Yale vs. Dartmouth
Sat., Oct. 12 – 12 p.m.
Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field
New Haven, Conn.
ESPN+ Video | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Team 151 is back in action at home with their second Ivy tilt of the season as the Dartmouth Big Green roll into New Haven for a midday match up with the Bulldogs. Yale is coming off a thrilling 23-22 victory over Central Connecticut in their home opener last weekend. Kickoff at Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 field is slated for 12 p.m., and the game can be viewed on ESPN+ with Justin Gallanty and Jack Siedlecki on the call.
 
What You Need to Know:

• Yale has claimed the last two meetings against Dartmouth dating back to Oct. 8, 2022. In 2023, the Bulldogs defeated the Big Green in Hanover, 31-24. The victory was Yale's first at Dartmouth since 2010. The Bulldogs had previously lost their last five games at Memorial Field.
• The last meeting at Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field was a 24-21 victory in favor of the Bulldogs in 2022.
• Dartmouth is coming into the game with a 3-0 overall record and picked up its first Ivy win of the season last weekend against Penn, with a 20-17 victory at home.
• It is the first time Dartmouth has started the season with three-straight wins since 2021.
• In Yale's home opening victory over CCSU, quarterback Grant Jordan picked up his first career touchdown pass, while Luke Foster recorded his first career receiving touchdown.
• The Bulldogs are ranked No. 13 in the FCS in 3^rd down conversion with a .478 conversion rate.
• On the defensive end, Abu Kamara is having a productive year, currently ranking third in FCS Football in total tackles (33) and leads the FCS in solo tackles per game (9.3).
• Dartmouth marks the Bulldogs' second Ivy game of the season, and the second of a three-game home stand for preseason favorite to earn a third straight Ivy title.
• Tony Reno, The Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of the Bulldogs who is in his 12th season at the helm, earned his 69th win at Yale last Saturday. He is two wins shy of tying Jack Siedlecki (71) for second in program history for wins by a coach.
• The Bulldogs are coming off a memorable 2023 season. After dropping its first two games – to Holy Cross and Cornell - Yale won seven of its final eight games, including a 23-18 victory over Harvard in the finale that secured an Ivy championship. The Bulldogs, who finished 7-3 overall and 5-2 in Ivy play, shared the crown with Harvard and Dartmouth.
• Yale is the preseason favorite to earn a third straight Ivy title but by a narrow margin. In the official league preseason media poll, the Bulldogs received six of the 16 first-place votes and finished with 114 points, six more than second-place Harvard, which got seven first-place votes. Penn (2 first-place votes, 88 points) is picked third, while Princeton (1 first-place vote) and Dartmouth both had 80 points. Brown (56 points), Cornell (26) and Columbia (24) round out the poll.
• Yale is looking to win three straight Ivy titles for the first time since 1979-81.
• The Bulldogs return four All-Ivy selections from a year ago. Running back Josh Pitsenberger was a second team selection, while offensive lineman Michael Bennett, defensive lineman Alvin Gulley, Jr. and defensive back Sean Guyton were honorable mention selections. Pitsenberger, Gulley, Guyton, kick returner Joey Felton, tight end Ry Yates, and defensive lineman Dylan Yang were named preseason All-Ivy by college football analyst Phil Steele.

History Lessons
Saturday's match up is the 107th all-time meeting between Yale and Dartmouth. The Bulldogs lead the series 56-44-6 which dates back to 1884; a game Yale won 113-0. While Yale won nine-straight against the Big Green from 2003-2011, Dartmouth had won four straight (2012-2015). 
 
Scouting Dartmouth

• The Big Green enters Saturday undefeated on the season with a 3-0 overall record and are 1-0 in Ivy play. It is the first time since 2021 that Dartmouth has had three-straight victories to open the season. They were voted to finish fourth in the 2024 Ivy League Football Preseason Poll by members of the media.
• In their last game, Dartmouth defeated Penn in its Ivy opener, 20-17. The Big Green were down 14-10 at the half, and erased the deficit, while restricting the Quakers to just a field goal for the entirety of the second half. Paxton Scott tied a career high with 10 receptions for 75 yards, along with a touchdown. Chris Corbo had a career-high seven receptions for 51 yards and his second touchdown of the season.
• Owen Zalc, who is coming off his second-straight Ivy Special Teams Player of the Week honor, has been a bright spot for Dartmouth. 
• Against Penn in their Ivy opener, Zalc connected on both field goals he attempted — of 42 yards in the second quarter and 39 in the fourth in the Big Green's win. His 39-yarder six seconds into the fourth gave Dartmouth a 20-14 lead and proved to be the difference for their first Ivy win of 2024. This season, he is 6-for-7 on field goals and 9-for-9 on extra points, with his only miss being a 50-yarder.

 
Looking Ahead
Yale wraps its three-game stint at home on Saturday, Oct. 19 when they welcome Lehigh to the Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field. Kick-off is slated for noontime from New Haven.