After thrilling OT win, undefeated Big Green faces Central Connecticut State on Saturday

Dartmouth lineman Godson Ajoku celebrates the team's 44-43 overtime win against Yale in New Haven, Conn., on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Dartmouth Athletics - Maria Golick)

Dartmouth lineman Godson Ajoku celebrates the team's 44-43 overtime win against Yale in New Haven, Conn., on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Dartmouth Athletics - Maria Golick) Dartmouth Athletics — Maria Golick

Dartmouth celebrates the team's 44-43 overtime win against Yale in New Haven, Conn., on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. Down 30-7 late in the third quarter, the Big Green's 23-point comeback was the largest in the program's history. (Dartmouth Athletics - Maria Golick)

Dartmouth celebrates the team's 44-43 overtime win against Yale in New Haven, Conn., on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. Down 30-7 late in the third quarter, the Big Green's 23-point comeback was the largest in the program's history. (Dartmouth Athletics - Maria Golick)

By ALEX CERVANTES

Valley News Staff Writer

Published: 10-17-2024 5:01 PM

Days removed from overseeing the largest comeback in program history, Dartmouth College football coach Sammy McCorkle joked that he was delighted to be on the right side of history in last Saturday’s 44-43 overtime triumph over Yale.

The second-year coach still remembers the infamous “Choke at Doak” on Nov. 26, 1994, when he was a junior free safety for Steve Spurrier at Florida.

Hosting the reigning national champions, No. 7 Florida State, Spurrier’s No. 4-ranked Gators held a 31-3 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Seminoles scored 28 unanswered points to level the score, 31-31, with less than two minutes on the clock.

The game between two of the sport’s most bitter rivals ended in a tie.

“Felt like a loss,” McCorkle said of the rivalry game on a Wednesday Zoom call with reporters.

Approaching the 30-year anniversary of a result that still haunts Gator faithful, McCorkle helped lead a even more remarkable Big Green turnaround at the Yale Bowl.

Facing a 37-16 deficit entering the fourth quarter, sophomore quarterback Grayson Saunier’s “comfort, confidence and composure” settled the team down on both sides of the ball, paving the way for the comeback victory, McCorkle said.

“It was good to finally be on the other end of it,” McCorkle said. “(I’ve) never been a part of something like that, but it was exciting, obviously, and we’re fortunate to be on the winning side of that. It was definitely a testament to the perseverance of our team and the way we just kept battling. Can’t tell you how proud I am of the guys.”

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But now it’s a new week, a new opponent, so time to “completely wash it and move on to the next.”

Dartmouth, boasting a 4-0 record and a 2-0 start in Ivy League play, finds itself ranked in the latest iteration of the Stats Perform FCS and AFCA FCS Coaches polls, slotted in at No. 22 and No. 24, respectively.

The Big Green will attempt to keep their perfect record intact when they host Central Connecticut State (3-3) in their final nonconference tilt this season.

Two of the Blue Devils’ three losses have come to FBS opponents, while the third was a narrow 23-22 defeat to Yale just two weeks ago.

“They play hard, they play fast,” McCorkle said of CCSU. “They’re very well coached in all phases. … Our players, our staff, we all know this is going to be a huge challenge for us, and we just need to prepare ourselves each day. And we know, coming out on Saturday, that we have to prepare ourselves for a 60-plus-minute game.”

Here are three storylines to monitor ahead of kickoff:

Another week, anotherdynamic running back

Following the 16-14 win at Merrimack, senior defensive end Ejike Adele surmised that the Warriors’ running back, Jermaine Corbett, was “one of the better running backs” Dartmouth would see this season.

Adele might be right, but for yet another week, the Big Green defense will have to contend with another dynamic rusher.

This time, it’s the Blue Devils’ Elijah Howard.

Howard, a former 3-star recruit out of Tennessee, played two years at cornerback for Virginia Tech before transferring to CCSU. His 119.5 all-purpose yards in 2023 ranked 19th in FCS en route to All-NEC second team honors.

In six games this season, Howard has eclipsed the 100-yard mark three times, including 108 rushing yards against Yale. He notched season-highs in receptions (5) and receiving yards (68) against the Bulldogs, too.

McCorkle said the Big Green have their “hands full” in preparing for Howard, who can take advantage of the holes created by the Blue Devil offensive line and be a receiving threat out of the backfield.

Dartmouth’s run defense, which held Yale to just 3.0 yards-per-carry, ranks 22nd in FCS in rushing defense, allowing 116.7 yards per game on the ground to opponents.

“There’s a reason why he was at Virginia Tech at one time,” McCorkle said of Howard. “He’s a very talented running back, and he does a very good job. Once again, you think, ‘Oh, we played probably the best guy we’re going to see all year.’ The next week you’ve got another one, and the next week you’ve got another one. So here we go again.”

Which team will winthe turnover battle?

CCSU ranks ninth in the FCS in turnovers gained with 14 — the Blue Devils have recovered nine fumbles and notched five interceptions. Dartmouth, meanwhile, ranks dead last nationally in the statistic, credited with just two turnovers gained by the NCAA.

“They do a very good job swarming to the ball, trying to knock the ball loose,” McCorkle said of the Blue Devil defense. “They gang tackle, which allows them to be able to (force fumbles).”

Dartmouth’s offense, however, has done a good job protecting the football through four games this season, coughing it up just three times. That mark ranks fifth nationally, while CCSU’s 10 turnovers slot in among a cluster of teams at 87th in the country.

An unstoppable force meets an immovable object on Saturday at Buddy Teevens Stadium at Memorial Field.

Will offensive coordinator Kevin Daft’s unit once again keep turnovers at a minimum or will CCSU’s defense trouble yet another opponent?

But maybe most critical to Dartmouth’s success: Can its defense finally capitalize on its chances to force turnovers?

“You can’t rely on the offense to come up clutch and have it be a back-and-forth game,” said senior linebacker Braden Mullen following the Yale win. “We’ve got to make stuff happen, we’ve got to get turnovers…

“We’ve got to bat balls down, bat balls up, force fumbles, fall on them and then hold on to that ball once we do. That’s really one thing I think we should focus on going forward: Not overcomplicating the game of football. Chase people down, chase the ball, and just really capitalize when we have those opportunities.”

Dartmouth’squarterback situation

Senior starting quarterback Jackson Proctor, who was sidelined with an unspecified injury against Yale, remains “day-to-day,” McCorkle said.

McCorkle said the offense will continue to work Proctor, Saunier and sophomore Woods Ray ahead of Saturday’s game, with the expectation being that any of the Big Green’s quarterback trio should be ready to play against the Blue Devils.

Ray earned the starting nod last Saturday before being replaced early in the second quarter by Saunier, who took advantage of the opportunity, recording 360 total yards of offense and five touchdowns.

If Proctor is able to play, it’s reasonable to expect the Kent, Wash., native will start. If Proctor is ruled out for a second straight week, it remains to be seen whether Saunier’s performance was enough to shift the pecking order on the quarterback depth chart.

But if Saturday was any indication — McCorkle said postgame that he expected to play both Ray and Saunier in the game, ultimately rolling with the “hot hand” — one could expect to see both sophomore quarterbacks lead the Dartmouth offense against CCSU.

Alex Cervantes can be reached at acervantes@vnews.com or 603-727-7302.