The season is halfway done and neither of the two Ivy leaders has played in a close game.
Princeton and Dartmouth continued their reigns of terror this weekend with another pair of 30-plus point victories. The Green and the Tigers are two of the four undefeated teams remaining in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Princeton 48, Brown 10
On their alumni weekend Princeton fans were treated to more of the same: dominant football. The Tigers posted 556 total yards including 304 with four touchdowns from quarterback Kevin Davidson in his first collegiate start, filling in for John Lovett. All-Ivy wide-receivers Jesper Horsted and Stephen Carlson combined for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Princeton’s defense held Brown to 3 for 14 on third down attempts. The outcome of this one was never in question.
Penn 13, Columbia 10
Columbia couldn’t get the job done on the road against Penn as fourth-quarter touchdown for the Quakers gave them the edge in a back-and-forth game. The Lions had two chances to regain the lead in the fourth, but turned the ball over on downs on the first drive and threw an interception while trying to get into field goal range with the clock winding down.
With the loss Columbia drops to 0-2 in Ivy play.
Dartmouth 42, Sacred Heart 0
After a decisive win at Yale last week Dartmouth beat up on the non-conference Pioneers at home. Dartmouth dominated the run game with 277 yards to Sacred Heart’s 64. The Green opened up the playbook in the first half to jump to a 35-0 lead. Wildcat quarterback Jared Gerbino threw for two touchdowns while special teams kept a drive alive with a 24-yard fake punt run.
Harvard 33, Holy Cross 31
The Crusaders, who topped Yale in an overtime thriller in week one, seem to have a penchant for the dramatic. Harvard entered the fourth quarter leading comfortably, 30-14, but Holy Cross made things interesting in no time. The Crusaders followed up a 24-yard touchdown run with a two-point conversion and a safety on the next play, cutting the deficit to six. A touchdown gave the Crusaders a slim lead with eight minutes left, but Harvard rallied to score on a field goal as time expired and move on with the narrow win.
Yale 35, Mercer 28
Yale finished out non-conference play with a big win over a respectable Mercer team. Yale scored the first three touchdowns of the game including one on a fumble return. Mercer threatened late in the game but was never able to surmount the early deficit. Yale quarterback Kurt Rawlings threw for 344 yards and four touchdowns while the Bullldogs controlled the run game and took care of the football.