Dartmouth at Yale
Sat., Oct. 8 – Noon
Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field
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Yale Game Notes | Dartmouth Game Notes
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – It's back to Ivy League play for the Yale football team this week. The Bulldogs host Dartmouth on Saturday at noon at Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field.
 
The two programs have been among the most successful in the league in recent years. Since 2017, Yale is 20-9 in Ivy games, while the Big Green has posted a 23-6 mark during that stretch. The Bulldogs won an outright Ivy title in 2017 and shared the championship with Dartmouth in 2019. The Big Green also shared the 2021 crown with Princeton.
 
It will be a special day at the Bowl as the Bulldogs will don special commemorative uniforms, modeled after those worn by Walter Camp, an 1880 Yale graduate who is considered the father of American football.
 
For the commemorative uniforms, the details are meticulous. The jerseys are cream colored, the same as Yale's famed varsity sweater, and Walter Camp's rules of football from his famous 1893 book are written in the jersey numbers. The helmets and pants are traditional Yale Blue. The helmets also feature a cream Y with Heisman Trophies on each side, honoring Yale's two Heisman winners – Larry Kelley '37 and Clint Frank '38. The two classic Yale stripes on the helmet list the last name of every Yale football captain since 1872.
 
Yale (2-1, 1-0 Ivy) has won two straight games, including a 34-26 victory over Howard last Saturday at the Bowl.  The Bulldogs rushed for 366 yards. Tre Peterson led the way on the ground with 144 yards on 12 carries. Quarterback Nolan Grooms added 130 yards on 16 carries, and first year Joshua Pitsenberger had 87 yards on nine carries. All three were the recipients of some outstanding blocking from Yale's talented and experienced offensive line.
 
Defensively, Yale picked off Howard quarterback Quinton Williams twice and both were big momentum swings. Dathan Hickey made a terrific play on the sideline to intercept Williams and Hamilton Moore got in the way of a screen pass to force a turnover.
 
Moore finished with 12 tackles in addition to his first career interception to lead the defense. Wande Owens and Miles Oldacre each added seven. The Bulldogs also got sacks from Joseph Vaughn, Reid Nickerson and Adam Raine.
 
Through three games Yale is averaging more than 400 yards of total offense per game. The Bulldogs also have been getting strong play from both lines. Yale has 13 sacks in three games and has allowed just one sack.
 
SCOUTING DARTMOUTH
 
The Big Green (1-2, 0-1 Ivy) has lost its last two games, both in overtime – 38-31 at Sacred Heart and 23-17 at home to Penn in double overtime. Dartmouth had a lead in the fourth quarter in both games. Penn's Graham Gotlieb booted a 35-yard field goal on the final play of the fourth quarter last Friday, and Sacred Heart forced overtime by scoring a touchdown with under two minutes left in the fourth.
 
The Big Green is averaging nearly 300 yards per game rushing and is led by quarterback Nick Howard, who has 351 rushing yards on the season and has scored six touchdowns. Howard has completed 58 percent of his passes and thrown for 283 yards. Nine different receivers have caught passes for Dartmouth. Jamal Cooney and Paxton Scott lead the way with five receptions apiece.
 
Defensively, Macklin Ayers has a team-high 35 tackles, including 13 solo stops. Tryon Herring has 24 tackles and an interception. The Big Green has seven sacks in three games.
 
Dartmouth earned a share of the Ivy League title last fall, finishing 9-1 overall and 6-1 in Ivy play.
 
HISTORY LESSONS
 
Saturday's matchup is the 105th all-time meeting between Yale and Dartmouth. The Bulldogs lead the series 54-44-6 which dates back to 1884; a game the Elis won 113-0. While Yale won nine-straight against the Big Green from 2003-2011, Dartmouth has won four straight and eight of the past nine. Yale's last win against Dartmouth was in 2016.