Wednesday, October 28, 2026

One Day Closer

Harvard wasted no time getting its game notes up on Tuesday:


Click HERE to access Harvard's notes for Saturday's game at Dartmouth.
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For a sneak peek at the team invading Buddy Teevens Stadium Friday night, check out the Harvard highlights from last week's win over Princeton:


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Dartmouth social media takes you somewhere you will probably never go – the Big Green's football locker room. Check it out:

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Hank Paulson '68, who went from All-Ivy offensive lineman to United States Treasury Secretary, returned to campus last week for a presentation on "the implications of AI for economic statecraft."

From a story pulled together by the college news service ( LINK):

Dartmouth appealed to him, (Paulson) said, in part because of its rural setting.

“You could go fishing, you could do all kinds of things. It had a Skiway, a football coach who recruited, and obviously a great undergraduate education. Dartmouth was formative for me,” said Paulson, an English major and All-Ivy offensive lineman who was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Paulson, twice an honorable-mention All-Ivy and a first-team pick as a senior, was Dartmouth's second recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

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Bwog, an independent, student-run campus news site at Columbia has a story spun out of last week's football game under the headline, We’ll Get ‘Em Next Year: The Homecoming Experience. The story references the Lion's "humiliating" defeat and includes this (LINK):

If I had to leave one piece of parting advice, it’s to just go to the football game anyways. Even if you don’t like football, just go. It’s fun! People are there, tickets are free so you can leave whenever, and the soft pretzels are really good. Just have fun, and remember that some people go to schools where they actually expect good football and they don’t even get that. Go Lions!

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On a hike last week I listened to a 99% Invisible podcast headlined The Problem With Football Helmets. From the episode's 99% Invisible intro page (LINK):

(R)ecent concern around concussions and CTE have raised the question of whether it’s technically possible to develop a helmet that can totally prevent injuries during gameplay. “I remember chatting with a doctor who said, unless you strapped the helmet to a player’s shoulders so that your head couldn’t move around on your neck, the helmet really can’t do all that much to prevent a concussion,” says Kathleen Bachynski, an associate professor of public health at Muhlenberg College. “I do think you can tweak design around the edges, but I think you’re up against the law of physics.” As debate rages around the safety of America’s most popular sport, helmets will continue to be a flashpoint.
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EXTRA POINT
The thermometer read 22.1 degrees when I let Griff the Wonder Dog out this morning here at our Vermont hillside home, and sometime when I wasn't looking the colorful foliage bordering the sugar bush next to our house all blew down. This is the time of year in Vermont that spawned the song that helped turn a local singer/songwriter into an international star:
 

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Gearing Up For Friday Night Lights

Warning: The curmudgeons are stoppng by BGA Overtime tonight. I you check in before then you can read Your Mileage May Vary and not let the old guys bother you. (LINK)

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Ever wonder what a football locker room sounds like after a convincing win? Thanks to Dartmouth's social media, wonder no more!

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From Roar Lions podcaster Jake Novak after seeing Dartmouth firsthand on Saturday (LINK):

(Harvard has) an interesting test coming up at Dartmouth this Saturday. We know that Dartmouth, when they're playing well, can play very well. And they seem to have put most of it together against Columbia on Saturday.

But Harvard's going to be a much bigger, bigger opponent, a tougher opponent to deal with. What's interesting about this Harvard team is it really reminds me of the Harvard teams of the mid-2000s, 2006, '07, '08, '09, 10, when Harvard just had an amazing defense. And sometimes their offenses were great, too. 

Jake will offer up his pick later in the week, but in the meantime, here's his weekly Power Poll, which has Dartmouth fifth for the second week in a row.

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

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• Massey has Harvard winning, 27-20, with 73 percent confidence. (Massey predicted a 27-24 Dartmouth win last week with 60 percent confidence.)

• Sagarin has Harvard as a 9.5-point favorite. (Sagarin had Columbia as a three-point favorite over Dartmouth last week.)

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Blogger Paul Justafan makes an interesting point (LINK):

The Big Green . . .  control their own destiny. Because of Yale’s second loss, Dartmouth wins the Ivy Championship if it wins out. If the Big Green finish 6-1, they go to the playoffs based on the win over Harvard.

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Punter Luke Armistead, tailback Jacob Henry, safety Harrison Keith, and quarterback Grayson Saunier made the Ivy League honor roll last week. (LINK) 

Green Alert Take: Uh, Myles Craddock and his 128 rushing yards?

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From Dartmouth social media:

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An Associated Press story notes that "10 four-year colleges and universities started or re-started (football) programs this season, the most in a single year since 2013."

Wonder why? Here's the story's headline:

Small colleges are starting football programs, hoping to boost enrollment as student shortage looms.

Find the story HERE.

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EXTRA POINT
As this space suggested I probably would, I took the '84 VW poptop camper to my hiking trail yesterday, parked it in the sun and wrote in my "mobile office" before hiking.

It is just a two-mile drive to the trail, albeit on a very narrow, very hilly dirt road. What occurred to me as I drove a four-speed bus was how I transitioned from my EV to a four-speed transmission without giving a single thought to using the clutch and shifting. Apart from the VW, we haven't had a standard transmission in a long time but driving one was so natural that I never gave one scintilla of thought to the shifting process. I just did it. Muscle memory, I guess. ;-)

Monday, October 26, 2026

A New Name

BGA Overtime had What They Did & What They Said last night. Come back tonight for Your Mileage May Vary, one of BGA OT's most read features. (LINK)

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Heading Dartmouth way next year is defensive lineman Jonathan Ibeawuchi of Rock Bridge HS and Columbia, Mo. The 6-foot-1, 265-pound Ibeawuchi, whose social media shows some impressive weightlifting numbers, also has offers from Arkansas State and Missouri State. (LINK)

Ibeawuchi is the 21st recruit BGA has identified in this cycle. Find the list before his commitment by scrolling down HERE.

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Speaking of recruiting, former Yale receiver Mason Shipp has done some digging and has an interesting post on his social media that begins this way:
It seems like anybody can beat anybody this year in the Ivy League

Except Harvard

Harvard is one of three undefeated teams remaining in the entire  @NCAA_FCS
 and is the only undefeated team in @IvyLeague conference play thus far

I was curious to see if their early season dominance links back to recruiting

My findings: They stand in a league of their own

When a recruit holds a Harvard offer & an offer to another Ivy League program (and commits to one of them), the recruit picks Harvard 65% of the time

Find Shipp's full post HERE, and be sure to bring up his chart of how many recruits at each Ivy League school turned down Harvard offers. His study suggests Dartmouth and Yale lead the way with three each.

Green Alert Take: The sense here is the numbers may not be completely accurate but the picture they paint is – if that makes any sense.

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The local Valley News has a Columbia game story HERE.

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The Columbia Spectator has a story HERE.

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Here's a video recap from Dartmouth's social media:

Recap

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Click HERE for another story about Dave Shula '81, the former record-setting Dartmouth wide receiver and later assistant coach, returning to run Shula's Restaurant Group.

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EXTRA POINT
The hourly forecast for our part of northern New England  suggests it will be mostly sunny with a high in the low 60s today. With colder weather just around the corner, this seems like a perfect day to fire up the '84 VW camper, park it somewhere interesting in the sun, and get some writing done in my "mobile office." There won't be many more opportunities before "Wiffle" heads into the garage for winter storage, and who knows what the future holds for the bus when it comes out of hibernation in the spring?


I ruined my share of model airplanes and cars growing up but Mrs. BGA gave me this kit not long after we got our bus and I have to say I did an OK job with it. Since putting this together I replaced the canvas poptop with a gray one that has screen windows on the side, but apart from that, this is a pretty fair representation of our old bus.

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While I'm in a weather forecasting mode, it could still change but the temperature at kickoff for Friday's game against Harvard is projected to be 57 degrees, going down to 48 by the end of the game. There's full sun in the forecast during the day and just a light breeze expected. Perfect.

Sunday, October 25, 2026

The Race Shapes Up

(Yet another reminder that teams are listed in order first by Ivy League record, then if tied by overall record, then winning streak and finally alphabetically.)
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Here's your weekend wrap:

Harvard 35, Princeton 7
The Crimson (6-0, 3-0) kicked a field goal at the end of an 18-play drive that ate up more than 10 minutes of the first quarter and methodically built its lead to 21-0 early in the second half to remain one of three undefeated teams in the FCS heading into Friday night’s nationally televised game at Dartmouth.
Charlie Smith was 22-for-28 for 230 yards and two touchdowns for Harvard, which limited Princeton to 219 yards of total offense. The Crimson has held four of its six opponents to 10 or fewer points this fall.
The Tigers (4-2, 2-1) had been allowing just 10.2 points per game overall and 8.5 in Ivy play heading into the game.
A crowd of 14,896 turned out at Harvard Stadium.
Brown 38, Cornell 31 (OT)
A well-covered Matt Childs caught a nine-yard pass in the back of the end zone on the final play of regulation to tie the game and then ran for 25 yards and a touchdown on the first play of overtime as Brown (3-3, 1-2 Ivy) erased a 31-17 deficit in the fourth quarter and  held on in overtime to win before 5,605 in Providence.
James Murphy, who astonishingly did not have a touchdown pass in the Bears’ first five games, threw three against Cornell (3-3, 1-2) while completing 31-of-50 passes for 325 yards despite being sacked six times and intercepted twice. Childs was a workhorse, carrying 17 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns, and catching 10 passes for 85 yards and a score.
Dual threat Cornell quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio ran for just 14 yards but reached the end zone three times and passed for another touchdown for the Big Red (3-3, 1-2).
Friday Night Recap
Penn 24, Yale 21

One week after a botched field goal attempt cost the Quakers a possible win against Columbia in a nationally televised Friday night game at Franklin Field, they turned the tables in a second nationally televised Friday night game at Franklin Field.
This time Penn rallied from a 21-14 halftime deficit to take the lead on a touchdown with 8:08 remaining and won the game when a delay of game penalty on Yale’s successful 44-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining forced a re-kick from 49 yards that came up short in front of 5,531.
Penn’s Miles Tedodecki tossed two touchdown passes without an interception while Yale’s Dante Reno also had two scoring passes but was picked off four times. Both teams are now 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Ivy League.
Villanova 24, Lehigh 18
For the second week in a row, the Mountain Hawks (6-2, 4-1 Patriot) fought back from a big deficit and came up just short.
Trailing 21-0 at the half, Lehigh was down just six points when it took over at its own five-yard line with 3:33 to play. The Hawks drove all the way to the Nova two only to have the clock run out on a third down sack.
Luke Yoder ran for 132 yards and one touchdown and quarterback Derek Morgan ran for 94 yards and a score for Lehigh. A crowd of 5,451 saw the Wildcats improve to 4-4 and 3-2 in the Patriot.
Merrimack 24, New Hampshire 17
Quarterback AJ Hairston ran seven yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and the Warriors (3-5) made it hold up in front of 4,491 in North Andover.
New Hampshire (2-7, 1-4 CAA) got 345 yards through the air but were held to seven yards on the ground.
Merrimack  got 105 yards rushing from Matthias Latham and 78 yards on three catches from receiver Austin Palmer.
Monmouth 49, Hampton 13
Leading just 14-7 at the half, the Hawks ran off the next 28 points to win their fifth game in a row before 7,992 in Virginia.
Kenny Smith carried 19 times for 163 yards and one touchdown and Frankie Weaver threw for 234 yards and three scores to lead Monmouth (6-2, 5-0 CAA).
Hampton (1-7, 0-4) managed just 11 first downs and 249 yards off offense to the Hawks’ 30 first downs and season-high 565 yards of offense.
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EXTRA POINT
Once more with feeling . . .

If anyone is concerned about owning an EV and range anxiety driving distances, relax. With a little planning it's easy peasy. Mrs. BGA and I had absolutely no hassles driving to New York City and back yesterday.

Actually I take that back. We circled a couple of blocks off Broadway four times looking for the media parking before finally finding the right lot. Apart from that, the trip went off without a hitch with help from a neighbor who fed and walked Griff the Wonder Dog while we were on the road.

Saturday, October 24, 2026

On The Road

Greetings from somewhere between Northern New England and New York City.

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Penn 24, Yale 21
The Quakers used four interceptions (two in the red zone), a 10-0 fourth quarter and a missed field goal at the end to stun the Bulldogs in the second Friday Night ESPNU game from Franklin Field in as many weeks.

Both teams are now 3-3 and 1-2 in the Ivy League. Attendance was 5,531.

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Given that we left at O-Dark-30 there was no time for a proper BGA today so the best I can offer this morning is the BGA game preview HERE.

The forecast for gametime at Wien Stadium is the temperature around 60 with sunshine and a few clouds with virtually no chance of rain and a light breeze out of the north/northwest. Perfect weather.

Be sure to check BGA OT tonight for the game story I'll be writing in the car on the long drive home while Mrs. BGA takes the first turn at the wheel.

Friday, October 23, 2026

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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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. 


Thursday, October 22, 2026

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:

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

A Final Look Back

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

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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.