From the Dartmouth football office, a behind-the-scenes and field-level look at the clinching of the Ivy League championship:
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Down in Waco, No. 9 Baylor and Dartmouth alum Drew Estrada improved to 10-2 with a 27-24 win over Texas Tech. Estrada tied for the team lead with four catches covering 42 yards and ran one time for a yard as the Bears clinched a spot in the Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma State at AT&T Stadium. Baylor will be looking to avenge a 24-14 loss at Oklahoma State in which Estrada led the Bears with six catches for 88 yards. The former Dartmouth standout has 22 receptions for 320 yards and a 14.6 average in 10 games this fall after returning from a muscle pull.
Drew Estrada celebrates Senior Day at Baylor.
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Cornell football fans watching the "Bedlam" game featuring Estrada's next opponent last night had to be proud of the mentions of Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
From a CBS Sports posting (LINK):
Jim Knowles deserves more attentionOklahoma State's defensive coordinator has quietly been one of the most versatile defensive minds in the nation, and his adjustments in the second half prove why he should be a top contender for the Broyles Award.
An All-Ivy League defensive end at Cornell before graduating in 1987, Knowles was the Big Red's head coach from 2004-09. From his Oklahoma State web page (LINK):
In his first season as head coach of the Big Red, Knowles turned a 1-9 squad that lost seven games by at least two touchdowns into a 4-6 unit that went 4-3 in conference play and lost all six contests by 10 points or less.Cornell’s 2004 squad became the first team in Ivy League history to go from zero conference wins to a winning league slate in just one season. Under Knowles, Cornell posted three consecutive seasons (2005-06-07) at .500 or better for the first time since 1990-91-92 and, in 2007, enjoyed a stretch of scoring 30 or more points in four straight games for the first time since 1921.
Knowles was 26-34 at his alma mater, leaving in 2009 to become defensive coordinator at Duke, where he stayed until moving to Oklahoma State in 2018.
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Editor's note: Because the Ivy League does not allow its teams to compete in the FCS playoffs, BGA Daily has adopted traditional rival Holy Cross as the shadow Ivy League playoff representative.
Holy Cross 13, Sacred Heart 10
Sophomore quarterback Matthew Sluka capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a 35-yard touchdown pass to classmate Jalen Coker, who won a jump ball with 14 seconds remaining to give the Crusaders (10-2) their fist-ever win in the FCS playoffs.
Sluka finished with 171 yards through the air and 90 on the ground. Junior linebacker Jacob Dobbs was the defensive standout with 18 tackles as Holy Cross limited Sacred Heart standouts Julius Chestnut to 55 yards rushing on 17 carries and Malik Grant to 59 on 14 carries.
Holy Cross now plays at fifth-seeded Villanova Friday at 7 p.m.
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EXTRA POINT
As the first one up the mountain yesterday the only tracks ahead of me in the snow were those left by animals.
As the first one up the mountain yesterday the only tracks ahead of me in the snow were those left by animals.
I couldn't help but wonder as I spotted footprints left by deer, rabbits, chipmunks and more whether I was hiking on their trail or they were walking on mine. It's probably a little bit of both.
