New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Yale beats Dartmouth for first time since 2016
For the first time since 2016, Yale beat Dartmouth on the football field.
In their first home conference game of the year, the Bulldogs stood tall against the Big Green for a 24-21 win on Saturday at Yale Bowl..
Dartmouth (1-3, 0-2 Ivy) has been a force in the Ivy League for several years now, including championships in the 2019 and 2021 seasons. The last time the Big Green started the season 1-3 was in 2011.
With senior quarterback Nick Howard still recovering from last week’s brawl with Penn — a 23-17 loss in double overtime — junior Dylan Cadwallader made his first career start.
Cadwallader made a statement early, with a 36-yard pass to start Dartmouth’s only scoring drive of the first half.
Yale (3-1, 2-0 Ivy) had to “adjust on the fly” from anticipating a rushing quarterback in Howard to finding Cadwallader on the field.
“So we were expecting [Howard],” head coach Tony Reno said after the game. “We made quick adjustments and gave our defensive coaches and our defensive players credit. They did a really nice job.”
The Bulldogs kept the Big Green to just 20 rushing yards, the lowest since 2012.
Yale junior quarterback Nolan Grooms had himself a game, with 19 completions on 22 attempts and 90 rushing yards, including one touchdown. Only Tre Peterson (173) had more rushing yards than Grooms.
It was Grooms who tied the game at seven for the Bulldogs in the second quarter off a five-yard rush. On the next drive, it looked like Dartmouth would make it a 14-7 game, but a fumble was recovered by DB Brandon Benn at the one yard line to keep the score tied.
The momentum quickly shifted in Yale’s favor as they made a yard field goal as time expired in the first half. They went on a
scoring tear in the third quarter with two more touchdowns to make it a 24-7 game.
TROTTING DOWN THE HOME STRETCH
After 45 minutes, the game appeared to be over with the Bulldogs up by 17. During Yale’s 24-point run lasting 24:32, Dartmouth only recorded five first downs.
But in the final few minutes, Dartmouth silenced the Yale Bowl. Two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter tightened the score to 24-21.
In their last three games, opponents have outscored Yale 34-7 in the fourth quarter even though the Bulldogs won each of those games.
“Dartmouth’s a great team, a championship team,” Reno said. “They’re not going to be out of it til the last whistle blows and we’ve got to continue to get better to close games out”
After the second touchdown with time left, Yale picked up the onside kick, but couldn’t convert a first down. Dartmouth had the ball with 36 seconds to go, and
In a collective sigh of relief, linebacker Hamilton Moore picked off the first pass of the drive to end the game.
“They’re trying to get to the sidelines and be out of bounds and stop the clock,” Moore said. “So I just decided to jump out.”
In their final leg of the three-game homestand, the Bulldogs will host Bucknell next weekend (Oct. 15, noon, ESPN+).
“If you don’t get better every week, then you’re not going to get where you want to be,” Reno said. “And that’s really the difference.”