Dartmouth Notes

The Bulldogs improved to 3-1 on the season after securing a signature Ivy win for Cahill over Dartmouth in a 28-7 contest at The Bowl.

Reno was spectacular once again, connecting with the unstoppable duo of Santiago and Anderson. Dante finished 28 of 37 for 325 passing yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions in his first win over the Big Green. Ball placement was superb, allowing the receivers to haul in ridiculous catches, whether it was Kemp, Santiago, Anderson, or others. HDK hurdled and bowled over defenders en route to 174 rushing yards and a touchdown in a great outing. Adams added another six yards per carry, while Hopping had a few nice plays before suffering an injury. Santiago ranks 12th in the nation in receiving yards despite playing two to three fewer games than every leader above him and had another terrific showing with 13 catches for 147 yards and two TDs. Anderson added another eight catches for 95 yards, continuing a great season thus far. Jones has become another credible threat and hauled in a clutch two-point conversion. The offensive line again showed improvement, opening holes for the backs and picking up blitzes while allowing just one sack. Cahill might have been a bit too daring on two occasions, passing up field goal attempts in hopes of getting more, despite the historical record favoring taking field goals or extra points whenever possible against the Big Green to squeak by. The offense will need to come away with more red-zone points down the road, but overall, it moved the ball at will for much of the game.

Holding Saunier and the Big Green to just seven points, with their lone touchdown coming on a fourth-down play, is another feat for the Bulldogs. Cave had a big performance at end, collapsing the pocket on Saunier early on and stripping him of the ball on a late Dartmouth drive. Tate looked unblockable at times as he took control of the run game. Grant had another standout performance, while Partin had a few nice plays but was also called for a block in the back that brought back a Kamara touchdown. Webster was solid in coverage, but Barkley-Smith and Eastep struggled at times, allowing big plays. Kamara took matters into his own hands, literally deflecting a ball to himself and taking it back for a touchdown that was waved off. Daniyan had his ups and downs, although he made some very impactful plays, while Schmidt appeared to suffer an injury after a tackle. The minor gripes aside, the Bulldogs held the Ivy League’s top returning QB to 156 passing yards and -9 rushing yards. There are still broken coverages and occasional open running lanes, but the improvement has again been evident across the board since Week 2.

Keeney placed two punts inside the red zone and had a long of 51 yards on the day. Piper was perfect on field goal attempts from 43 and 25 yards in clutch moments.