Dartmouth football: Big Green works to repeat itself

By ALEX CERVANTES

Valley News Staff Writer

Published: 10-10-2024 5:30 PM

Off to the program’s best start since the 2021 season, Dartmouth football coach Sammy McCorkle finds himself leaning on the “24-hour rule” early in the 2024 campaign.

“Winning is hard,” McCorkle said. “Hey, you better enjoy it, but enjoy it quick. … We step on our field Sunday for practice at 4, that’s it. It’s over with. We completely wash it and we’re on to the next.”

Dartmouth’s most recent victory, a 20-17 triumph over Penn, was a game defined by three quarters of dominance from defensive coordinator Don Dobes’ unit — its lone blemish being consecutive second-quarter touchdowns from All-Ivy running back Malachi Hosley.

The Big Green (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) will travel to New Haven, Conn., this Saturday for a noon kickoff against Yale (2-1, 0-1), which is coming off a narrow 23-22 win against Central Connecticut State.

The Bulldogs have won the teams’ two most recent meetings but will take the field this weekend without the quarterback who led them to both of those wins, Nolan Grooms. Dartmouth quarterback Jackson Proctor, meanwhile, will attempt to carry his momentum from the Penn win into this Week 4 clash.

Still unbeaten early in this campaign, McCorkle finds himself using an oft-repeated coaching adage: He wants his players to take it one play at a time.

“You’ve got to win that snap,” the second-year coach said. “(Yale is) talented across the board, every phase, every position — they’ve got dudes. But, like I said, we can’t worry about the play three plays ago; we can’t worry about where we’re going to be in the fourth quarter. We just really have to focus on each play, and you’ve got to be able to adjust as the game goes on.”

Here are a couple storylines to monitor ahead of Saturday’s kickoff:

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Grooms is gone, how does Yale’s Jordan fare? Grooms, Yale’s two-time first-team All-Ivy quarterback and twice the conference’s offensive player of the year, is no longer under center for coach Tony Reno’s squad.

Reno was tight-lipped in the preseason about the team’s starting quarterback, eventually tabbing senior Grant Jordan for the role. Jordan had appeared in just two games in his previous three seasons for the Bulldogs and had never attempted a pass.

Jordan’s starting debut in Yale’s season opener against Holy Cross was short-lived — he completed only two passes before being taken out of the game with an injury following a short scamper. Junior Brogan McCaughey stepped up in Jordan’s stead, completing 32 of 53 passes for 390 yards and a pair of touchdowns in two games against Holy Cross and Cornell.

Despite McCaughey’s play, Jordan returned for Yale’s most recent win, the one-point triumph over Connecticut State, earning the start and completing 16 of 31 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. He also scampered seven times for 51 yards and a rushing score, displaying a dual-threat ability that hasn’t been seen on film before.

After missing Yale’s Ivy opener against Cornell, a 47-23 loss, Jordan is set to play in his first conference game since making a cameo against Brown in 2022. The Big Green shut down Penn’s Aidan Sayin last week; can Dobes’ defense do it again this week?

“They’ve played three different quarterbacks, so they’re all a little bit different,” McCorkle said of scouting Yale’s quarterback room. “(Jordan) does bring a different way of playing, but we’ve got to be prepared for anything.”

Can Dartmouth finally win the turnover battle? The Big Green turned the ball over four times in their 31-24 loss to Yale last season. Addressing media members ahead of the game, McCorkle stressed the importance of winning the turnover battle.

“We continually stress our fundamentals,” McCorkle said.

“(Players are) taught to take care of the ball, to make good decisions, and we’re just going to continue to do that.

“We don’t talk about the past — you just don’t want to put that in the head of anybody. But what we tell guys all the time is, ‘Hey man, do what you’ve been doing, continue to use your fundamentals.’ We’ve got to control the ball; we’ve got to hang on to the ball.”

The Big Green have only forced a single turnover this year, an interception on Fordham’s backup quarterback, Jack Capaldi, in the season opener. (Dartmouth also blocked a field goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown in that victory.) Proctor has turned the ball over twice this year, once against the Rams on an interception and the other on a fumble against Penn.

McCorkle acknowledged that the pair of botched picks are monumental plays that can shift the course of a game, but commended his secondary for moving past it and coming up with timely stops.

The philosophy on turnovers is quite simple at the end of the day, according to McCorkle.

“The turnover margin is critical,” McCorkle said. “The team that wins, the team that loses, you look back at the stats, turnover margin is one of the big parts of it. (Yale) has put up some good numbers offensively. We can’t allow their offense to have extra possessions.”

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