1 third team
Harvard: 2 first team, 0 second team, 2 third team
Penn: 2 first team, 4 second team, 0 third team
Princeton: 1 first team, 1 second team, 2 third team
Yale: 3 first team, 2 second team, 1 third team

And finally from Phil Steele, his special teams . . .

FIRST TEAM

K Jack Bosman, Yale, Sr.

P Jack Bosman, Yale, Sr.

KR Julien Stokes, Penn, Jr.

PR Wes Rockett, Brown, Sr.

All-Purpose Wes Rockett, Brown, Sr.

LS Josh Greene, Dartmouth, Sr.

SECOND TEAM

K Graham Gotlieb, Penn, Sr.

P William Hughes, Columbia, Sr.

KR Davon Kiser, Cornell, So.

PR Carter McFadden, Columbia, Jr.

AP Jameson Wang, Cornell, Jr.

LS Michael Davidson, Brown, Sr.

THIRD TEAM

K Jackson Kennedy, Cornell, Sr.

P Sebastien Tasko, Harvard, Jr.

KR AJ Barber, Princeton, Jr.

PR Scott Woods II, Harvard, Jr.

AP Nick Howard, Dartmouth, Sr.

LS Jack Kirkwood, Harvard, So.

SPECIAL TEAM MENTIONS

Brown: 2 first team, 1 second team, 0 third team
Columbia: 0 first team, 2 second team, 0 third team
Cornell: 0 first team, 2 second team, 0 third team
Dartmouth: 1 first team, 0 second team, 1 third team
Harvard: 0 first team, 0 second team, 2 third team
Penn: 1 first team, 1 second team, 0 third team
Princeton: 0 first team, 0 second team, 1 third team
Yale: 2 first team, 0 second team, 0 third team

The final tally, counting offense, defense and special teams . . .

Brown: 3 first team, 3 second team, 4 third team
Columbia: 2 first team, 6 second team, 3 third team
Cornell: 1 first team, 3 second team, 5 third team
Dartmouth: 3 first team, 5 second team, 4 third team
Harvard: 5 first team, 0 second team, 6 third team
Penn: 3 first team, 8 second team, 1 third team
Princeton: 2 first team, 2 second team, 4 third team
Yale: 11 first team, 3 second team, 3 third team

And using the ridiculously arbitrary assignment of five points for a first-team selection, three for a second and one for a third . . .

Yale: 73
Penn: 40

Dartmouth: 37
Columbia: 31
Harvard: 31

Princeton: 23
Brown: 28

Cornell: 19

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EXTRA POINT
Kudos to That Certain Dartmouth '14, who completed the 70K Tushars Run in Utah yesterday in 12th place among 35 women who finished, and 43rd among 105 finishers overall. Her time for the race, which began at 10,500 feet and topped out a 12,174 feet, was 14 hours, 15 minutes and 2 seconds. Per the race website she actually clocked 45.93 miles, her fourth race of 40 or more miles.

Curious about what kind of trails and scenery the race entailed? Watch this short and dramatic video:

All-Ivy Teams Phil Up

The, uh, capacious Phil Steele all-league teams are out and here's his All-Ivy League offense:

QUARTERBACK
First team: Nolan Grooms, Yale
Second team: Blake Stenstrom, Princeton
Third team: Aidan Sayin, Penn 

RUNNING BACK
First team: Tre Peterson, Yale
First team: Joshua Pitsenberger, Yale 
Second team: Q Jones, Dartmouth
Second team: Joey Giorgi, Columbia
Third team: John Volker, Princeton 
Third team: Eddy Tillman, Cornell 

WIDE RECEIVER
First team: Bryson Canty, Columbia
First team: Mason Tipton, Yale
First team: Wes Rockett, Brown
Second team: Paxton Scott, Dartmouth 
Second team: Joshua Casilli, Penn 
Second team: JJ Jenkins, Columbia
Third team: Graham Walker, Brown 
Third team: Ledger Hatch, Harvard 
Third team: Ryan Lindley, Yale

TIGHT END
First team: Tyler Neville, Harvard 
Second team: Jackson Hawes, Yale 
Third team: Matt Robbert, Cornell 

OFFENSIVE LINE
First team: Kiran Amegadjie, Yale
First team: Jalen Travis, Princeton 
First team: Jonathan Mendoza, Yale
First team: Jacob Rizy, Harvard 
First team: Austin Gentle, Harvard

Second team: Nicholas Schweitzgebel, Dartmouth 
Second team: Micah Sahakian, Cornell
Second team: Luke Painton, Columbia
Second team: Jake Ligos, Penn
Second team: Jack Purcelll, Penn

Third team:  Thomas Hartnett, Dartmouth
Third team: Kontantin Spörk, Dartmouth
Third team: Andrew Pruske, Columbia
Third team: Jack Karhu, Yale
Third team: Jackson Bradley, Cornell

Mentions:
Brown: 1 first team, 1 third team
Columbia: 1 first team, three second team, 1 third team
Cornell: 0 first team, 1 second team, 3 third team
Dartmouth: 0 first team, 2 second team, 2 third team
Harvard: 3 first team, 1 third team
Penn: 0 first team, 3 second team, 1 third team
Princeton: 1 first team, 1 second team, 1 third team
Yale: 6 first team, 1 second team, 2 third team

Tomorrow: The Phil Steele All-Ivy League defense.

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And a few more freshmen courtesy of Dartmouth's social media:

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The tag line with the following from the Dartmouth social media posts: Sweat Now, Shine Later seems appropriate. Click the pic to see the photos one-by-one.

Sweat Now, Shine Later. pic.twitter.com/gDg9184qit

— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) July 28, 2023

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David Shula's high school coach died at age 93 and the Big Green wide receivers coach is quoted in a story in the Miami Herald (LINK):

“Coach Zappone was a great leader who influenced so many of us on a positive way,” said Shula, a sophomore on that state team who is now an assistant coach at Dartmouth. “He always found a way to motivate you and hold you accountable. He’ll be missed by all of us.” 

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EXTRA POINT
That Certain Dartmouth '14's friend was trying to get her to sign up for the 100K Tushar Mountain Run in Utah, which is being conducted today. Ivy Leaguer that she is, she showed she was smarter than that. Instead she signed up for – and is on the course this morning – the 70K version. Gulp. That's a more more reasonable 43½ miles. ;-)

The course description includes this:

The Tushars Mountain Runs are staged out of Eagle Point Resort at an elevation of over 10,000 feet. All race distances climb to the highest point in the Tushar range, Delano Peak at 12,174 feet. Join us this July for a spectacular and brutal race you won’t soon forget.

And . . .

One of the toughest most spectacular mountain races in all of North America in a little known mountain range near Beaver, Utah. The Tushar Mountains are a hidden gem of high altitude peaks, mountain canyons, alpine lakes and stunning terrain.

You Know This Guy

Shane Cokes has made a lot of believers out in Boulder as this video reminds us: 

Read the comments and he even gets a nod for showing good hygiene for using a napkin to hand a teammate a straw. ;-)

From a Denver Gazette story headlined CU Buffs position preview: Defensive line counting on experienced transfers for production (LINK):

Dartmouth transfer Shane Cokes, who was one of the breakout stars in the spring, heads into fall camp as the leader of the defense and could be in for a big season as he hopes to boost his draft stock in his final year of eligibility.

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Dartmouth alum John Paul Flores gets a brief mention in a Cardinal Sports Zone story about the Louisville offensive line HERE.

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Flo Football, which broadcasts UNH,  has a blurb about the Top 5 Rivalry Games (& Trophies) in CAA Football and includes the Granite Bowl. From the story (LINK):

As the only Div. I programs in the Granite State, it's fitting UNH and Dartmouth play for a trophy shaped like New Hampshire and made of granite. 

Green Alert Take: Yeah, so how come this "rivalry" isn't played every year? It should be.

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Speaking of New Hampshire, the Wildcats have their third player recognized as the best in the nation wearing a particular number. (LINK) This time it's linebacker Ryan Toscano, who wears 39. He posted 72 tackles last fall and has had 139 over the past two seasons.

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More Meet the Freshmen . . .

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EXTRA POINT
Well, the great computer transition of 2023 is winding down. A good part of yesterday was spent moving apps to this machine as well as digging up usernames and licenses for software necessary to do BGA Premium and the rest. (And hoping they worked.)

After downloading one app that required jumping through some incredibly tricky hoops to be able to work on this machine I sent an email to their "support" thanking them for the very easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that worked perfectly. I was at first hesitant to dump something into the inbox of someone who is probably overwhelmed all day answering emails from those of us who make up the clueless masses. But I decided that person could use a pat on the back. For the record, I got a very nice email back saying I had made the person's day. It felt good!

Quick Teevens Update

Buddy Teevens' wife Kirsten has offered this update regarding the Big Green coach, severely injured in a bicycle accident (LINK):

"Buddy and I have moved to Boston where he will continue his rehabilitation closer to family and close friends. Respect for our privacy has aided in creating a healing environment and we are very appreciative. Letters of love and support sent through the Dartmouth Athletics Department have also brightened our days, so thank you."

Editor's note: There is information on the page linked above on how to send notes to the Teevens. 

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 Finally, a significant preseason honor for a Dartmouth player:

From the story (LINK):

Ayers turned into a tackling machine last fall, averaging 10 tackles per game, which led the Ivy League and ranked No. 13 in the FCS.

Per PFF, Ayers missed only 8.8% of his tackle opportunities. He earned Phil Steele Second Team All-Conference accolades for his play.

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Now more Meet the Freshmen graphics from the Dartmouth football office:

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From a story headlined, Ivy League Partners With Patriot League To Host Second Mental Health Summit (LINK):

“We are excited to once again partner with the Patriot League to prioritize an informative and collaborative day of programming f5r student-athlete leaders, coaches, administrators and staff around mental health,” Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris said. “Throughout the day, each discussion will present an opportunity for attendees to learn from and engage with a group of distinguished panelists while brainstorming how ideas or initiatives could be applied on each of their campuses and communities.” 

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A story out of Oklahoma recalls the high school glory days of Kirby Schoenthaler '15 and his teammates in a story headlined, A season to remember: Bartlesville High School football team made shining mark in 2009. The second sentence of the story begins this way (LINK):

The list of gridiron heroes on that 2009 powerhouse glows like a sunrise of greatness: QB Kirby Schoenthaler (four years of Dartmouth football) . . .

Schoenthaler would go on to a successful career as a wide receiver for the Big Green. 

The story includes this about the roots of Bartlesville's success:

(T)rigger man Schoenthaler, who would rush and pass for more than 10,000 yards in his prep career and also star as a track sprinter, was the other equation of Bartlesville's aerial blitz. Schoenthaler had been tabbed midseason 2007 by Smith as a starting freshman quarterback.

"I was only 5-foot-8, 145 pounds on a good day," Schoenthaler recalled about that 2007 crucible. "I think another challenge was in the locker room getting the buy-in from the upperclassmen. … There's definitely a speed of the game and as the younger guys were coming into it, Coach Smith and the coaching staff put us in a position where we could succeed at an early age."

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EXTRA POINT

Well, the new laptop I ordered Monday night arrived yesterday afternoon and I worked hard deep into the night to set it up. So far so good, although a couple of things I had working the way they were with the old machine last night don't seem to be playing nice this morning.

As an experiment, I did BGA Daily on the new computer today – in case something looks a little off. Next will be to try a page on BGA Premium (which is open for subscriptions and renewals now).

One thing I've realized. I was way, way overdue for an upgrade. I mean, I knew my 8 1/2-year old laptop was sluggish and unable to do some of the things I needed for it to do (causing me to find workarounds) but I really didn't grasp just how overdue that upgrade was until sitting down with this machine. Still hard to spend the money, but at least I know now just how well spent it was.

Just The Ticket

Had not heard of this before this morning but as a means of honoring Buddy Teevens '79, there's an alumni-inspired initiative to try to set a Dartmouth record this fall for season-ticket accounts. A push by the late '70s and early '80s classes that overlapped with Teevens' years in uniform has the record within reach. If you'd like to help (and see some football in the process), learn more, or open a season-ticket account, CLICK HERE to address an email to the ticket office.

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Add to the growing list of rising high school seniors indicating their intention to commit to Dartmouth the name of James Elliott, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver/defensive back from Leeds, Mass., and Williston Northampton School. He chose Dartmouth over offers from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Penn, Lehigh, Holy Cross, Colgate, Georgetown, New Hampshire and Bryant as well as a preferred walk-on offer at Michigan.

Excited to announce my commitment to Dartmouth College! I appreciate everyone who has recruited me and all the people who have made this possible!🌲Go Big Green!🌲@DartmouthFTBL @coachirishodea @Coach_McCorkle @coachdaveshula @CoachDaft @coachbeats @WillistonFB @CoachMartinESA pic.twitter.com/d5MVLi5vSt

— James Elliott (@James3Elliott) July 25, 2023

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Dartmouth has a summer interview with junior defensive lineman Ejike Adele HERE.

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The Patriot League preseason poll was released at the conference media day and Dartmouth's two PL opponents were picked to finish third and fifth. The poll (with last year's overall and league record, points and first-place votes:

1. Holy Cross (12-1, 6-0), 72 points, (12 first-place votes)
2. Fordham (9-3, 5-1) 62 (2)
3. COLGATE (3-8, 2-4) 51
4. Lafayette (4-7, 3-3) 39
5. LEHIGH (2-9, 2-4) 32
T-6. Bucknell (3-8, 2-4) 19
T-6. Georgetown (2-9, 1-5) 19

The Analyst has a story spun out of the Patriot League media day that focuses largely on Lehigh HERE.

Speaking of Lehigh, linebacker Mike DeNucci earned this national plaudit: 

2023 #FCS Jersey Countdown: 41 — The Best Player Who Wears No. 41 Is @LehighFootball's Mike DeNucci (@DenucciMike)https://t.co/jQUS4aO6z3

— Sam Herder (@SamHerderFCS) July 25, 2023

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The CAA held its media day as well and Sept. 16 Dartmouth opponent New Hampshire was picked second in the 15-team conference:

1. William & Mary (11-2, 7-1), 195 points (13 first-place votes)
2. NEW HAMPSHIRE (9-4, 7-1), 179 (1)
3. Richmond (9-4, 6-2), 159
4. Delaware (8-5, 4-4), 149 (1)
5. Elon (8-4, 6-2), 146
6. Rhode Island (11-2, 7-1), 135
7. Villanova (6-5, 4-4), 129
8. Monmouth (5-6, 3-5), 94
9. Towson (6-5, 4-4), 85
10. North Carolina A&T (7-4, 4-1 Big South), 70
11. Albany (3-8, 2-6), 64
12. Campbell (5-6, 2-6 Big South), 62
13. Maine (2-9, 2-6), 40
14. Stony Brook (2-9, 1-7), 38
15. Hampton (4-7, 1-7), 30

Find a Seacoast Online story on UNH's place in the poll HERE.

The CAA also announced there would be timeout countdown clocks at each stadium this fall as well as sideline replay monitors for officials.

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EXTRA POINT
The roofing crew did a nice job on our house, stripping all of the shingles and replacing them in a single day. The next morning they came with a big magnet sweeper and did a good job collecting most (though not quite all) of the nails that ended up on the perimeter of the house. I've discovered a few that somehow ended up a little farther out into the yard escaped the magnet.

I haven't done it yet but I may email the fellow who runs the company with a suggestion and it would be this: Please also run the magnet sweeper up and down the driveway where your trucks were parked.

Without going in search of stray nails I've found three of them in the driveway. When you have an EV with no spare tire that's concerning. The tires are "self healing" but I really don't want to find out if that stuff actually works.

Back At It

Now back to your regular programming the Dartmouth football social media's Meet the Freshmen campaign. ;-)

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Without much happening right now, today featured a whirlwind trip around the Ivy League football websites to pull together a list detailing the most coaching wins and highest winning percentage at each school since the start of formal Ivy League play in 1956. Again, this is overall wins.

BROWN

Most wins: 115 Phil Estes (1998-2018)

Best win percentage over four or more seasons: .603 John Anderson 60-39-3 (1973-83)

COLUMBIA

Most wins: 42 Ray Tellier (1989-2002)

Best win percentage over four or more seasons: .500 Al Bagnoli 35-35 (2015-present)

CORNELL

Most wins: 45 Jim Hofher (1990-98); Jack Musick (1966-75)

Best win percentage over four or more seasons: .574 Jack Musick (1966-75)

DARTMOUTH

Most wins: 151 Buddy Teevens (1987-91, 2005-present)

Best win percentage over four or more seasons: .748 Bob Blackman 101-31-3 (1956-70)*

HARVARD

Most wins: 191 Tim Murphy (1994-present)

Best win percentage over four or more seasons: .687 Tim Murphy 191-87 (1994-present)

PENN

Most wins: 148 Al Bagnoli (1992-2014)

Best win percentage over four or more seasons: .649 Al Bagnoli 148-80 (1992-2014)

PRINCETON

Most wins: 78 Steve Tosches (1987-99)

Best win percentage over four or more seasons: .609 Steve Tosches 78-50-2; .608 Bob Surace 73-47 (2010-present)

YALE

Most wins: 179 Carm Cozza (1965-96)

Best win percentage over four or more seasons: .600 Tony Reno 60-40 2012-present); .599 Carm Cozza (1965-96)

* Does not include Blackman’s 3-6 record in 1955.

A few observations . . .

• With a look ahead to this fall, Princeton's Bob Surace very well could pass Steve Tosches for most overall wins in the Ivy League era, and he has the best win percentage in his sights.

• Yale's Tony Reno could not hold a slimmer lead over legendary Carm Cozza for overall winning percentage, as surprising as that might be to a lot of Yalies. That one could go back-and-forth for a few years, but don't look for Reno to challenge Cozza's all-time win total.

• Al Bagnoli holds the winning percentage record at both Penn and Columbia and is seven wins away from Ray Tellier's overall win total with the Lions.

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Missing the four-year cutoff is Ed Zubrow, who won at a .767 clip at Penn, going 23-7 between 1986 and '88. He stepped down after just three seasons at Penn (10-0, 4-6, 9-1) to become a special assistant to the Philadelphia schools superintendent with a focus on substance abuse and dropout prevention. (LINK)

Where is Zubrow today? At age 72 he's still coaching, but most definitely not on the football field. From an online bio (LINK): 

Ed "Zeke" Zubrow received his 200 hour RYT through Yoga Alliance in 2015 following training with Dana Lincoln at Prasada Yoga Center in North Hampton, N.H. A former college football coach, he views yoga as a discipline for reducing self-limiting, self-defeating thoughts. Using the physical practice of asanas (forms) we develop strength, flexibility and, most important, the ability to breathe effectively and calm the mind. Everybody has a "yoga body," and there is a style of yoga for everybody. Depending on the student, practice can be vigorous or slower paced. In all cases, Zeke's goal is for practice to become a moving meditation, with the yoga mat a haven and a place to explore. Zeke is interested in the ways all aspects of yoga can extend beyond the mat and influence our daily lives and community.

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EXTRA POINT
Ordered a new MacBook Air last night. If you know me, you know it was painful spending the money, but my current Air, which has been a trouper, is almost nine years old and hasn't been playing nice for the past year or so. That's understandable given that it is my full-time work machine and has an awful lot of miles on its odometer.

Well aware of the frustration I've been feeling with the laptop, Mrs. BGA and The Certain Two have been pushing me to finally pull the trigger on a new one. My thought was, "This one is still working, so why spend the money?" In the end Mrs. BGA's warning about what kind of disaster it would be if the computer went kaput during the football season won out.

Barring a delivery issue the new machine should be here by week's end. Then comes the task of setting it up without moving all kinds of cruft I don't want or need over from the old one. While I look forward to a faster and more dependable laptop I'm not looking forward to that task . . . and sorry, but I'm still not happy about spending the money.

Elsewhere

Yet another former Dartmouth player is continuing his collegiate career as a grad transfer:

Joining the Duke roster is linebacker Joe Heffernan. As a fifth-year senior last fall at Dartmouth he led the team with 98 tackles, including seven for a loss and 1.5 sacks, earning a berth on the All-Ivy League second team.

Heffernan had his three most productive days against HYP, posting 15 tackles at Princeton, 13 at Yale and 12 against Harvard. He also hit double figures at Cornell with 11 stops and against New Hampshire with 10. He led the Ivies in total tackles.

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Heffernan is one of as many as 15 Dartmouth grad transfers who could be playing this fall. Most, although not all, had used up their Ivy League eligibility. The list in alphabetical order of players listed on spring football or fall rosters:

RB Zach Bair, Robert Morris (BIO)

TE Zion Carter, Buffalo (BIO)

DL Shane Cokes, Colorado (BIO)

CB Robert Crockett, Bryant (BIO)

OL John Paul Flores, Louisville (BIO)

OL Michael Flores, Old Dominion (BIO)

LB Joe Heffernan, Duke (BIO)

DB Tyron Herring, Delaware (BIO)

DB Isaiah Johnson, Syracuse (BIO)

DB John Pupel, Boston College (BIO)

RB Noah Roper, Colorado School of Mines (BIO)

DB Seth Verilus, Robert Morris (BIO)

Tweeting their intention to play this fall but not yet appearing on current rosters:

WR Dale Chesson, Michigan

WR Jamal Cooney, Missouri 

DL Bobby Jefferson, Robert Morris

Green Alert Take I: A lot of talent has come through Hanover in the last few years.

Green Alert Take II: It's time for the rest of the country to start giving the level of player in the Ivy League its due.

Editor's note: Compiling that list has me concerned that I either missed someone or didn't know about someone intending to keep playing college football for another year. Use that link over there on the right to send along an additional name if I missed one.

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It will be interesting to see how the polling comes out as the CAA and Patriot League hold their preseason media deals the next couple of days.

The hunch here is Sept. 16 Dartmouth opponent New Hampshire will be chosen second or third in the Coastal Athletic Association poll behind Richmond and potentially William&Mary.

In the Patriot League, Holy Cross will be the overwhelming favorite. The guess here is Oct. 14 Dartmouth opponent Colgate will be chosen third and Sept. 23 Big Green foe Lehigh fifth in the seven-team conference.

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For those keeping score, barring a change the Ivy League poll is set to be released Aug. 7, and the "media day" is slated for Aug. 15.

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EXTRA POINT
Hard not to think this morning that Elon Musk really is going to be the end of Twitter. (LINK)

On a personal level it will be fine with me if it disappears into the ether. On a professional level, I would miss it because I use it heavily for this site. Time to start checking Threads every day I suppose.

From The Video Archives

It's the weekend and you have the time, so click through and watch highlights of what might well be the most hard-fought loss, and most remarkable win since Big Green Alert came online in 2005. Interestingly, they came in back-to back seasons.

In 2018 it was undefeated and 10th-ranked Dartmouth playing at undefeated and 14th-ranked Princeton in Week 7 of the season. The shame is that the low-scoring affair wasn't played in the series' traditional Week 10 slot because it might have gone down as one of the best games in Ivy League history.

 

One year later it was the 6-0 Big Green visiting Harvard in an even lower-scoring affair. There are clips on the internet of the Hail Mary pass that won it for Dartmouth, but here you can watch the entire final drive that brought the win and ultimately kept the Big Green's Ivy League title hopes alive.

 

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There are no full practices allowed during the summer until start of the preseason but largely for safety concerns strength and conditioning coaches are allowed to work with football players. Dartmouth is lucky to have one of the best in Spencer Brown, who has been with the program since 2016.

Not that he needs it, but the former Lafayette linebacker will have a little extra incentive this year with his charges having the opportunity to play Lehigh, the school every Lafayette person always wants to beat. Here Brown runs players thought a few drills in a post from Dartmouth's social media:

Summer vibes 😎 #TheWoods pic.twitter.com/Ou4QT5YTs3

— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) July 21, 2023

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Lehigh, by the way, used to be the Engineers. They were the only team by that name in the FCS (nee IAA). They are now the Mountain Hawks and while they are the only Mountain variety, they are joined in the Hawk world by the Monmouth Hawks, North Dakota Fighting Hawks, Stonehill Skyhawks, Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks, Wagner Seahawks and Southeast Missouri Redhawks.

Of Dartmouth's other opponents this fall . . .

Yale is joined by eight other Bulldogs.
Brown is one of seven Bears.
Columbia is one of six Lions.
Princeton is one of six Tigers.
New Hampshire is one of six Wildcats.

There's just one team of Quakers, one Crimson, one Big Red and yes, one Big Green.

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No surprise that Dartmouth comes out on top in a story headlined 10 Best Colleges for Smart Skiers and Snowboarders in North America but it's worth clicking through to read what the Admissions.blog  has to say about the college. It's pretty well done.

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And again because you have the time, check out a lengthy Valley News one-one-one interview with new Dartmouth president Sian Beilock HERE. No mention of athletics, but a worthwhile read.

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EXTRA POINT
I am not a big one for cleaning up quotes in my stories. OK, maybe what was a run-on sentence in a torrid postgame soliloquy will earn a period or two, and I've been known to stick in my share of ellipses when someone goes way off topic, but those are for reasons of clarity.

Here's my question: When a clearly intelligent Ivy League student-athlete says, "I should have went left instead of right," would you cut the kid a break and change it to "should have gone left?" Would you change, "I would have ran faster if I knew he was behind me," to "run faster?" 

Maybe it's no big thing but including those quotes verbatim always makes me uncomfortable. My solution is I usually don't use the quote. What would you do?

Next

More Frosh intros from Dartmouth social media:

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If you ignore the soundtrack (until the end, when it gets cute) this driving tour of the Dartmouth campus will bring back memories for some and be an eye-opener for others who haven't been to campus in a few years. Among the highlights are a cruise past the wonderfully named Anonymous Hall (not making that up) and a couple of K-turns that surprisingly weren't edited out. Notably missing are Frat Row, Tuck, Thayer School of Engineering and any look at athletic facilities. Still, it's kind of fun to watch.

Click image to watch.

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Noted in this space yesterday was the CAA changing its name from Colonial Athletic Association to Coastal Athletic Association. All credit to the Colonial Coastal for this well-done introductory video that shares a little about the thinking about the change while celebrating the conference:

The CAA is now the Coastal Athletic Association. #FCS https://t.co/QPxie6RmLM

— HERO Sports FCS (@HEROSports_FCS) July 20, 2023

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EXTRA POINT 
We did indeed go to see Back to the Future at the Lowe's theater on campus yesterday and I'm here to tell you that no matter how many times I've seen it I still marvel at how cleverly the story is crafted. It has held up well over the decades. Seeing it on the big screen for the first time in many years was a joy despite getting absolutely soaked by a gully washer between the parking lot and the theater, and then hoping against hope they'd turn off the air conditioning.

The trip was preceded by a short visit by an old friend from Maine who was able to get a charge on his EV while we sat on our front deck and enjoyed the view. Of note, our friend's terrier-type pooch did not take kindly to Griff's sniff-and-meet, baring his teeth and snapping. With that, Griff issued a half-hearted bark and backed off. Barring something unusual, that will be Griff's one bark for the year. To be honest, I was so stunned by the sound that I had to ask Mrs. BGA if that really was Griff. Perhaps some Golden Retrievers like to bark but not this ol' boy.

Stating The Facts

Following up on yesterday's post about where Ivy League and Dartmouth freshmen played their high school football, today a look at where the Big Green's entire roster played. The list includes 30 states:

Alabama 3

Alaska 1

Arizona 1

Arkansas 0

California 6

Colorado 2

Connecticut 5 (two internationals)

Delaware 0

Florida 5

Georgia 9

Hawaii 0

Idaho 0

Illinois 6

Indiana 5

Iowa 0

Kansas 1

Kentucky 0

Louisiana 4

Maine 0

Maryland 2

Massachusetts 4

Michigan 2

Minnesota 1

Mississippi 0

Missouri 1

Montana 0

Nebraska 0

Nevada 0

New Hampshire 0

New Jersey 5

New Mexico 0

New York 5

North Carolina 5

North Dakota 0

Ohio 6

Oklahoma 0

Oregon 0

Pennsylvania 6

Rhode Island 0

South Carolina 3

South Dakota 0

Tennessee 6

Texas 9

Utah 0

Vermont 0

Virginia 3 (1 international)

Washington 2

West Virginia 1

Wisconsin 1

Wyoming 1

(Two Germans and one player from Nigeria prepped in the United States.)

By the numbers:

9 - Texas

9 - Georgia

6 - California

6 - Illinois

6 - Ohio

6 - Pennsylvania

6 - Tennessee

5 - Connecticut (2 international)

5 - Florida

5 - Indiana

5 - New Jersey

5 - New York

5 - North Carolina

4 - Louisiana

4 - Massachusetts 

3 - Alabama

3 - South Carolina

3 - Virginia (1 international)

2 - Colorado

2 - Maryland

2 - Michigan

2 - Washington

1 - Alaska

1 - Arizona

1 - Kansas

1 - Minnesota

1 - Missouri

1 - West Virginia

1 - Wisconsin

1 - Wyoming

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While you may not have been looking, Dartmouth added Luke Dehmel, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore linebacker to the roster. The product of Connecticut powerhouse Darien did not participate last fall as a freshman but too part in spring practice. Find his bio HERE.

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Another edition of Meet the Freshman from the football office:

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FanNation offers a look at the Syracuse cornerback room that includes this (LINK):

Isaiah Johnson transferred in from Dartmouth the previous offseason and played quite a bit last year, while also starting multiple games. (Sophomore Jeremiah) Wilson and Johnson will be the favorites to start given that they have been in the program and have experience with the defensive scheme. There will be challengers, however.

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Dartmouth expected to open the 2023 season against a team from the Colonial Athletic Conference, but it won't. Instead it will kick off the season against a team from the Coastal Athletic Conference.

No change in the schedule, just the nomenclature as New Hampshire's expanded conference is changing its name to better represent with its footprint on the east coast. Find a story for what will still be referred to in the main as the CAA HERE.

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A story in The Dartmouth headlined Welcome to the Woods: Strangers’ Takes on the 'Dartmouth Difference' includes thoughts from visiting students and teases you in this way (LINK):

According to a 1947 article in the Harvard Crimson, “Dartmouth men take their college seriously from the time they don their green beanies as freshmen to the sad day of their last promenade about the campus in green senior jackets and canes. They all learn how to ski, how to drink, how to get along with people and how to cheer at football games … Pride in the college and a tremendous feeling of ‘belonging’ pervade the green Hanover mists.”

Almost a century after that article’s publication, Dartmouth has transformed from a boys-only club to a coeducational institution with a female president. Old traditions have died and new ones have risen to take their place. And yet, I don’t think I’m the only one who still wonders whether there is a new archetypal Dartmouth student, and whether the so-called “Dartmouth difference” is real, or just a pithy caption for Instagram photo dumps.

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EXTRA POINT 
Mrs. BGA and I are going to see Back to the Future tonight at Dartmouth. We've seen the flick many times but it holds a special place in our lives.

It was on a visit down from Hanover that I brought my mother to a showing of the new Michael J. Fox movie in a central New Jersey theater. Elsewhere in the theater – some 300 miles from the Upper Valley – was a nurse from Massachusetts visiting her sister who lived outside of Princeton.

We wouldn't meet for the first time until about six months later.)

Talk about Back to the Future!

Freshmen Round Two

The introduction to Dartmouth's freshmen continues in the program's social media feed and only this morning did it occur to me the order being used. They are alphabetical by first name. What was the first clue? Yesterday it was Andy Belles, Bruce Williams and Cameron Alston. Today it was two more Camerons along with a Chris. Even I could spot the pattern. ;-)

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Speaking of freshmen, Jake Novak down at the Columbia Roar Lions blog beat me to it this year and worked up a list of states where this year's Ivy League freshmen played their high school ball. Here is his breakdown. I've added the number of Dartmouth freshmen who played in those states in parentheses:

1t) Georgia 19 (2)

1t) Texas 19 (3)

3t) Florida 14 (1)

3t) New Jersey 14

5) Massachusetts 13

6t) New York 12 (2)

6t) Pennsylvania 12 (1)

8) California 11

9) North Carolina 10 (2)

10t) Connecticut 9 (3)

10t) Maryland 9

10t) Ohio 9

10t) Tennessee 9 (3)

14t) Illinois 7

14t) Michigan 7 (2)

16t) Colorado 3

16t) Indiana 3 (2)

16t) South Carolina 3 (2)

16t) Washington 3 

20t) Arizona 2

20t) District of Columbia 2

20t) Kansas 2

20t) Louisiana 2 (1)

20t) Minnesota 2

25t) Alabama 1 (1)

25t) Delaware 1

25t) Mississippi 1

25t) Missouri 1

25t) Nebraska 1

25t) Nevada 1

25t) New Hampshire 1

25t) Oregon 1

25t) Virginia 1 (1)

25t) Wyoming 1 (1)

(Ontario and Quebec have one each.) 

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The East-West Shrine Bowl includes 70 FCS players in its preliminary list of the top 1,000 NFL prospects. Four Ivy Leaguers are among the 70:

Harvard DE Nate Leskovec

Harvard DL Thor Griffith

Princeton OT Jalen Travis

Yale OT Kiran Amegadjie

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EXTRA POINT

I have a three-month whiteboard in my home office here at the BGA World Headquarters. With August and all I have to do fast approaching, I spent some time yesterday filling the calendar with assignments, deadlines, dates and more.

Before I could do that, however, I had to clear off everything already on it. That's not an easy task because the "dry erase" pens I have used for the past few years are much better at the "dry" part than the "erase" part. That being the case, I had to Google the best way to clean the board. Suggestions ran the gamut from isopropyl alcohol to hand sanitizer to fingernail polish remover to toothpaste, which it turned out worked best. A lot of elbow grease was involved as well.

When I went to start filling the calendar in again I pulled a pen out of a baggie that holds perhaps a dozen different kinds of pens for the whiteboard only to discover it was of the "wet erase" flavor. What the heck, I thought, it couldn't work any worse.

As it turns out, no isopropyl alchohol, hand sanitizer, fingernail polish remover or toothpaste was required to wipe it clear. A little water on a paper towel and a little elbow grease and voilà, the board will look like new.

To quote the late Argentine golfer Roberto De Vicenzo, "What a stupid I am."

The Countdown Is Getting Serious

Dartmouth's official preseason begins one month from today, on Saturday, Aug. 19. As always, BGA Premium will be there with a full report posted the same night. For the record (and it must be a record, right?) BGA has not missed a single full practice since the site came online in 2005. If you haven't signed up For BGA yet, don't wait. The opponent previews I've been researching begin Wednesday, Aug. 9.

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Dartmouth football's social media is starting to heat up with the weather. Today, a first look at the incoming freshmen. These stills are from the program's Twitter account:

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A press release announcing former wide receiver Jon Marc Carrier's '17 appointment as an "Associate Director, Wealth Advisor for TRUE Cresset Sports & Entertainment details his background in football after graduation (LINK):

Carrier began his career at the NFL headquarters in the Football Operations department, focusing on serving retired players in the NFL Legends Community. Later, he transitioned to the Player Marketing space, where he worked on player branding projects, such as the NFL 100 Super Bowl commercial and other tentpole events, including the NFL Draft, Pro Bowl, as well as the International Series games. In 2019, he was promoted to the Player Engagement department, where he served as a liaison between eight NFL clubs and all players to the NFL league office. Carrier then transitioned to the Los Angeles Rams as a Manager of Football Affairs, where he managed all player education programming, lead partnership, and internal media requests, and supported international player strategy for both current and retired players.

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If you've been around long enough to remember Princeton's Palmer Stadium, take a few minutes and read Tigerblog's fine retrospective on the former home of the Tigers HERE.

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Back to the preseason starting one month from today. How would you like to practice and play on this new artificial surface at DIII SUNY Morrisville in the heat of the summer? The picture doesn't lie. It's black.

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And finally, guess where Dartmouth men's basketball is starting the 2023-24 season. It would be at famed Cameron Indoor Stadium, home of the Duke Blue Devils. The Nov. 6 game between the Big Green and Duke will be the first-ever meeting between the teams.

For the record, Duke is one of the pre-preseason favorites to win the NCAA championship. Find a Dartmouth release on the game HERE.

EXTRA POINT
To my surprise, the roofers finished up stripping and replacing shingles in just one day. But you don't want to hear about that.

Instead, take a look at this surreal image That Certain Dartmouth '14 shot during her summer vacation hiking and camping north of the border in Banff, in Glacier National Park and in the Tetons. Click the pic for a closer look.

Caveat Emptor Once More

The Massey Ratings ahead of the 2023 season are out and you might want to rethink putting your life savings behind a site that has Cornell sweeping a doubleheader on Sept. 30, defeating Colgate, 27-24, and then dominating down at the Alderson-Broaddus in West Virginia, 45-3. (For the record, that game against the Battlers is on the Big Red's lightweight schedule. How it got on the Massey sked is anybody's guess.)

All that said, here's how Massey sees the Ivy League season playing out (sans the Big Red's ABU game):

Princeton 7-0, 10-0
Yale 6-1, 9-1
Harvard 5-2, 7-3
Dartmouth 4-3, 6-4
Penn 3-4, 6-4
Columbia 2-5, 5-5
Cornell 1-6, 4-6
Brown 0-7, 1-9

And here's where Massey ranks Dartmouth and the Big Green in all of the FCS:

31 - Princeton
35 - Yale
40 - Harvard
44 - Dartmouth
59 - Penn
69 - Columbia
87 - Cornell
96 - Brown 

42 - New Hampshire
88 - Colgate
99 - Lehigh

Not surprisingly, South Dakota State comes in at No. 1. Presbyterian brings up the rear at 128.

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From a story headlined, What’s New for the 2023 Buffalo Bulls?; Buffalo didn’t land any FBS starters from the portal, but the Bulls bulked up with lower division all-stars and community college standouts (LINK):

The Bulls lost their main tight end Robbie Mangas (who is now on staff as an offensive analyst) and Trevor Borland, so they did additional restocking in the portal by getting Dartmouth transfer Zion Carter. The 6’6”, 265 pound tight end only caught one pass in the Ivy League last year, but he made his mark as a blocker.

Mangas, of course, was a grad transfer from Dartmouth, where he served as a captain.

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The local Valley News features a sweet story by Tris Wykes headlined, Joyce Conroy; ‘She was the eternal hostess’ that details the life of the wife of onetime Dartmouth lineman Pete "Cube" Conroy '56 and sons Brian '86 and Michael '89, who both played for the Big Green.

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EXTRA POINT
The roofers are here.

It feels as if that should be followed up with a funny line like from the Aunt Sophie "expired, expired" Geico commercial. I was at my standing desk and looked up only to lock eyes with an equally surprised roofer. Now there is non-stop scraping along with footsteps and pounding above my head here on the second floor and shingles flying past the window on their way to the ground.

I can't come close to concentrating. Time to head to the library.