Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Happy Holidays

On a quiet day before holiday sabbatical (see the Extra Point), here's what we know of the 2025 Dartmouth football schedule:

Sept. 20 – vs. New Hampshire

Sept. 27 – TBA

Oct. 4 – at Penn

Oct. 11 – vs. Yale

Oct. 18 – at Fordham

Oct. 25 – vs. Columbia 

Nov. 1 – at Harvard 

Nov. 8 – vs. Princeton 

Nov. 15 – Cornell 

Nov. 22 – at Brown

Green Alert Take: This is a relatively friendly Ivy League schedule with four home games compared to three on the road. Two of the road games are against teams that struggled mightily this year, finishing at the bottom of the Ivy standings (Brown and Penn). Harvard will again be a challenge, but Dartmouth always has a huge following in Cambridge and has played well at Harvard Stadium in recent years.

Green Alert Take II: If I had to make a guess for what games may move to Friday night it would be the Oct. 4 contest at Penn and/or the Nov. 8 game against Princeton in Hanover.

Green Alert Take III: As for the unannounced Sept. 27 game, your guess is as good as mine. I thought it might be Merrimack, but the Warriors have a game scheduled at Stony Brook on Sept. 17. Could the delay be Stony Brook trying to find a replacement, freeing up Merrimack? Again, your guess, but the fact that Dartmouth is playing it close to the vest less than a year out is curious.

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EXTRA POINT

About five inches of snow overnight guaranteed we're going to have a white Christmas here at our Vermont hillside.


With company in town and a full house for a few days, and then a second Christmas down near Princeton BGA is going to hibernate until the new year barring breaking news. So, happy holidays to all, and I'll see you again in 2025!

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Monday, December 23, 2024

Read On

The John Feinstein column on the Ivy League joining the real world and allowing football teams to compete in the NCAA playoffs was behind a paywall on the Washington Post page. If you couldn't access it before, you can now read it HERE.

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A column headlined 2024: The Year College sports Turned Pro has this high up (LINK):
The most legally significant development in college sports in 2024 occurred in February, when NLRB regional director Laura Sacks ruled that Dartmouth College men's basketball players were employees within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

She stressed the relevant legal question is not whether the basketball program is profitable-major companies report losses from time to time and their employees don't suddenly become interns-and implicitly urged that people view the matter as one about labor, not sports. To that end, Sacks said the players are employees because they qualify under the applicable legal test: They perform work for Dartmouth in exchange for compensation (including preferred admissions into an elite university, per diem, clothing, sneakers, etc.) and the school has the right to control that work.

And there's more, so click through.

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 Another one for @DelbyLemieux

Read more about honors for the Dartmouth offensive lineman HERE. 

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EXTRA POINT

Two days into winter it is finally starting to feel like it. The overnight low at our hillside home here in Vermont last night was a crisp 10.2 below zero. With snow once again covering the ground after last week's rain and 3-5 inches of white stuff due tonight, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

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Sunday, December 22, 2024

More Playoff Thoughts

There's nothing particularly new here for anyone who has been paying attention but it's worth a look anyway . . .

 

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The Dartmouth has a story about the Ivy League and the FCS playoffs HERE that includes this:

Ivy League teams could receive at-large bids if selected by the Division I Football Championship Committee. The factors that determine at-large bids, according to (quarterback  Jackson) Proctor, have still not been determined.  

Green Alert Take: As in the FBS, the factors determining the at-large bids are amorphous. Teams that think they should be in the field are left out every year, and teams that are barely clinging to the hope of getting in sometimes have their prayers answered. Those bracket "watch parties," can be a lot of fun or heartbreakers.

Also from the story:

The news acknowledges the growing competitiveness of the league in recent years, which has posted a collective 119-49 (.708) record in non-conference play since 2017, according to the announcement. 

Green Alert Take: Don't take this the wrong way, but the Ivy League is not well known for playing challenging out-of-conference schedules. A few more CAA games, and maybe an occasional travel game against someone other than a Pioneer Football League opponent might help.

And . . .

“I think this will make the league finally get the respect it deserves considering how competitive and elite it truly is,” Owen Zalc ’27, Dartmouth’s starting kicker this past season and a member of the 2024-25 SAAC, said. “I expect voting committees will have more respect when it comes to ranking Ivy League schools now more than ever.” 

Green Alert Take II: Zalc nails it. Over the years I've heard from people around college football who considered it a waste of their ballot to reward teams not in the running for the playoffs with a vote. That excuse is now gone.

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Dartmouth has changed its policy on releasing early decision admissions data (LINK) but individuals heading this way are free to let the world know. This was posted by Immanuel Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 198-pound running back out of Hammond High School and Columbia, S.C.

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EXTRA POINT

It was a brisk 5 degrees here in beautiful West Newbury, Vt., when I sent Griff the Wonder Dog out this morning. Fortunately, He's good about going out on his own and coming straight back when he's done with his business, so I never had to leave the warmth of the house. That will change this afternoon when I hit the trail after a day on the couch watching college football. I do hope it warms up because as I write this the temp has dropped to 0.7. Brrrrr.

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Saturday, December 21, 2024

Nice

The postseason honors continue to roll in and this is a big one:

Corbo is the Big Green's first All-America first-team selection since corner Isaiah Swann in 2019. Find a story HERE.

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It's a little absurd for a national entity to try to pick a four-deep All-Ivy League team, but Phil Steele does it every year. Here's what he came up with:

OFFENSE
FIRST TEAM
QB Jameson Wang, Cornell, Sr.
RB Malachi Hosley, Penn, So.
RB Josh Pitsenberger, Yale, Jr.
WR Cooper Barkate, Harvard, Jr.
WR David Pantelis, Yale, Sr.
WR Bryson Canty, Columbia, Sr.
TE Chris Corbo, Dartmouth, Jr.
OL Kyle Brown, Dartmouth, Sr.
OL Delby Lemieux, Dartmouth, Jr.
OL Michael Entwistle, Harvard, Sr.
OL Jack Connolly, Brown, Sr.
OL Austin Gentle, Harvard, Sr.

SECOND TEAM
QB Jaden Craig, Harvard, Jr.
RB Joey Giorgi, Columbia, Sr.
RB Q Jones, Dartmouth, Sr.
WR Samuel Musungu, Cornell, So.
WR Jared Richardson, Penn, Jr.
WR Mark Mahoney, Brown, Sr.
TE Ryder Kurtz, Cornell, So.
OL Michael Bennett, Yale, Jr.
OL John lannuzzi, Columbia, Sr.
OL Netinho Oliviero, Penn, Jr.
OL Will Bergin, Penn, Sr.
OL Noah Jordan, Columbia, Jr.

THIRD TEAM
QB Grant Jordan, Yale, Sr.
RB Xaviah Bacon, Harvard, So.
RB Matt Childs, Brown, Fr.
WR Luke Colella, Princeton, Sr.
WR Scott Woods II, Harvard, Jr.
WR Bisi Owens, Penn, Jr.
TE Seamus Gilmartin, Harvard, So.
OL Jack Powers, Cornell, Sr.
OL Nick Hilliard, Princeton, Sr.
OL Hayden Bozich, Brown, Jr.
OL Tommy Matheson, Princeton, Sr.
OL Connor Smith, Yale, Sr.

FOURTH TEAM
QB Jake Willcox, Brown, Sr.
RB John Volker, Princeton, Sr.
RB Charles DePrima, Harvard, Sr.
WR Paxton Scott, Dartmouth, Sr.
WR AJ Barber, Princeton, Sr.
WR Mason Shipp, Yale, Jr.
TE Braden Dougherty, Columbia, So.
OL Nick Marinaro, Dartmouth, Sr.
OL Sean Sullivan, Yale, Sr.
OL Quinton Lewis, Yale, So.
OL Tristan Holmbeck, Dartmouth, Sr.
OL Charlie Hines, Brown, Soph

DEFENSE
FIRST TEAM
DL Ejeke Adele, Dartmouth, Sr.
DL Jacob Psyk, Harvard, Sr.
DL Josiah Green, Dartmouth, Sr.
DL Ejiroghene Egodogbare, Yale, Jr.
LB Luke Banbury, Cornell, Sr.
LB Mitchell Gonser, Harvard, Sr.
LB Abu Kamara, Yale, So.
LB Braden Mullen, Dartmouth, Sr.
DB Hayden McDonald, Columbia, Sr.
DB Ty Bartrum, Harvard, Jr.
DB Shiloh Means, Penn, Sr.
DB Jordan Washington, Dartmouth, Sr.

SECOND TEAM
DL Tamatoa McDonough, Yale, Sr.
DL Kyle Philbin, Brown, Sr.
DL Ben Corniello, Columbia, Sr.
DL Alvin Gulley, Yale, Sr.
LB Anthony Roussos, Columbia, Sr.
LB Caleb Moorhead, Brown, Sr.
LB John Lista, Penn, Jr.
LB John Perdue, Brown, Jr.
DL Carter McFadden, Columbia, Sr.
DL Damien Henderson, Harvard, So.
DL Nasir Hill, Princeton, Jr.
DL Osize Daniyan, Yale, So.

THIRD TEAM
DL Carter Janki, Penn, Jr.
DL Tyler Huenemann, Harvard, Sr.
DL Jack DelGarbino, Princeton, Sr.
DL Hunter Sloan, Cornell, Sr.
LB Micah Green, Dartmouth, Sr.
LB Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye, Yale, Sr.
LB Jack Smiechowski, Columbia, Jr.
LB Marco Scarano, Princeton, Jr.
DB Sean Williams, Dartmouth, Jr.
DB Carter McCray, Columbia, Fr.
DB Torian Roberts, Princeton, So.
DB Elias Archie, Brown, Jr.

FOURTH TEAM
DL Pat Passalacqua, Columbia, Sr.
DL Derrell Porter, Dartmouth, Sr.
DL Brandon Svets, Harvard, Sr.
DL Muhammad-Ali Kobo, Cornell, Sr.
LB Danny Cronin, Dartmouth, Sr.
LB Jack Fairman, Penn, Sr.
LB Eric Little, Harvard, Sr.
LB Chase Christopher, Princeton, So.
DB Nick Hudson, Brown, Jr.
DB Gavin Shipman, Harvard, Sr.
DB Aaron Brebnor, Columbia, Sr.
DB Tahj Owens, Princeton, Jr.

SPECIALISTS
FIRST TEAM
K Owen Zalc, Dartmouth, So.
P Albert Jang, Penn, Sr.
KR Julien Stokes, Penn, Sr.
PR Scott Woods II, Harvard, Jr.
AP Charles DePrima, Harvard, Sr.
LS Michael Davidson, Brown, Sr.

SECOND TEAM
K Alan Zhao, Cornell, So.
P Brady Clark, Princeton, So.
KR Joey Felton, Yale, Sr.
PR Carter McFadden, Columbia, Sr.
AP David Pantelis, Yale, Sr.
LS Nolan Albright, Cornell, So.

THIRD TEAM
K Christopher Maron, Brown, Sr.
P Will Hughes, Columbia, Sr.
KR Kenny Jordan, Princeton, Fr.
PR AJ Barber, Princeton, Sr.
AP Julien Stokes, Penn, Sr.
LS Andy Belles, Dartmouth, So.

FOURTH TEAM
K Jeffrey Sexton, Princeton, So.
P Sebastian Tasko, Harvard, Sr.
KR Xaviah Bascon, Harvard, So.
PR Sean Williams, Dartmouth, Jr.
AP Carter McFadden, Columbia, Sr.
LS Zach Darche, Penn, So.

Offensive Player Of The Year: QB Jameson Wang, Cornell, Sr.
Defensive Player Of The Year: S Hayden McDonald, Columbia, Sr.
Offensive Lineman Of The Year: OT Delby Lemieux, Dartmouth, Jr.
Freshman Of The Year: RB Matt Childs, Brown
Special Teams Player Of The Year: K Owen Zalc, Dartmouth, So.

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From a Stanford Daily report (LINK):

On Friday, former Dartmouth defensive back Jordan Washington became Stanford’s third transfer portal commitment of the portal cycle. Washington tallied 30 total tackles and had 11 pass deflections for Dartmouth last season. He is a two-time All-Ivy League team selection and helped Dartmouth win a share of the Ivy League title three times during his tenure.

Find another story HERE. 

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From a John Feinstein column in the Washington Post regarding the Ivy League voting to allow its football teams to advance to the NCAA playoffs (LINK):

The Ivy League entered the 20th century this week. Of course, it waited almost 25 years into the 21st century to do so.

And . . .

For years, Ivy League presidents hung onto the myth that they were protecting the academic standards of their "student-athletes," a ridiculous notion, especially given that Ivy League athletes in every other sport were allowed to participate in postseason tournaments.

And . . .

Naturally, the press release announcing the change was full of "student-athlete" references (nine in all), and all sorts of self-congratulatory mentions of the league's history. There was nothing about why it took so long to give the "student-athletes" the chance to take part in the playoffs.

And, curiously . . .

A two-way tie will be easy to break: either decide the champion based on the head-to-head result from the regular season, or hold a play-in game at a neutral site to decide the playoff participant. 

Green Alert Take: Now, John Feinstein is pretty well-connected in the Ivy League, which bent over backwards for him as he researched his new book. But I have to think he's way off the mark suggesting the Ivies might consider a play-in game at a neutral site. And I mean, he's waaaaay off the mark on that one.

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Dartmouth student Will Dehmel, who does a terrific job covering Big Green football for the school newspaper, freelanced a piece on the playoffs for the Manchester Union Leader. I had to click around a bit to get access, but you can give it a shot HERE.

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EXTRA POINT
It's the Winter Solstice here in the northern hemisphere. While today is the shortest day of the year we'll be adding five seconds of daylight tomorrow and more each day as we head toward spring. Granted, it's not much, but it's a start, right?

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Friday, December 20, 2024

More On The Playoffs

BGA Overtime posted a story last night with reaction from Dartmouth coach Sammy McCorkle to the Ivy League's decision to allow its teams to play in the FCS championship tournament. The story is available to everyone on BGA OT HERE.

Given the Ivy League's 10-games-in-10-weeks schedule, I asked the Big Green coach if he thought the time had come for the conference to join others in the FCS by filtering a bye week into the schedule. Here's his response, lightly edited for clarity:
I think that might be something we, as a league, need to consider because it is a bit of a grind going straight through 13, 14 games. That's something, calendar-wise, for the league and for each school to figure out how it will work. Do we start earlier? Or do you put one in the middle? It's something we're going to have to continue to discuss to figure out what works best for all eight schools.

Although the Ivy League begins its football season later than any other FCS conference, that isn't the case for all sports. Dartmouth’s women’s soccer team kicked off the 2024 season with an exhibition game on August 18, followed by its first official game on August 23. In contrast, the football season didn’t start until September 21, nearly a full month later. Sure, football would have to start camp earlier, but it is doable.

Green Alert Take: Pushing the start of the season up by a week would be beneficial for two reasons. First, it would enhance player well-being by allowing an extra week for rest and recovery during the season. And second, it would give the Ivies more flexibility in nonconference scheduling against teams that by late in September are largely into conference play.

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WCAX TV, the CBS affiliate in Burlington, Vt., has a report on the Ivy League rescinding the playoff ban with thoughts from McCorkle HERE

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The local Valley News writes about the playoffs with thoughts from graduating quarterback Jackson Proctor, one of the players instrumental in making it happen. Find that story HERE.

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The Associated Press has a story about the playoff development HERE.

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Dartmouth junior offensive tackle Delby Lemieux has been named to the Football Central All-America second team. Columbia defensive back Hayden McDonald was the lone Ivy Leaguer to be named to the first team. Joining Lemieux on the second team were Penn running back Malachi Hosley and Harvard wide receiver Cooper Barkate.

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Lemieux also has been named to the Division I FCS All-ECAC team. He's joined on the team (featuring schools from Virginia through the northeast) by:

Penn RB Malachi Hosley
Yale WR David Pantelis
Harvard WR  Cooper Barkate
Harvard OL Mike Entwistle
Penn DB Shiloh Means
Penn P Albert Jang
Harvard RS Scott Woods II

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EXTRA POINT
I hooked a timer up to one of our strings of outdoor lights yesterday that should turn them on at sunset and off six hours later. I wasn't sure the timer was set properly because I didn't install it until well after sunrise, and the prospect of heading down the driveway to pull the plug on the lights late at night was not appealing. That being the case, it was a "whew" moment when they shut off by themselves. Now we'll have to see if they turn on automagically tonight at sunset.;-)

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Thursday, December 19, 2024

In The News

From a New York Times story about the Ivy League heading to the FCS playoffs next year (LINK):

“I think it’s long overdue,” said Sian Beilock, the president of Dartmouth College. “I was struck by how football is the only sport that didn’t have access to a postseason playoff.”

And . . .

Ivy League schools also have been forced to reconsider the place of athletics at their institutions because college athletics overall have been transforming into more of a professional enterprise.

The league’s best men’s basketball players are doing what was once unthinkable: transferring to other schools, giving up an Ivy League education in exchange for six-figure paydays from the booster-run collectives that the Ivies have eschewed. In March, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team voted to unionize, a move that was granted by the National Labor Relations Board that the school is contesting.

“The reason change is happening is there’s so much change around,” said Jackson Proctor, a quarterback at Dartmouth who is a member of the conference’s student-athlete advisory committee. “People in the higher positions realize it’s probably time to change with what’s going on in the world today.”

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Dartmouth defensive lineman Josiah Green is headed to Duke as a grad transfer. Find a press release announcing his signing HERE.

A Duke Wire posting notes that Green is following a well-worn path (LINK):

Green won’t be the first Ivy Leaguer to join Duke through the transfer portal. Just this past season, former Princeton linebacker Ozzie Nicholas led the Blue Devils with 89 total tackles. The program also brought in Harvard grads Scott Elliott and Anthony Nelson ahead of the 2023 season, and both of them started six games that year.

Former Dartmouth linebacker Joe Heffernan was also on the 2023 Duke roster, as were Penn grad Ben Hoitink and Brown grad Hayes Sutton.

And more from the transfer world . . .

In addition to Green and Jackson Proctor, who will play next year at Northern Illinois, offensive lineman Hayden Bozich of Brown is headed to UConn, OL Mike Entwistle of Harvard is going to UMass and defensive tackle Alvin Gulley of Yale is on his way to join Proctor at NIU. Expect more FBS signings and a slew of former Ivy Leaguers finding new homes at the FCS level.

Green Alert Take: Is it time for the Ivy League to consider allowing its grads to finish their careers as graduate students at their own schools?

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Former Dartmouth defensive lineman Ejeke Adele, fresh from winning the Bushnell Cup and earning an offer to grad transfer to Rice, has been named a third-team All-American by Stats Perform, the bible of the FCS. Find a Dartmouth story HERE.

Adele is joined on the third team by Penn running back Malachi Hosley, Harvard wide receiver Cooper Barkate and Columbia  defensive back Hayden McDonald. Find all three All-America teams in the Stats Perform story HERE.

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When New Hampshire announced its 2025 schedule yesterday we learned the Wildcats will play their annual FBS game at Ball State one week before their opener at Dartmouth on Sept. 20.

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EXTRA POINT
A few years ago my sister gave us Christmas window candles that work on AA batteries, and turn on and off automagically. I'm not going to say those things are among the greatest inventions known to mankind, but anyone who every had to wrangle up enough extension cords and then wander the house turning the old-style candles on and off has to know they are in the ballpark. ;-)

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Wednesday, December 18, 2024

YES!

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From a Dartmouth release (LINK):

"I'm excited for our players, the Dartmouth football program, and the Ivy League to have the opportunity to compete in the FCS playoffs," said Sammy McCorkle. "I look forward to our League showcasing its talent and appreciate all of the effort made by the Ivy League Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Ivy League office, Athletic Directors and Presidents – especially Sian Beilock and Mike Harrity – in making this a reality for all of us." 

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Finally – Ivies Playoff Bound Per Report

 Stop the presses . . .


From (what is left of) Sports Illustrated (LINK):
The proposal came forward via a group of Ivy League student-athletes. The Ivy League's Student-Athletes Advisory Committee's (SAAC) proposal was formally approved on Tuesday by a vote of the Ivy League Council of Presidents.

For Ivy League football players, it's long overdue. For the rest of college football? It's a victory for the sport that these teams will now once again be eligible to compete for a national championship.

From HERO Sports (LINK):

A storied Ivy League team or two in the 24-team bracket would add some depth and more intrigue to the FCS postseason. The top-heavy national title picture may not change, although some past Ivy League teams may have been good enough for a quarterfinal run.

And . . .

The Ivy League had typically played a 10-game season, playing three non-conference games and starting their season a few weeks later than the rest of the FCS. This fall, for example, their first games were on Sept. 21. Changes to their regular-season scheduling format are to be determined. 

Green Alert Take: HERO makes a good point. As long as there's change in the air, the Ivy League really ought to consider moving its schedule up a week and adding a bye week. It would help both in scheduling and for the health of the players.

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Find a story headlined Corbo and Lemieux Named AP Honorable Mention All-Americans HERE. 

Other Ivy Leaguers earning honorable mention honors per the Associated Press:

Columbia – DB Hayden McDonald

Cornell – TE Ryder Kurtz

Harvard  – WR Cooper Barkate

Yale – DB Abu Kamara

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EXTRA POINT

I have to admit a 7:30 a.m. dentist appointment is not my favorite way to start a day. But getting home this morning and learning the news that the Ivy League has finally decided to do the right thing by football certainly brought a smile.

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