Author: Moderator

Dartmouth Preview

Yale travels to Hanover, NH to take on the Dartmouth Big Green on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 PM and the game will air on ESPN+.

Dartmouth enters the contest with a record of 2-1 (1-0 Ivy) following an overtime win over Penn last weekend in Philadelphia. New Hampshire prevailed over Dartmouth in the Big Green’s opening game 24-7, but Dartmouth trounced Lehigh the following week 34-17. Dartmouth is 2-0 since Teevens’ death on the 19^th and will be fired up for the first Ivy home game in Hanover since his passing.

Dartmouth utilizes two senior quarterbacks, Nick Howard (6’2″, 225 lbs.) and Dylan Cadwallader (6’2″, 190 lbs.), to lead its offensive attack. Howard is a bruising runner that can gain yardage up the middle or surprise a defense with his arm occasionally. Howard averages 4.2 yards per carry and has completed 46.7% of his passes for 94 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Cadwallader is the primary passer and has played well completing 66.0% of his passes for 308 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Junior RB Q Jones (5’11”, 195 lbs.) is 2^nd on the team in rushing yards behind Howard and is averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Sophomore RB DJ Crowther (5’11”, 205 lbs.) is another talented back for the Big Green who had some nice runs over the last two weeks. Dartmouth’s offensive line averages 288.0 lbs. across the board and is an experienced unit with 4 returning starters from a year ago, although only 3 of those returning starters appeared against Penn a week ago. The Big Green have been exceptional at pass blocking only allowing a single sack on the season and did not allow a sack last week versus Penn. Senior WR Paxton Scott (6’1″, 200 lbs.) is one of the top wideouts in the Ivy League and leads Dartmouth in reception yards with 165. Senior TE Jace Henry (6’4″, 270 lbs.) is massive for his position and earned Honorable Mention All-Ivy a year ago. Dartmouth has a varied attack with runs up the middle with Howard, jet sweeps, throws to the tailback and deep shots. Given the possibility of rain on Saturday, this seems to be a matchup that will depend on controlling the line of scrimmage and staying disciplined in the secondary to avoid the big plays.

Dartmouth’s defense is led by senior LB Macklin Ayers (6’3″, 235 lbs.) who has racked up 21 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. Junior OLB Braden Mullen (6’3″, 240 lbs.) leads the Big Green in sacks with 3.5 and tries to put punishing hits on opposing quarterbacks. Dartmouth’s defensive line performed very well against Penn limiting the Quakers to just 11 yards on the afternoon. Penn’s offensive line struggled to contain Dartmouth’s pass rush allowing 3 sacks. New Hampshire has been the only opponent that could really create rushing lanes against Dartmouth so far this season. Junior DT Josiah Green (6’0”, 265 lbs.) is stout at the point of attack and an excellent pass rusher. Senior DL Hank Knez (6’4”, 290 lbs.) has been the most productive defensive linemen with 12 tackles and half a tackle for a loss through 3 games. Yale matches up well against Dartmouth’s secondary, although this advantage could be neutralized by the weather. Senior S Quinten Arello (6’1”, 210 lbs.) was a 2^nd Team All-Ivy performer a year ago and fellow senior S Leonard St. Gourdin (6’3”, 205 lbs.) leads the team in pass breakups with 3. Yale will need to find a way to get the ground game moving against a stiff front seven. The Big Green have a fast-flowing defense that is great against screens and short outside throws, so capitalizing on medium to long passing plays when possible will be paramount.

Freshman K Owen Zalc (5’10”, 160 lbs.) is 5 of 7 on field goal attempts and nailed the game winner over Penn a week ago in OT. Junior P Davis Golick (6’1”, 210 lbs.) is averaging 37.1 yards per punt with a season long of 49 yards. Dartmouth blocked a punt against Penn, so our punt protection team could face their toughest task of the season.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Big Green!

Morgan State Notes

The Bulldogs earned their first win of the season knocking off the Morgan State Bears 45-3 on Saturday at the Bowl. Yale improved to 1-2 on the season and gained much needed momentum heading into a tough contest at Dartmouth.

The first quarter was a rough one for the Yale offense as the traditional rushing attack was stymied and the Bulldogs were forced to rely on carries by Grooms to move the ball downfield. Yale was able to get into the redzone on its first possession before the drive stalled and the field goal attempt was blocked. The Bears stuffed the Bulldogs on their second offensive possession and then strip sacked Grooms on the Bulldogs’ third possession. Given the final score of the contest, it’s hard to imagine that this was a tight 0-0 contest heading into the second quarter. On Yale’s first possession of the second quarter, two long runs from Grooms moved Yale into the redzone again but the Bulldogs were unable to punch it into the endzone and were forced to settle for a field goal after a false start moved them back from the 1-yard line. Everything seemed to click for the Yale offense from that point as Grooms threw a beautiful 31-yard touchdown pass to Tipton and later drove 66 yards in 6 plays to go up 17-3 at the half. Morgan State had no answers for Yale in the second half as Grooms found Tipton open for a 33-yard passing score and never looked back adding an additional two offensive scores for five total offensive touchdowns on the day. Grooms was magnificent in the contest finishing 29 of 38 on passing attempts for 363 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. Our fearless QB was also the leading rusher with 9 carries for a whopping 87 yards or 9.7 yards per carry. Peterson and Alston had limited productivity once again combining for just 34 yards on 14 carries. The offensive line struggled to open rushing lanes for much of the contest but were solid in pass blocking only allowing a single sack. Tipton had a magical day with 9 receptions for 136 yards receiving with 2 touchdowns. Lindley and Felton both had huge days combining for another 12 catches and two touchdowns. The offensive staff did a great job with the play calling in the 2nd quarter and beyond to keep Morgan State off balance. Grooms spread the ball around with Hawes, Yates, Shipp, Alston and Peterson in the mix in the passing game.

The defense finally put together a performance to be proud of. There was yet another new starting defensive lineup with Shaber now starting alongside Gulley at DT and Patterson and McDonough at DEs. Patterson was a problem for Morgan State all day and was far more impactful than his 2 tackles and a sack on the stat sheet would indicate. Larry had the best contest of his career at Yale also adding a sack. Baker started at LB alongside Vaughn and Moore. Moore bounced back with a solid performance highlighted by an interception. Vaughn also intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown to cap off the scoring for the afternoon. The secondary lineup remained the same as last week with Owens and Webster at CBs and Tarver and Daniyan at safeties. There are still cracks in the pass defense, but the tackling has improved and the blatant mental mistakes have decreased. Freshman Abu Kamara was very impressive displaying rare speed and explosiveness when tested at safety. Morgan State was limited to just 2.4 yards per carry and their quarterbacks combined for a 50% completion ratio with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The defense really stepped up on 3^rd and 4^th downs as Morgan State was just 5 of 17 on 3^rd downs and 0 of 2 on 4^th downs. This was a great step forward for the defense as Dartmouth will be challenging to contain in Hanover.

Bosman was 1 of 2 on field goal attempts, but in his defense, the snap on the blocked field goal was high and altered his rhythm. He had a great day punting the ball averaging 42.0 yards per punt.

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Yale 45 Morgan State 3

Game Week

Morgan State Preview

The Morgan State Bears travel to the Bowl on Saturday for a showdown versus the Bulldogs. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPN+. Weather could play a factor once again with a 45% chance of precipitation at noon with winds of 13 mph.

Morgan State is a public historically black university located in Baltimore, MD. The Bears enter the contest with a record of 1-3 as they have battled through a brutal early season schedule. In Week 1, Morgan State defeated a solid Richmond squad and nearly knocked off an FBS opponent in the University of Akron in Week 2. Towson has been the only squad that distanced itself from Morgan State defeating the Bears by 10 points in Week 3. Last week, Morgan State lost in double overtime to the University of Albany, another talented squad that crushed Fordham and kept contests versus Marshall and Hawaii close.

Sophomore QB Dominique Anthony (6’1″, 213 lbs.) has seen the most snaps for the Bears’ offense completing 47.6% of his passes for 276 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Senior QB Carson Baker (6’3″, 205 lbs.) was a prior starter at San Diego State and started 7 contests last season for Morgan State yet did not start the past two contests. Junior QB Duce Taylor (6’1″, 180 lbs.) started in the Towson game but was sidelined in favor of Anthony last week. All three QBs have struggled as they have combined for under a 50% completion rate and have thrown 6 interceptions to only 4 touchdowns this season. Junior RB JJ Davis (5’9″, 172 lbs.) is an explosive back who began his career at Cincinnati before transferring to Norfolk State and Morgan State. At Norfolk State, Davis was a 1^st Team All-MEAC selection and led the nation in yards per carry with 7.2. Senior RB Jabriel Johnson (5’9″, 205 lbs.) offers a bit more power than Davis and is the only running back to score a rushing touchdown in four contests. Morgan State’s favorite target has been senior WR Treveyon Scott (6’2″, 195 lbs.) who is averaging an astounding 13.3 yards per reception. The offensive line for the Bears is not as experienced as the lines we faced from Holy Cross and Cornell returning two starters from a year ago in senior Dexter Carr Jr. (6’3″, 315 lbs.) and junior Treyvon Branch (6’3″, 290 lbs.). The Bears average 293.0 lbs. across the front and paved the way for just 2.3 yards per carry while allowing 10 sacks. Sophomore TE Matt Lowe (6’5″, 255 lbs.) is a large target with an FCS pedigree transferring from Fresno State after the 2020 season. The Bears will pose challenges for the Bulldogs this week particularly with their talented skill positions, but Yale will need to find solutions for their defensive woes before heading into the do-or-die Ivy schedule.

Morgan State’s defense has performed very well limiting all opponents to under 24 points per game. Opponents have struggled on 3^rd downs converting on just 33.9% of attempts and the Bears are stingy in the redzone as teams have scored touchdowns on only 5 of 11 drives inside of the 20-yard line. Running the ball versus the Bears could be a challenge as they have limited rushers to 2.7 yards per carry. Morgan State’s pass defense has allowed completions on 63.1% of throws for an average of 6.1 yards per attempt. Junior LB Erick Hunter (6’4″, 210 lbs.) has been the most productive defender with 35 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Hunter’s fellow LB, senior Lawrence Richardson (6’1″, 215 lbs.), led the team in tackles a year ago and was named 1^st Team All-MEAC in various preseason publications. Senior S Jordan Toles (6’1″, 209 lbs.) played at LSU for the first two years of his collegiate career and is a ballhawk that Grooms will have to take notice of as he has racked up 3 interceptions on the season. Senior CB Jae’Veyon Morton (5’9″, 180 lbs.) is a polished defensive back who garnered 1^st Team All-MEAC recognition a year ago, originally transferring from Iowa State. Junior DL Elijah Williams (6’3″, 270 lbs.) is the leader of the defensive line and has performed well with 17 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks in four contests. Former Wilber Cross athlete and New Haven local, senior OLB/DE Noah Washington (6’5″, 275 lbs.), transferred from Central Connecticut and has posted 13 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries and a pass breakup. Overall, Morgan State’s defensive line and linebackers are on par with the units we faced last week versus Cornell, however, they do feature more talent in the secondary than the Big Red.

Freshman P Shane Messenger (6’0″, 200 lbs.) has averaged below 40.0 yards per punt for 3 weeks straight including a poor 27.6 yards per punt average a week ago. Junior Beckett Leary (6’3″, 215 lbs.) is 3 for 4 on field goal attempts with a long of 38 yards.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Bears!

Cornell Notes

The Bulldogs fell to the Big Red on Saturday in a disappointing 21-23 contest to open the Ivy season. Yale is now 0-2 heading into another tough game versus Morgan State.

While the poor weather conditions were a factor, the offense never quite found the consistency needed to secure a win. The offensive line was unable to control the linebackers in the run game and struggled against the blitzes and stunts in pass blocking. There were flashes of Grooms’ dominance, but Cornell was able to neutralize him as he finished with just 129 passing yards (38.9% completion rate), 76 rushing yards, 2 passing TDs, and an interception. Much of the blame lies with the offensive coaching staff who have failed to put Grooms in good positions on short and medium passing plays. Far too often the offense fell into the stale rhythm of seasons past with short runs up the middle and low probability shots downfield to stall drives. The running back duo of Peterson and Alston did not find much success against a stingy front seven of Cornell. Pitsenberger was sorely missed in the running game as was Pantelis in the passing game. Tipton and Nenad made the most out of their targets each with a long touchdown reception. The Grooms to Tipton touchdown on 4th and 20 was a phenomenal play that will be overshadowed by the loss. The offense still has the pieces in place to succeed but the mental mistakes and poor play calling need to be cleaned up with haste.

The starting defensive line was shuffled with Jordan and Gulley at defensive tackles and Patterson and McDonough at ends. The defense had a strong showing on the first drive capped off by a nice stop by McDonough on 3^rd down. Cornell was able to expose cracks in the defense on the second drive as they marched downfield methodically before a jarring hit from Vaughn forced a fumble that Yale recovered. Patterson played well but no other defensive lineman has become an every-down nuisance for opponents. Egodogbare appeared to be suited up on the sidelines, so hopefully his return can be expected at some point this season. Vaughn led in tackles with 12 and was a bright spot for the defense. Moore has had a rough start to a season in which he was expected to dominate. Baker made a few nice plays splitting time with Ayo-Durojaiye. The secondary was picked apart once again and became thinner with an injury to Hickey that left him on crutches. Freshman Brandon Webster filled in for Hickey and was no match for Cornell’s talented wideouts. Guyton or Da’Quan Gonzales would have seemed to be natural replacements for Hickey if healthy. The safety position seemed to be in constant flux with Reno assessing various athletes such as Daniyan, Haaland and Joseph Gonzales in the wake of Benn’s injury in Week 1. Tarver will need to show massive improvement at the other safety slot to build the defense’s confidence. Yale will not win contests with receivers slicing through the secondary and backs cutting through wide rushing lanes. Only two of eleven starters on defense, Patterson and Vaughn, have performed close to expectations thus far into the season.

Bosman missed two critical field goals that could have swayed the contest in Yale’s favor. This was truly a team loss with the offense, defense, and special teams all failing to perform.

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Yale 21 Cornell 23

Game Week

Cornell Preview

The Big Red travel to New Haven to take on the Bulldogs at the Bowl on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPN+. Weather forecasts are predicting rain with 16 mph winds which will certainly play a role in this contest.

Cornell defeated Lehigh in the season opener last week by a score of 23-20. The Big Red posted 401 yards of total offense or 5.6 yards per play and dominated the time of possession holding the ball for over 38 minutes.

Junior QB Jameson Wang (6’1”, 205 lbs.) was an honorable mention All-Ivy player a year ago and was very productive in his first outing of the season completing 20 of 32 passes for 297 yards and 2 TDs. Wang is a true dual-threat quarterback who led the Big Red in rushing yards with 85 yards or 5.0 yards per carry against Lehigh. Cornell utilizes a committee of running backs such as senior RB Drew Powell (6’0”, 219 lbs.) but the stable of five backs only produced an additional 19 yards on top of Wang’s production. The wide receiver position is deep with the explosive sophomore Davon Kiser (5’7”, 153 lbs.) who was a 2nd Team All-Ivy returner a year ago and senior Nicholas Laboy (6’1”, 195 lbs.) who caught a 36-yard TD reception on the Bulldogs a year ago. The offensive line is a cohesive unit comprised entirely of returning starters. The line is very large averaging well over 300 lbs. across the board led by senior T Micah Sahakian (6’6”, 328 lbs.), a captain and honorable mention All-Ivy athlete. Senior TE Matt Robert (6’4”, 241 lbs.) is a dangerous receiving threat who racked up 468 receiving yards a year ago. The Bulldogs played very well defensively against Cornell in 2022 after a rough outing against Holy Cross, so hopefully a repeat is in store. The defensive line will need to step up to generate consistent pressure on Wang who has improved noticeably. Safety coverage and tackling will be as important as ever in this contest.

Cornell’s defense is led by 3-time All-Ivy LB Jake Stebbins (6’0”, 231 lbs.) who has been the cornerstone of the defense for years. The linebacker position is very deep from inside to outside. Senior LB Holt Fletcher (6’4”, 257 lbs.) intercepted Lehigh twice last week and has started since 2021. Senior LB Connor Henderson (6’2”, 232 lbs.) was another honorable mention All-Ivy player in 2022. The Bulldogs match up well against Cornell’s defensive line with the Big Red returning one starter in senior Connor Morgan (6’3”, 279 lbs.). Beyond Stebbins, senior CB Paul Lewis III (6’2”, 212 lbs.) could be the next most talented defender with the size and speed to lock onto receivers. The three other starting defensive backs are all seasoned veterans who didn’t make many mistakes against Lehigh. It’s a very stingy and aggressive defense that will try to pressure grooms with a variety of blitzes. Yale will need to focus on consistency for four quarters and open the playbook to secure a win.

The Big Red had a tremendous day on special teams last week. Senior K/P Jackson Kennedy was 3 for 4 on field goal attempts and averaged 47.7 yards per punt. Davin Kiser demonstrated his elusiveness with 55 yards on 3 punt returns. Cornell blocked a PAT to cap off a solid performance.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Big Red!

Holy Cross Notes

The Bulldogs fell to the Crusaders 24-49 in a disappointing opener in front of roughly 5,000 dedicated fans at the Bowl.

The offense came out firing on all cylinders with big holes paved for Pitsenberger and ample pass protection provided for Grooms to work through the ground or air. The starting offensive line consisted of Amegadjie at LT, Sullivan at LG, Durand at C, Mendoza at RG, and Session at RT. Tipton, Lindley and Shipp started at WRs with Hawes at TE. Notable offensive players we did not see included Alston and Pantelis. The early offensive line play was very encouraging with the Bulldogs getting great movement against the Crusaders’ front. Peterson racked up 95 yards on 17 carries while Grooms and Pitsenberger added another 68 and 36 rushing yards respectively. Grooms finished 12 of 17 for 112 yards and a TD in the passing game. The offense was fairly crisp in the first half and if it weren’t for an illegal man downfield penalty, could have put the Bulldogs into position to be tied with the Crusaders heading into halftime. The second half was a different story for the offense as mental mistakes piled up and Holy Cross’ superior conditioning became evident. The ground attack stagnated with defenders running free into the backfield and Grooms made mistakes under pressure. The pieces are in place for a high level of offensive success this season, but the errors will need to be cleaned up in a hurry heading into league play.

While the offense showed its promise early on, the defense struggled from the very first snap with Coker catching a 37-yard bomb from Sluka. Holy Cross moved the ball at will as Yale failed to control the line, set the edges, cover wideouts or wrap up ball carriers. The starting defensive ends, Larry and McDonough, combined for only 3 tackles and aside from the occasional pressure from Patterson, the defensive line was ineffective in closing gaps and rushing the passer. Safety was an area of concern heading into the season and has become even more worrisome following the loss. Benn started alongside sophomore Josh Tarver and the duo struggled mightily against the talented Crusaders. Benn was injured and sported a sling on the sideline as freshman Osize Daniyan filled in for a rude awakening in his first collegiate snaps. Owens and Hickey started at the corner positions and did not play up to their expectations, appearing to be a step out of position on passing plays and did not display their typical physicality. Growing pains were expected for the defensive line and secondary, yet the linebackers had no excuse for the poor play. Vaughn led in tackles with 10 although many tackles were downfield. Moore and Ayo-Durojaiye were bullied by Holy Cross’ line as they failed to shed blocks, missed tackles, and were effortlessly dragged for additional yardage. Shoring up the defense is the main priority this week when the Big Red come to town.

Bosman had a nice day averaging 47 yards per punt and was perfect on his 3 PATs as well as his single field goal attempt from 29 yards out.

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Yale 24 Holy Cross 49

Holy Cross Preview

The #5 ranked Holy Cross Crusaders visit the Bowl on Saturday in Yale’s season opener. Kickoff is set for noon and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Expect windy conditions with gusts up to 25 miles per hour.

Holy Cross enters the contest with a 1-1 record after falling to Boston College by 3 points in a thrilling contest that came down to Holy Cross’ final offensive possession. Holy Cross dominated Merrimack in their season opening victory 42-20.

Back in control of the offense is senior QB Matthew Sluka (6’3”, 216 lbs.) who has terrorized teams on the ground and through the air over the years. Sluka posted 131 rushing yards with 2 rushing touchdowns and 130 passing yards (66.7% completion percentage) against an FBS opponent this past weekend. The Yale defense has possibly its toughest test of the season squaring off against a top FCS quarterback with a deep veteran core. Junior RB Jordan Fuller (6’0”, 231 lbs.) is a load to bring down with surprising speed. Fuller put together two tremendous performances to start the season with 120 rushing yards and 5 TDs in the win over Merrimack followed by 109 rushing yards and 2 TDs in the loss to BC. 1st Team All-Patriot League WR Jalen Coker (6’3”, 213 lbs.) is back and off to a hot start with 21.0 yards per reception. As talented as the skill position players are for the Crusaders, the offensive line could be the strength of the team. All starting offensive linemen have prior starting experience in 2022 or prior and 4 of 5 have garnered All-Patriot League honors. Senior LT Luke Newman (6,4”, 310 lbs.) could be the best of the bunch and was named 1st Team All-American by several publications. The Crusaders had no trouble opening holes against Boston College and will really test our defensive ends. Senior TE Sean Morris (6’4, 250 lb.) is yet another option for Sluka and hauled in a 20-yard grab against the Elis a year ago.

Holy Cross has a disciplined defense headlined by LB Jacob Dobbs (6’0”, 237 lbs.) who has racked up 36 tackles in 2 games and was named a preseason All-American. Junior LB Frankie Monte (6’0”, 233 lbs.) started 8 contests a year ago and forms a formidable corps with Dobbs. Senior CB Devin Haskins (6’3”, 209 lbs.) is the star of the secondary for Holy Cross as another All-American candidate and posted 8 tackles last week versus BC. Another large CB for the Crusaders is senior Terrence Spence (6’2”, 200 lbs.) who had an interception versus the Bulldogs last season and had an impactful day against the Eagles with 5 tackles, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble. The safety position is relatively inexperienced for Holy Cross with freshman Stu Smith (6’1”, 198 lbs.) starting and junior Jake Jarmolowich (6’2”, 200 lbs.) returning with just a single start in 2022. The Crusaders’ defensive line could be the weakest unit for the squad with only one full-time starter returning from a year ago in senior DT Dillon Springer (6’2”, 281 lbs.). Besides Springer, senior DL Brian Vaganek (6’4”, 263 lbs.) started just one game due to injury in 2022 and the other starters are a freshman and a sophomore with no prior collegiate experience. This presents a favorable matchup for our offensive line, particularly the interior of the offensive line, as Grooms adjusts to a new center and the line makes early season adjustments. Given the overwhelming talent on the offensive side of the ball for Holy Cross, the Bulldogs will need to score quickly and often to stay in the hunt for a victory. Controlling the line of scrimmage and getting blockers on Dobbs need to be the focal points of our preparation.

Sophomore K Luis Palenzuela (6’0”, 201 lbs.) has been perfect on 10 PATs but has yet to attempt a field goal this season. Senior P Patrick Haughney has started since 2020 and has averaged 40.8 yards per punt over his career.

Go Bulldogs!