The chase for the Ancient Eight crown is on, as half the teams in the league played their first conference game this past weekend. Harvard lived up to preseason expectations by putting an end to Brown’s nine-game winning streak, but there are many games and more twists and turns left in this young season.
Harvard 38, Brown 21
Senior running back Clifton Dawson was the star for the Crimson as Harvard topped Brown, the 2005 Ivy League champions, in Providence, R.I., on Saturday. Dawson, who needs to average 92 yards per game for the rest of the season to surpass Ed Marinaro’s ’72 conference record for career rushing yards of 4,715, trampled the Bears for 181 yards on 25 carries, scoring three touchdowns in the 38-21 win. The performance earned him Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors and vaulted the Crimson to the top of the league standings in the early going.
[img_assist|nid=18557|title=Out of reach|desc=Yale running back Mike McLeod breaks a tackle during the Bulldogs’ 21-9 victory over the Red at Schoellkopf Field this past Saturday. (Robert Bonow / Sun Photo Editor)|link=popup|align=right|width=85|height=100]
UNH 56, Dartmouth 21
A crowd of 7,000 and a brand-new stadium weren’t enough of a home-field advantage to propel the Green past the No. 1 team in Division I-AA football. Dartmouth fell to UNH, 56-14, in Hanover, N.H., on Saturday, as the intrastate rivals met in the Granite Bowl. UNH receiver David Ball caught two touchdown passes to bring his career total to 50 — tying the record set by Jerry Rice. After falling behind, 35-0, by halftime, the Green got on the board with two touchdowns from wide receiver Ryan Fuselier.
Columbia 23, Georgetown 21
A year ago the Lions finished last in the Ivy League standings, posting only one victory during the 2005 season. New head coach Norries Wilson has already exceeded last year’s performance, as the Lions beat Georgetown, 23-21, on the road Saturday. Columbia built a 20-0 margin by the third quarter, led by quarterback Craig Hormann, who threw for 158 yards and a touchdown against the Hoyas. The Lions also leaned on Jon Rocholl, who pulled double duty as kicker and punter and delivered with a 3-for-3 field goal performance and a 63-yard punt, earning Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week accolades. Linebacker Andy Shalbrack also picked up the Rookie of the Week award after making a team-high 11 tackles in the win.
Princeton 26, Lafayette 14
The Tigers continued to shred the competition from the Patriot League, defeating Lafayette, 26-14, in Princeton, N.J., on Saturday night. Quarterback Jeff Terrell finished the game with 261 passing yards and threw three touchdown passes. Cornerback J.J. Artis emerged as a late-game hero after nabbing two interceptions in the fourth quarter — including one in the end zone — to secure the victory and earn Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Villanova 27, Penn 20
For the second year in a row, Villanova asserted its dominance against city rival Penn, holding off a late charge by the Quakers to earn the 27-20 victory. Penn stood on the Villanova 10-yard line with 21 seconds remaining, and a rush from Bryan Walker put the Quakers seven yards out of the end zone with nine seconds left. However, two incomplete passes later, the Wildcats walked off the field with the win. All of the game’s scoring came in the first half, as the Quakers scored touchdowns when Gregory Ambrogi returned a punt 60 yards, a second when running back Joe Sandberg threw a 26-yard pass to Kelms Amoo-Achampong in the end zone, and a third when Sandberg unleashed a 74-yard scramble.
