Football has its last game at Schoellkopf this Saturday when it takes on Dartmouth. Both teams are seeking their second win in Ivy play. The Red will also be celebrating its seniors at their final home game.
Dartmouth (2-6, 1-4 Ivy) is coming off of a close 17-14 loss against Princeton last week. The Big Green is the defending Ivy League champion, and was voted as the Ivy preseason favorite this year.
Despite its lofty expectations, the team has not lived up to the hype. After winning its opening game of the season, the Big Green lost its next four before taking its sole Ivy win against Columbia.
Dartmouth has been riddled with injuries all season, which is a main factor in its under performance. Nevertheless, the team is led by Nick Howard. The dual-threat quarterback leads the Big Green in rushing as well with 424 yards.
“He’s a tough one,” said head coach David Archer ’05. “You got to be gap sound, you got to be really physical, you got to collapse [the pocket] on him, you can’t give him any running lanes.”
The Red (4-4, 1-4 Ivy) is coming off of a seven point loss to Penn last Saturday. Though the team dominated in time of possession, two interceptions and two blocked punts made the difference in the 28-21 defeat. Cornell will look to be more careful with the ball against Dartmouth.
“There’s a huge emphasis on giveaways, explosive plays, and being able to make sure we understand who it is we’re supposed to take care of in special teams,” Archer said.
Despite facing two of the top defenses in the country in Princeton and Penn, the Red has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the last two weeks. Facing a more susceptible defense in Dartmouth, Cornell has an opportunity to put together a strong offensive campaign.
“We’re looking to put our complete game together,” Archer said. “We’ve got to take care of the o-line this week — we played 90 plays [last week], the most number of plays I think we played in 15 years.”
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday at Schoellkopf Field.
Prediction: Cornell 21 Dartmouth 17
With a chance to put together a .500 season, Cornell will tighten up its mistakes. With an effective ball control strategy against an injury ravaged Dartmouth squad, the Red will be able to win a close, low-scoring contest.