The local Valley News has a story today about Dartmouth offensive lineman John Paul Flores, a relative newcomer to the game of golf, using his football-free fall to help coach a golf team at a small, Christian high school in the Upper Valley. (LINK)
Of particular note in the story is this:
He’s doubtful the Ancient Eight will play football in the spring, but the Big Green will start weightlifting this week as Dartmouth athletics move to its first phase out of quarantine.
It would seem Flores is reading from the Buddy Teevens playbook after the Big Green head coach earlier this month said (LINK):
"I honestly don't see (a spring season) happening logistically with the needs of field space and coverage by the (athletic department) support staff. The (Ivy League) presidents haven't ruled it out, but that seems difficult."
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Game Two of Dartmouth's virtual season was streamed yesterday. (LINK) Here's how BGA Premium described the nailbiter against Holy Cross later that night (all typos, errors and awkward phrasing are mine ;-)
Dartmouth Opens Home Season With A Classic
BGA Premium, Sept. 22, 2017
HANOVER – Would someone who called Dartmouth’s 27-26 overtime victory against Holy Cross Saturday night an instant classic be guilty of hyperbole?
Hardly.
Staring at defeat after the Crusaders marched 86 yards in 13 plays to tie the score with three seconds remaining, the Big Green blocked its second placement of the quarter to force overtime.
After losing the all-important coin flip and having to go first in OT, Dartmouth grabbed the lead when Jack Heneghan looked right, threw back to Stephen Johnston on the left and the big tight end broke through the last Holy Cross defender for a 10-yard touchdown. With David Smith’s PAT Dartmouth had a seven-point lead.
But Holy Cross wasn’t done.
Crusader quarterback Peter Pujals, who helped his team go an unimaginable 6-for-6 on fourth down during the game, completed a fourth-and-seven pass to the one, and on the next snap Diquan Walker burst through to make it a one-point game.
With Holy Cross a PAT away from forcing a second overtime or a two-point conversion away from a win, Crusaders coach Tom Gilmore knew what he was going to do. In fact, he said later, he knew even before the touchdown what his decision would be.
He would go for the win.
After a Dartmouth timeout, and with the crowd of 7,094 roaring, Pujals brought his team to the line. The fifth-year senior took the snap and while he looked right, tight end Jayke Simsheuser slipped off his block and came free on the left.
The 260-pound senior collected the pass from Pujals behind the line but before he could get up a head of steam a prone Dartmouth linebacker Jake Moen reached out and slowed him down. Linebacker Eric Meile and corner Danny McManus then finished Simsheuser – and Holy Cross – off for a two-yard loss that lit the fuse on a wild celebration in the shadow of the north goalpost.
Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens admitted after the Big Green improved to 2-0 that he agreed with the Holy Cross decision to go for two and it was a roll of the dice defending the conversion attempt.
“Everybody gimmicks in that type of thing so you are never 100 percent sure,” he said. “You just try to cover your bases. You are not sure because you don’t see enough two-point plays. It’s a little bit of a guess and (defensive coordinator Don Dobes) did a nice job just matching people up. Our guys played aggressively in the backfield.
“(Moen) is getting blocked and held with the fly-by and he makes the kid stumble and somebody cleans him up. It was a team effort.”
As it was all night.
Jack Heneghan completed a very efficient 18-of-25 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 17 yards and Ryder Stone carried 17 times for 103 yards and one touchdown.
McManus set up the first Dartmouth score with a punt return and the last of regulation with a fumble recovery.
With Rocco Di Leo and Jackson Perry helping clear the way, kick-blocking ace Jeremiah Douchee got his hand on a 32-yard field goal attempt with 6:09 remaining and broke through on the potential winning PAT for his fifth career block, enough to convince Gilmore to eschew the PAT in overtime.
But as they say on TV, wait, there’s more.
Colin Boit stalled the high-powered Holy Cross attack that piled up the points in last week’s 51-26 win over No. 9 New Hampshire with a diving interception, Meile and Jack Traynor hit double figures in tackles with 11 apiece, and first-year punter Davis Brief turned the field in Dartmouth’s favor with six punts for a 43.3-yard average including a 55-yarder.
And that’s not even to mention David Smith’s career-long 42-yard field goal that gave the Big Green a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter, or his 35-yarder that pulled the home team within 14-13 at the half.
“It was an outstanding ballgame,” said Teevens, hardly guilty of hyperbole in saying that. “Both teams played hard. Both teams I thought played smart. It was nice to get a win, a team win. Offense, defense, special teams all performed, had to perform. And when we had to make plays, we did.
“A good win for the guys. I’m very proud of them. The mental toughness that they showed through the course of the ballgame as well. A good win. A good way to start it at home.”
Dartmouth opened the scoring on its second possession when Heneghan dropped a perfect 22-yard rainbow over Holy Cross safety Chris Riley and right into the arms of Emory Thompson to cap a six-play, 48-yard drive.
The Crusaders knotted the score by going 73 yards in 12 plays bracketing the first and second quarter with Pujals (26-for-48 for 220 yards, two touchdowns and one interception) hitting Bell from seven yards out.
After Smith’s first field goal gave Dartmouth a 10-7 lead standout Holy Cross linebacker Nick McBeath drove his helmet into the ball and knocked it free from Heneghan at midfield with teammate Teddy Capsis recovering. Pujals, perhaps at his best when a play breaks down, started to run on a third-and-11 play from the 41 but pulled up at the last moment and hit a wide-open Bell for 28 yards to the 13. Two plays later Miles Alexander ran in from the seven for a 14-10 Holy Cross lead.
Taking over at his own 25 with 3:12 left, Heneghan hit his first four throws and ran for 12 yards on a key third-and-10 to drive the Green to the Holy Cross 18 and send Smith out for a field goal with no time remaining to make it a one-point game at the break.
Midway through the third quarter Holy Cross punter Will McGrail ran 19 yards for a first down on a fourth-and-four fake from his own 37, but the Dartmouth defense held at the plus 46 and this time McGrail actually did put foot to ball.
When the Big Green proceeded to go three-and-out it looked as if the Crusaders would get good field position. But when their return man bobbled a fair catch near midfield McManus came out of the ensuing dogpile with the ball and the Big Green was in business at the Holy Cross 47.
On Dartmouth’s second play of the possession Stone burst off right tackle and with Johnston sealing the inside and Thompson the outside, the senior won a 47-yard footrace for the 20-14 lead with 45 seconds left in the third. Neither team would score again until the end-game dramatics.
“Well that was a-hell-of-a football game,” said Gilmore. “I’m sure everyone in the stands enjoyed that one. Not feeling too good from a Holy Cross standpoint right now, not being able to finish off in the end.”
The feeling across the field was similar with regard to the nature of the play, but different with regard to the way the game ended.
“All facets contributed,” said Teevens. “The guys feel pretty good about it. But that will be over at midnight and on to Penn.”
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EXTRA POINT
If you've been along for the ride since the start of BGA you've been reading about That Certain Dartmouth '14 and That Certain Nittany Lion '16 from when they were Little League teammates through one running track for the Big Green and the other going to nationals with the Penn State club golf team.
Today you get a look at the pair at the top of 14,439-foot Mount Elbert, the highest summit in the Rocky Mountains, which they hiked yesterday on TCNL '16's final full day visiting his sister in Colorado. TCD'14, who lives and runs at altitude in Gunnison and is a regular on Colorado mountaintops, said of her brother's hike: "He crushed it."
