Dartmouth Moves Up in the Ivy League

The Big Green’s win this past weekend propelled it into third place in the Ivy League, behind Yale and Harvard. This represents a vast improvement from last season, when Dartmouth had only two wins in the Ivy League, finishing at the bottom of the Ancient Eight. The reason for the team’s success as of late lies in senior quarterback Tom Bennewitz. This past week alone, Bennewitz threw for 339 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for one touchdown later in the game. Bennewitz’s favorite target was fellow senior Brian Evans, who recorded 191 yards and two touchdowns on five catches. But Evans was not the only Big Green wide receiver who had an impressive day on the gridiron. Freshman standout Tim McManus had a notable afternoon, catching two touchdowns for 124 yards.

The Dartmouth defense also was a factor in allowing the Big Green to capture its third win in the Ivy League. Senior defensive end Dan Cook caused problems for Cornell all day, recording nine tackles (five solo), with 2.5 for a loss. In the first quarter, Cook recovered a fumble, and forced another, which led to a Big Green field goal.
The Big Green looks to improve its Ivy League record to 5-2 in upcoming games against Brown and Princeton.

The Unstoppable McLeod and the Yale Bulldogs

Another game, another victory—such has been the story of the Yale Bulldogs’ season. The Elis took another step toward their second straight Ivy League Championship with a hard-fought 17-7 victory against Brown this weekend. Bad weather helped both teams on defense, but nothing could stop star running back Mike McLeod.

McLeod has been breaking Yale football records with little struggle this season. Earlier this year, McLeod set records for career rushing touchdowns and career scoring, and also set the single-game record for rushing. This past weekend, McLeod gained ownership of two new records, setting the Yale mark for career rushing yards—currently at 3,398 yards—and the record for rushing attempts with 761. With his 185 rushing yards and one touchdown on Saturday, McLeod also inched closer to two Ivy League records. McLeod currently has 22 rushing touchdowns this season, which puts him at second all-time to Cornell’s Ed Marinaro, who had 24 rushing touchdowns. McLeod now needs just three touchdowns in his next two games to be a part of Ivy League history.

If the Yale Bulldogs wish to stay undefeated, they must get another strong performance from McLeod, who is currently nursing a leg injury he sustained several weeks ago against Penn. The Elis also need their defense to continue crushing opposing teams; the Yale defense this season has not allowed more than 20 points in a game. This past weekend the defense was able to stop the league’s leading passer, Michael Dougherty. Next up for the Elis: the Princeton Tigers.

The Forgotten Teams in the Ivy League

Yale has been favored to repeat as Ivy League champions, but the Elis are not the only undefeated team in the Ivy League this year. The Harvard Crimson has been successful because of the passing game of Chris Pizzotti and the rushing attack of Cheng Ho.

Together these two have recorded 13 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards. The Harvard defense has also been extraordinary, recording 18 interceptions to date. But the real reason Harvard has succeeded is that it has played smart football, avoiding the sort of costly turnovers that determine games. It has forced 24 turnovers and has turned the ball over only 10 times, putting it at a +14 turnover margin.

Although the Columbia Lions have not had the season they had hoped for, the season has had its highlights. Quarterback Craig Hormann is among the top passers in the league—at 2,062 throwing yards and 10 touchdowns, he trails only Brown quarterback Michael Dougherty. Hormann is also averaging 257.8 yards per game, placing him second in the Ivy League. Teammate Austin Knowlin leads the Ivy League with eight touchdowns, and is currently second for total receiving yards. While Hormann graduates this spring, Knowlin, only a sophomore, promises to be a force in the league for years to come.