Recapping Dartmouth
The Bulldogs nearly pulled off a dramatic road win at Dartmouth on Saturday, regaining the lead with 42 seconds to play before a 51-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Big Green to a 17–16 victory.
Team 152 took a 16–14 advantage late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Dante Reno connected with tight end Graham Smith for a touchdown. But Dartmouth was able to move into range for the game-winner on its final drive, converting from 51 yards out after previously missing two field goal attempts.
Despite the result, Yale produced several strong performances on both sides of the ball. Captain Josh Pitsenberger led the offense with 138 rushing yards on 34 carries and 45 receiving yards, while Nico Brown added eight receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Innumidun Ayo-Durojaiye anchored the unit with 13 tackles.
The Bulldogs set the tone early, taking a 3–0 halftime lead on a 41-yard Noah Piper field goal with 7:32 to play in the second quarter. A key defensive stand at the goal line helped preserve that advantage — Yale’s front stopped Dartmouth on four consecutive plays from inside the 2-yard line, capped by Jaylin Tate’s tackle for loss on fourth down.
Yale extended its lead in the third quarter when Ezekiel Larry forced a fumble that Micaiah Shaber recovered on the Dartmouth 6-yard line. On the next play, Reno found Brown in the near corner of the end zone for the Bulldogs’ first touchdown of the day, making it 10–0.
Dartmouth responded in the fourth quarter behind quarterback Grayson Saunier, who rushed for 118 yards and two scores, including a 37-yard run that gave the Big Green a brief 14–10 lead. Reno and Smith’s late touchdown put the Bulldogs back in front, but the home team converted on its final possession to claim the one-point decision.
Yale returns home next weekend to the Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field, to close out non-conference play against Stonehill. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
Players Of The Game
WR Nico Brown, Sr., 6-0, 185, Huntington Beach, Calif., (Edison)
Yale’s leading receiver had another outstanding game making a career-high eight catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. In three games, Brown has 20 catches for 317 yards and four touchdowns.
RB Josh Pitsenberger, Sr., 6-0, 220, Bethesda, Md. (The Avalon School)
The captain had a big day, leading Yale with 138 yards on a career-high 34 carries. He also had four receptions for 45 yards. Pitsenberger has already gained 470 yards rushing this season on 106 carries. He also has six rushing touchdowns.
LB Innumidun Ayo-Durojaiye, Sr., 6-1, 215, Damascus, Md. (Damascus)
The sensational defender 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 and has 43 in his last three games.
DL Ezekiel Larry, Jr., 6-2, 240, Palmdale, Calif. (Sierra Canyon)
Larry caused havoc, picking up two sacks. On one, he forced Dartmouth QB Grayson Saunier to fumble with Yale recovering at the Big Green 6. On the next play, Yale QB Dante Reno hit Brown for a score with just over 4 minutes to play in the third quarter to give Yale a 10-0 lead.
Reno’s Corner
"Credit to Dartmouth for a hard-fought game. 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."
Ivy League Standings
Harvard: 2-0, 4-0
Penn: 1-0, 3-1
Princeton: 1-0, 2-2
Dartmouth: 1-1, 3-1
Yale: 1-1, 2-2
Brown: 0-1, 3-1
Columbia: 0-1, 1-3
Cornell: 0-2, 0-4
In the National Poll
Undefeated Harvard climbed five spots and is now ranked No. 20 in the latest AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
Jaden Craig threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score to lead the Crimson to a 34-10 victory over Cornell on Friday night. Ricardo Lagares Jr. fumbled on Cornell's fifth play from scrimmage and Austin-Jake Guillory scooped up the ball and raced 36 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Craig had a 2-yard touchdown toss to Ben Alvarez at the end of a 13-play 52-yard drive for a 14-0 advantage and Harvard (4-0) took it into halftime.
Brown (8), Dartmouth (8) and Penn (7) also received votes.
Brown quarterback James Murphy passed for 347 yards and a touchdown and Matt Childs had two touchdown runs as Brown rallied to beat Bryant 29-19 on Friday night. Murphy completed 29 of 44 passes with an interception for Brown (3-1). Childs carried 21 times for 92 yards.
Dartmouth (3-1) overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, then after watching Yale regain the lead with 42 seconds to play, rallied to beat the Bulldogs 17-16 on a 51-yard field goal by All-Ivy placekicker Owen Zalc on the game’s final play.
Liam O'Brien threw two touchdown passes to Jared Richardson and also ran for a score to lead Pennsylvania (3-1) to a 28-9 victory over Marist on Friday night. O'Brien completed 26 of 40 passes for 335 yards. Richardson finished with 15 receptions for 190 yards
| Rank |
School (1st votes) |
Rec. |
Pts. |
| 1 |
North Dakota St. (26) |
6-0 |
650 |
| 2 |
South Dakota St. |
6-0 |
621 |
| 3 |
Tarleton St. |
7-0 |
598 |
| 4 |
Montana |
6-0 |
567 |
| 5 |
Montana St. |
5-2 |
525 |
| 6 |
UC Davis |
5-1 |
504 |
| 7 |
Lehigh |
7-0 |
470 |
| 8 |
Tennessee Tech |
6-0 |
465 |
| 9 |
Illinois St. |
4-2 |
431 |
| 10 |
Monmouth (N.J.) |
5-1 |
410 |
| 11 |
North Dakota |
4-2 |
391 |
| 12 |
Southern Illinois |
4-2 |
323 |
| 13 |
Jackson St. |
5-1 |
318 |
| 14 |
Villanova |
4-2 |
289 |
| 15 |
Rhode Island |
5-2 |
267 |
| 16 |
Mercer |
5-1 |
249 |
| 17 |
ACU |
4-3 |
228 |
| 18 |
Lamar |
5-1 |
203 |
| 19 |
Presbyterian |
6-0 |
176 |
| 20 |
Harvard |
4-0 |
145 |
| 21 |
Northern Arizona |
4-3 |
100 |
| 22 |
Southeastern Louisiana |
4-2 |
98 |
| 23 |
West Georgia |
5-2 |
70 |
| 24 |
Austin Peay |
4-3 |
64 |
| 25 |
Youngstown St. |
3-3 |
53 |
Others Receiving Votes: Gardner-Webb, 37; South Dakota, 34; Stephen F. Austin, 34; Lafayette, 28; Western Carolina, 19; North Carolina Central, 14; Idaho, 10; Sacramento St., 10; UT Rio Grande Valley, 10; Brown, 8; Dartmouth, 7; Penn, 7; Alabama St., 5; Central Arkansas, 4; Elon, 3; Furman, 3; East Tennessee St., 1; Eastern Kentucky, 1.
The FCS Playoffs
By John Altavilla
Long before the Ivy League came into existence in 1954, the presidents of the Elite Eight decided the need to preserve the integrity of the educational experience for their student-athletes would mean none of their football programs would be allowed to participate in postseason tournaments.
In fact, in 1945, the group signed what was known then as they Ivy Group Agreement which effectively closed the door on postseason games and tournaments. The idea was to relieve the burden at the end of the semester for student-athletes during finals and to preserve the concept of amateurism in college sports as its primary objective.
Included in the agreement was this belief - players and coaches should be "permitted to enjoy the game as participants in a form of recreational competition rather than as professional performers in public spectacles.”
Over the course of last eight decades, while varsity teams in all the other major sports for women and men, were slowly assimilated into the NCAA playoffs, its football teams were still prohibited from playing for a national championship.
Since 1982, Ivy League football has been classified as an FCS member, separated from the larger colleges and university in the FBS who participate in the major bowls games and compete for a national championship now determined by a 12-team tournament.
The FCS began its championship journey with only four teams but now constructs a 24-team bracket. But the Ivy League has never allowed its champion to compete for the title.
“One of the most common questions I would get from all different constituents, and particularly student-athletes, is why don’t we participate in the FCS playoffs?” Ivy League executive director Robin Harris said in a league press release.
Over the course of the last few years, the student-athletes in the Ivy League had engaged in informal attempts to get the Ivy presidents and athletic directors to change their minds. All those efforts have failed.
But in 2023, during a routine meeting of the conference’s student athlete advisory committee ( SAAC) a Brown softball player, Leah Carey, and Cornell women’s lacrosse player Chloe Maister, among others, began questioning the common sense of the Ivy League not participating in the FCS playoffs.
Yale football player Mason Shipp, who chaired SAAC, decided that 2024 would be a good time for a concerted push to get the Ivy presidents to finally change their minds. So he penned the proposal.
“A fellow member of Ivy SAAC asked me how I felt about not being able to compete in the FCS Playoffs. We had a shared belief that football should have the opportunity to compete,” said Shipp. “What started as a simple conversation led to the decision to go through the official petition process. Enough student-athletes were committed to seeing this through. I felt motivated and optimistic about pursuing this process.”
Shipp said that the fact the Ivy League didn't allow its football teams to the play for a national championship has always been a source of conversation.
“There were always discussions in the locker room about what it would be like to compete in the playoffs,” said Shipp. “Because it was such a far-fetched idea, it did not take over much of my headspace. However, it was always a cool idea that we all had in our heads.”
Josh Pitsenberger, Yale’s current captain, agreed with Shipp.
“It existed in the back of everyone’s mind, but at the end of the day, and we say this all of the time, is that our main focus is on the process (of focusing on the regular season),” said Pitsenberger.
The reality of the situation was such that Yale’s coaching staff, which naturally advocated for the league’s inclusion, had basically thrown their hands up in exasperation.
“The competitive nature of the staff is such that you always wanted to have the opportunity," said Sean McGowan, Yale’s defensive coordinator. A lot of us have spent time in other programs that had the opportunity to chase a national championship. And really, that’s what we wanted for our kids is to have that opportunity.”
However, things were about to change. After a 16-month effort, SAAC formerly petitioned the presidents and in December, the Ivy League Council of Presidents voted to allow its football champion to play for an FCS championship.
“It’s something that’s cool and exciting an new, but the way we operate here is we’re more interested in process over outcome,” said Michael Bennett, Yale’s senior offensive lineman. “I think Coach Reno (head coach Tony Reno) says it every year; you play a bunch of games and you do things right someone hands you a trophy at the end of the year. It doesn’t change anything that we do every week. It doesn’t change the weight of any game we play. If it happens, it happens.”
“It was amazing that Yale, one of the most historic brands in football, again has a chance to add to the great legacy.” said Ayo-Durojaiye.
Vicky Chun, Yale's Thomas A. Beckett Director of Athletics, heaped praise on Shipp and the other members of SAAC (comprised of 17 student-athletes from all eight institutions representing 12 different sports) who were persistent enough to keep pressing forward.
“Since arriving at Yale, I’ve consistently heard from our football student-athletes and coaches about their deep desire to compete on a national stage in the FCS playoffs. I’m incredibly proud of Mason and his fellow Ivy League SAAC representatives for their vision, determination, and persuasive advocacy in advancing this transformative proposal,” said Chun in a statement. “Under Mason’s leadership, the SAAC crafted a thoughtful, compelling case—one that resonated with Ivy League presidents and skillfully moved through the appropriate legislative channels. Their diligence and clarity of purpose made it easy for my colleagues and me to lend our full support.”
Among the many platitudes Reno shares with his players each season is to strive to plant seeds that they will never see grow into trees; leave the program better than it was when they arrived for the benefit of the generations to come.
“That’s something that has always stuck with me,” said Shipp. “ I’ve tried to live by this for my past four years at Yale. It is a great feeling to know that future generations of Ivy League athletes will have the opportunity to compete for a national championship. I am beyond grateful to have been a small part of the process.”
