Craig Haley, the former Princeton beat writer-turned-FCS guru for The Analyst, has posted his Ivy League football preview including this prediction for the conference race (LINK):
1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Dartmouth
4. Princeton
5. Columbia
6. Penn
7. Brown
8. Cornell
A reminder, here's how the Ivy League media poll sees the race:
1. (tie) Harvard (8-2, 5-2), 108 pts (8 1st-place votes)
1. (tie Dartmouth (9-1, 6-1 Ivy), 108 (4)
3. Princeton (9-1, 6-1), 105 (4)
4. Yale (5-5, 4-3), 83
5. Columbia (7-3, 4-3), 67
6. Penn (3-7, 1-6), 49
7. Brown (2-8, 1-6), 29
8. Cornell (2-8, 1-6), 27
Here's what Haley wrote about Dartmouth:
The Big Green have posted three straight seasons of 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the league, and gone 5-2 or better in seven of the last eight Ivy seasons. Last season, they ranked third in the FCS in points allowed per game (14.7) and fifth in yards allowed per game, but the defense returns only three starters. Quarterback Nick Howard rushed for 787 yards and 15 touchdowns in a platoon role, but now has the full-time job and a veteran line to help him move the offense. Coach Buddy Teevens is two wins shy of 150 in his career.
And here are his "Five Players to Watch" this fall:
Nick Howard, QB, Dartmouth
Clay Patterson, DL, Yale
Andrei Iosivas, WR, Princeton
Jake Stebbins, LB, Cornell
Alex Washington, DB, Harvard
And here's what he wrote about the Dartmouth "Player to Watch:"
Nick Howard, QB, Dartmouth (Walter Payton Award preseason nominee) – Howard averaged 12.5 carries per game as a run-first All-Ivy quarterback, but had only 18 pass attempts a year ago. He’s aided by the return of Big Green leading receiver Paxton Scott.
Green Alert Take: Regarding the five players to watch, not to take anything away from Washington, but the player I'm eager to see from Harvard is tailback Aidan Borguet, who as a freshman had touchdown runs of 47, 59, 60 and 67 yards against Yale, carrying 11 times for 269 yards.
And finally, The Analyst has the Ivy League's Three Must-See Matchups:
Harvard at Dartmouth (Oct. 29)
Dartmouth at Princeton (Nov. 5)
Yale at Harvard (Nov. 19)
Green Alert Take: For as much as The Game is over-hyped a lot of years, given how Haley sees the race playing out, the Harvard-Yale contest really does belong on his list.
#
BGA Premium's daily practice coverage looked at the Dartmouth secondary with associate head coach/defensive backs coach Sammy McCorkle on Saturday and at the linebackers with defensive coordinator Don Dobes last night. Tonight, barring a change, the practice report will include a breakdown of the defensive line.
#
With the fall semester rolling around, Ivy League student newspapers are coming back to life and while most don't do nearly as much with football as they did in years past, the Columbia Spectator takes a look at the Lions HERE and the Harvard Crimson looks at the Cantabs HERE.
#
Who knew?
From an LA Times story about USC football coach Lincoln Riley, who grew up in the little Texas town that former Dartmouth admissions director-turned-athletic director Dick Jaeger loved to bring up when talking about far-reaching recruiting efforts (LINK):
When Riley filled out recruiting questionnaires, his SAT and ACT scores made more impact with some coaches than his measurable football skills. Seemingly overnight, the Ivy League discovered Muleshoe.
And . . .
He could’ve signed with smaller local schools like West Texas A&M or a faraway Ivy like Dartmouth.
Whoa. What? A little Googling pulls up a 2017 story from the Dallas Morning News that includes this (LINK):
Lincoln Riley's hometown thought he would work for NASA. So how'd he end up as Oklahoma's head coach.
Who knows what would have become of Riley had he gone to Dartmouth, which seemed most interested, instead of his eventual landing spot at Texas Tech.
#
EXTRA POINT
As is the case most days on my five-minute drive to the trailhead I passed a man and woman walking their dogs early this morning. I assume they are husband and wife.
I first noticed the woman a couple years ago ever-so-slowing running, the headlights of my car illuminating a shiny reflective strip on her orange safety vest. I amused myself by imagining she was exercising each day to fit into the new dress she hoped to wear to her daughter's impending wedding, or that her reason for running was to look good for an upcoming high school reunion where perhaps she would rekindle an old relationship.
The truth is, I had no earthly idea why she was up and exercising so early other than to be up early and exercising.
The woman no longer runs at dawn but instead joins her presumed husband in walking their dogs. When they see my car coming up the narrow dirt road each morning the woman and her husband and their two dogs step to the side of the road while I slow to a crawl and pass them by. We exchange smiles and waves, day after day, week after week, month after month. It's always the same.
One of these days I may stop the car, lower the window and introduce myself but maybe I won't.
There's something oddly comforting about being able to share smiles and waves with complete strangers you think of as old friends you've never met.
