HANOVER, N.H. – Yale football suffered its second-straight loss Saturday afternoon, falling to Ivy League rival Dartmouth, 17–16, on a last-second field goal by Big Green kicker Owen Zalc.

The loss drops the Bulldogs to 2–2 (1–1 Ivy) on the season, while Dartmouth improves to 3–1 (1–1 Ivy).

Key Players

• Nico Brown recorded a season-high eight catches for 113 yards and a touchdown.
• Josh Pitsenberger carried the ball a season-high 34 times for 138 yards.

Key Moments

• After a Dartmouth touchdown was overturned on review late in the first half, the Yale defense made a goal-line stand, stopping the Big Green on four straight plays inside the five-yard line to preserve a 3–0 lead at halftime.
• Trailing 14–10 with 4:13 remaining in the fourth quarter, Dante Reno and Pitsenberger led the Bulldogs on a 13-play, 70-yard drive, capped by a four-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Graham Smith with 37 seconds left, giving Yale a 16–14 advantage.

Game Notes

• Smith's touchdown was the first of his collegiate career.
• Brown has scored a touchdown in every game he has played this season.
• Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye posted his fourth double-digit tackle game of the year—and his third straight with 13 or more. He currently ranks in the FCS top five with 13.25 tackles per game.
• Ezekiel Larry notched his first multi-sack performance since recording three against Harvard in the 2023 season finale.
• Abu Kamara tallied a season-high 12 total tackles.
• Aidan Stephens set a career high with three receptions.
• Reese Keeney placed two punts inside the 20-yard line.
• Yale held possession for 30:04 to Dartmouth's 29:56—the Bulldogs' smallest time-of-possession margin since matching that figure against Morgan State on Sept. 30, 2023.
• The Bulldogs converted 10 of 16 third downs, their best single-game rate of the season.

Hear From Coach Reno

"Credit to Dartmouth for a hard-fought game," said Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of Football. "We'll regroup, learn from this, and get better. I'm proud of our guys for their energy, grit, and toughness. There are things we need to improve on, and we will."

Up Next

The Bulldogs return home to conclude non-conference play against Stonehill on Oct. 18 at noon, kicking off a three-game homestand.