Looking Ahead

Find Dartmouth's game notes for Saturday's matchup with Columbia HERE.

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The Dartmouth doesn't have a Columbia preview per se, but does have a piece headlined ‘You kick to make; you don’t kick to not miss’: Sitting down with Big Green kicker Owen Zalc ’27. A Zalc quote from the story (LINK):

These seniors have been through so much, especially with the loss of Coach Teevens. We were the last class to get recruited by him, and everything we’ve done these past four years has been in his honor, and it’s truly a privilege to play in Buddy Teevens Stadium and have the chance to represent him in everything we do.

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The Columbia Spectator has a story in advance of Saturday's game under the headline Football has had a budding start to the season ahead of Homecoming; The Lions have played a handful of games down to the wire in their impressive 4-1 start to the season. (LINK)

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5 THINGS TO KNOW. FCS analyst and host of the FCS Daily Dose podcast @SamHerderFCS shares his five biggest takeaways at the midway point of the Ivy League football season. 🌿🏈 https://t.co/HRr0lyH1el

— Ivy League (@IvyLeague) October 22, 2026

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Craig Haley's FCS whiparound on The Analyst site includes this (LINK):

 First place in the Ivy League is on the line when No. 15 Harvard (5-0, 2-0) hosts resurgent Princeton (4-1, 2-0), which already has one more win than in each of the last two seasons. Princeton is ranked No. 1 in the FCS in scoring defense at 10.2 points per game, and the average drops to 7.5 during a four-game winning streak. That opponents have only six touchdowns in 16 trips to the red zone is outstanding efficiency by the Tigers defense. But no opponent has even scored a TD from outside the red zone as the longest score surrendered by the defense is 14 yards. Contributions abound, including from LBs Chase Christopher and Jake Moore (4.5 sacks) and cornerback Torian Roberts (interceptions, four pass breakups). 

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The CTInsider has a piece about two New Canaan HS offensive linemen who will be heading to the Ivy League next year. One will be at Harvard and the other will be at Dartmouth. The future Big Green lineman? Henry Reagan, brother of Dartmouth junior Ben Reagan. Find the story HERE.

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Former Valley News staffer Tris Wykes freelanced a piece to his old paper about Jared Gerbino '20 punching his ticket to the LA Olympics as a receiver on the Italian flag football team. The story is behind a paywall but if you are an infrequent visitor to the site you may be able to access it HERE.

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This is kind of fun. A Coloradoan story headlined Kenny McClendon sleeping at CSU facility as he tries fixing defense notes that the office of Colorado State's linebacker coach has been "turned into a de facto bedroom for McClendon." Featured prominently in the story? McClendon's wife, Mickey Grace, the former Dartmouth assistant. Find the story HERE.

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EXTRA POINT
When I drive by gas stations these days and see the price per gallon I take notice. That said, with two electric cars I don't feel the immediate horror you must feel with the nozzle in your hand as you watch the total to fill the tank race from $30 to $45 to $50 and onward.

We had a fuel oil delivery truck come by earlier this week. Trust me, I feel your pain now. 

On To The City!

Columbia has posted its notes for Saturday's Homecoming game against Dartmouth HERE.

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The Columbia Spectator has a piece headlined Can football break a 4-year Homecoming losing streak against Dartmouth? (LINK)

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Roar Lions blogger-turned-podcaster Jake Novak muses about Columbia-Dartmouth games of the past as he looks ahead to this year's game. From the 12-minutes of audio he put up yesterday (LINK):

If Dartmouth is somehow depleted at quarterback, either with an injured Grayson Saunier or playing or a young, inexperienced guy starting his first game playing, either way, having a strong running game has got to be a priority for Dartmouth.

And even though Columbia has plenty of things (Dartmouth) might want to try to expose, you have to try to expose the running defense at Columbia right now, and we'll see where that goes. So I'm thinking about that a lot. And also wondering where Dartmouth fits. As I said yesterday, it's just really hard to get a handle on Dartmouth this year.

Green Alert Take: The "depleted at quarterback" refers to the status of QB Grayson Saunier, who left last week's win over Merrimack due to injury. As you should understand, you will not read anything here or on the BGA Overtime site about the Dartmouth quarterback situation. That's an understanding journalists accept in exchange for access.

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He didn't update it for this year but Jake Novak has regularly posted The Fan's Guide to Getting to & Enjoying a Game at Wien Stadium that offers all kinds of helpful information including how to get to the game via public transportation, driving and parking directions, how to get to the stadium if you fly into JFK, LaGuardia, or Newark, sights to see around the northern tip of Manhattan, and, of course, where to eat in the vicinity of the stadium.

If you arrive early enough, this photo taken off Jake's site is from a park that is a short and pleasant walk from the stadium:

Jake's caption: A path in Inwood Hill Park... yes, this IS Manhattan!

He writes:

Parts of Inwood Hill Park are the only pieces of Manhattan that still look as they did in 1524 when the Dutch explorers arrived.

Green Alert Take: Mrs. BGA and I have driven down from Vermont in the wee hours just to check out the farmer's market a couple of blocks from Wien Stadium and then walk the trails of Inwood Hill Park. It is mind-boggling how peaceful and surprisingly quiet it is just a five-minute walk from the heavy metal clattering of the elevated subway and the cacophony of cars and buses honking their horns as they try to maneuver around double-parked cars on Broadway.

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Former Dartmouth wide receiver Grayson O'Bara '26 grew up not far from the University of North Texas and in his grad transfer season is the subject of a story headlined UNT receiver Grayson O'Bara stepping out of superintendent mom’s shadow with big return to Denton. From the story (LINK):

“I really didn’t get the opportunities in recruiting that I wanted, but all the Ivy League schools were after me,” O’Bara said. “It reached a point where I thought, ‘This is a great opportunity.’ It was a 40-year decision more than a four-year one.

“It ended up being great for me because of the connections that come with going to Dartmouth.”

And . . .

“I was blessed to have that opportunity,” O’Bara said. “I was a little skeptical of it at first, going 20 hours away from home, but I fell in love with it."

O'Bara has caught five passes for 88 yards with a long of 26 this fall after convincing his hometown university to give him a shot as a grad transfer. From the story:

“Grayson recruited us as much as we recruited him,” (Coach Neal) Brown said.

And . . .

“I was in their face and didn’t leave them alone until they gave me an opportunity,” O’Bara said. “I felt like I could play at this level.”

And he has, per his head coach:

“Grayson’s been a huge addition on the field, but he also sets the standard off it,” Brown said. “He works extremely hard, takes care of his body like a pro and has helped lead and direct that receiver unit.” 

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With a new addition to the class I promised earlier this week to share the full list so far of recruits who have announced their intention to come to Dartmouth next fall. Twice I've forgotten, so with apologies, here's what I've got. Corrections and additions are welcome at the contact form to the right:

DL Foster Calloway, 6-2½, 265, Mountain Heritage HS/Burnsville, N.C.
OL Oliver Costello, 6-5, 285, St. Paul's School/Plymouth, Mass.
RB Hezekiah Davis, 5-10, 185, Tampa Jesuit HS/Tampa, Fla.
WR Noah Dearman, 6-3, 185, Brownsburg HS/Brownsburg, Ind.
LB Odin Erickson, 6-2, 222, Louis County HS/Mineral, Va.
RB Chance Lassiter, 5-11, 195, Boswell HS/Fort Worth, Texas
DB Nolan Lewis, 6-1, 185, Notre Dame HS/Sherman Oaks, Calif.
DB Rowan Martin, 6-1, 180, Williston-Northampton School/East Longmeadow, Mass.
QB Webber Marx, 6-6, 210, St. Paul's School/Wellesley Mills, Mass
OL Nolan McIntyre, 6-6, 305, St. Anne's Belfield/Charlottesville, Va.
OL Henry Reagan, 6-3, 275, New Canaan HS/New Canaan, Conn.
QB Richmond Saunier, 6-2, 195, Lafayette HS/Lafayette, La.
DE  KJ Sims, 6-3, 192, Seckinger HS/Buford, Ga.
LB Ezekiel Su'A, 6-1, 205, Mater Dei HS/Moreno Valley, Calif.
OL Brysen Terry, 6-6, 325, Webster Schroeder HS/Webster, N.Y.
TE Michael Vallarelli, 6-7, 220,  Phillips Andover/Andover, Mass.
TE Braedon Vetter, 6-4, 225, Williams HS/Burlington, N.C.
DL Tiger Xiong, 6-4, 235, Governor's Academy/Beijing, China
LB Bobby Wakefield, 6-2, 220, Charlotte Country Day/Charlotte, N.C.
DB Nicholas Washington 6-0, 185, River Bluff HS/Lexington, S.C.

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EXTRA POINT
They grow up so fast!

On October 9 I shared a video of our northern cardinal visitor Jacob, feeding his very hungry baby, Rebecca. Earlier this week, Rebecca made her own visit to our video birdfeeder and spent a good deal of time fattening up for the winter on her own. Here she is:

A Final Look Back

From Dartmouth social media, a look back at the Merrimack game:

#GoBigGreen | #TheWoods https://t.co/CeE33zFz3w

— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) October 18, 2026

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With Columbia next on tap, Roar Lions podcast Jake Novak has the Big Green and the Lions back-to-back in his weekly power rankings (LINK):

1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Princeton
4. Cornell
5. Dartmouth
6. Columbia
7. Brown
8. Penn

From the transcript of Jake's podcast:

I really thought Dartmouth was the best team in the league. But right now, there are just so many questions of consistency with that ballclub also. Suddenly, their offense isn't as strong as it looked in the beginning of the season. Their defense looked better, but didn't have the greatest game either on Saturday.

They won the game in a comeback against Merrimack. I don't know what to make of Dartmouth right now. It's very, very hard to assess them at this point. But I've got them, you know, sort of in the middle of the pack towards the back.

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Saturday is Homecoming at Columbia and the Lions have not fared well in those games overall in recent years, or against Dartmouth in Homecoming games. The Columbia Spectator has a piece headlined Numbers game: a data-driven dive into Homecoming’s history. (LINK)

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Nice honors for members of both teams that will square off Saturday. Dartmouth safety Harrison Keith won the New England Football Writers Gold Helmet after recording the second-most pass breakups in an FCS game this year and making nine tackles:

Courtesy Dartmouth social media

Columbia wide receiver Bryce Coleman, who has eight touchdown receptions in five games, has been named to the watch list for the Jerry Rice Award as the nation's top freshman at the FCS level. (LINK)

Courtesy Columbia social media

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The FCS playoff selection committee has announced its first top 10 ranking and, interestingly, Harvard comes in at No. 10 and Lehigh is one of three teams "receiving votes." The Analyst takes a look at the 10 teams in the ranking and includes this:

• Best Two Wins: Colgate (20-17), at Cornell (41-29)

• Remaining Opponents: Princeton, at Dartmouth, Columbia, at Penn, Yale

• Remaining Opponents’ Combined Record: 15-10 (.600)

The good news? The remaining opponents have a good record. The bad news? The best two wins are against teams that are each one game over .500 (Colgate is 4-3, Cornell is 3-2.)

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Curious about the closed road in front of Buddy Teevens Stadium and when it will be open again? Not until July . . . hopefully. Find out what they are doing and what the holdup is HERE.

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EXTRA POINT
Those of you who have been following along learned in the Sept. 21 PAT about the saga of our new kitchen range. The Reader's Digest version is that the old one went kaput and because that range was an odd size, the granite surround cutout was about a quarter of an inch too small to fit virtually any replacement range on the market, including the one we bought. We didn't learn that until this one was delivered.

Here is how it sat until late last week when a granite cutter came and trimmed about 1/8th of an inch off each side of the granite opening. This looks a lot better:

Two things we learned. First, granite cutters don't come cheap. And second, you would not believe how much dust cutting the granite in place created. The original installers will be back Friday to complete the installation.

Tuesday News Day

BGA Overtime last night had takes on Noah Trigueros stepping in for an injured Grayson Saunier and leading the Big Green to a win last week, the value of Luke Rives bringing back the opening kickoff n that game, Owen Zalc doing Owen Zalc things, Merrimack going for two after its first TD, scheduling, the Big Green's standing in the Ivy League race, and honoring the 10-0 team of 1996. Check it all out HERE.

And tonight Statler and Waldorf The Optimist and The Pessimist are in the house.

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From Dartmouth social media:

Find a brief story HERE.

Linebacker JJ Bolz, wide receiver James Elliott and safety Harrison Keith were named to the Ivy League honor roll. (LINK)

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In advance of Saturday's game at Columbia, Roar Lions podcaster Jake Novak has an audio program headlined, Trying to get a realistic assessment of how strong a contender Columbia might be isn’t easy HERE. (If like me, you'd prefer to scan a written transcript for points of interest that's available.) From the transcript:

It does at least seem, from what we've seen this year, that this would be probably the weakest Dartmouth team Columbia has taken on since maybe 2022. And that was not a very weak Dartmouth team, by the way. But it was still a team and a game that Columbia very much probably should have won in 2022. 

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For your scouting report on the Lions, here's a look at highlights from Columbia's win at Penn on Friday night:

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Like a lot of services, Sagarin gives three points to the home team and that being the case, the ratings system has Columbia as a 2-point favorite in its Homecoming game Saturday.

Of note: Jake Novak points out in his podcast that Columbia hasn't won a Homecoming game since 2021.

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Massey predicts a 27-24 Dartmouth win with 60 percent confidence.

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Here are this week's polls:

	STATS	W-L*	Pts	Prev*
1	Tarleton State (49)	7-0	1417	2
2	Stephen F. Austin (4)	7-0	1331	3
3	Montana State (3)	6-1	1285	5
4	Youngstown State (1)	6-2	1234	6
5	South Dakota State	5-2	1181	1
6	North Dakota	6-2	1123	11
7	Northern Arizona	6-2	1082	8
8	South Dakota	6-2	1049	9
9	Austin Peay	6-2	916	12
10	Illinois State	5-2	823	13
11	LEHIGH	6-1	809	4
12	Tennessee Tech	6-1	803	15
13	Campbell	6-1	721	16
14	Montana	5-3	682	7
15	HARVARD	5-0	670	17
16	Lamar	5-2	592	10
17	Mercer	6-2	544	18
18	ETSU	5-2	441	20
19	MONMOUTH	5-2	335	23
20	UC Davis	4-3	284	14
21	Northern Iowa	3-3	266	19
22	Weber State	5-3	179	NR
23	Southeastern Louisiana	4-3	118	NR
24	Jackson State	6-1	116	NR
25	Richmond	5-2	106	NR
	Dropped Out:  Idaho State (21), Colgate (22), Morgan State (24), YALE (25)
	Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Abilene Christian (4-4, 3-0 UAC): 86; PRINCETON (4-1, 2-0 Ivy): 62; Idaho State (4-3, 1-3 Big Sky): 57; West Florida (4-2, 2-2 UAC): 45; CORNELL (3-2, 1-1 Ivy): 39; South Carolina State (5-2, 0-0 MEAC): 35; Colgate (4-3, 3-1 Patriot): 18; Houston Christian (4-3, 3-1 Southland): 14; Morgan State (5-2, 0-0 MEAC): 12; Wofford (5-3, 3-2 Southern): 10; Alabama A&M (6-2, 3-1 SWAC): 9; Bryant (5-2, 3-0 CAA) 9; UAlbany (4-3, 2-1 CAA): 5; Rhode Island (4-3, 1-2 CAA): 2

	FCS Coaches	W-L*	Pts	Prev*
1	Tarleton St. (24)	7-0	648	2
2	Stephen F. Austin (2)	7-0	623	3
3	Montana St.	6-1	591	5
4	Youngstown St.	6-2	567	6
5	South Dakota St.	5-2	520	1
6	South Dakota	6-2	491	9
7	Northern Arizona	6-2	482	10
8	North Dakota	6-2	457	15
9	Austin Peay	6-2	452	11
10	Illinois St.	5-2	396	13
11	Tennessee Tech	6-1	380	14
12	LEHIGH	6-1	375	4
13	Mercer	6-2	305	16
14	Montana	5-3	296	7
15	Lamar	5-2	288	8
16	Campbell	6-1	265	18
17	HARVARD	5-0	264	17
18	MONMOUTH	5-2	200	20
19	Richmond	5-2	152	22
20	ETSU	5-2	144	24
21	UC Davis	4-3	124	12
22	Jackson St.	6-1	108	NR
23	West Florida	4-2	57	NR
24	Southeastern Louisiana	4-3	39	NR
25	South Carolina St.	5-2	37	NR
	Dropped Out: Colgate (19), Idaho St. (21), YALE (23), Northern Iowa (25)
	Others Receiving Votes: ACU, 26; Northern Iowa, 24; Colgate, 18; Idaho St., 18; PRINCETON, 17; Bryant, 16; UAlbany, 15; YALE, 13; Weber St., 12; CORNELL (N.Y.), 9; Wofford, 9; Morgan St., 5; Alabama A&M, 2; Southeast Missouri St., 2; Central Connecticut St., 1; Delaware St., 1; Marist, 1.

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A final note: The recruiting list I was going to post today will instead go up tomorrow.

EXTRA POINT
Coming down the mountain on my hike Sunday afternoon I passed three college-aged women who were on their way up. For the better part of the next five minutes I walked through an invisible cloud of perfume. Or maybe it was just heavy makeup. Whatever, the sweet scent of the evergreen forest and fallen leaves was totally overwhelmed by something manmade, and it just seemed so wrong.