The dress rehearsal is over -- it's time for the Big Dance.
For the Dartmouth football team, the dance is called the Ivy League One-Step. One wrong step and the Big Green can forget about their fourth consecutive Ivy League Title.
After three non-conference games, Dartmouth (1-3 overall, 0-1 Ivy League) will tango with Yale (1-3 overall, 0-1 Ivy League) this weekend in New Haven, Conn.
"We're playing for the Ivy League Championship every game from here on out," Coach John Lyons said. "There's a lot at stake."
It's certainly not the first time Dartmouth has waltzed to the brink of falling out of the Ivy League chase in the past three years. But never within that time has there been the degree of uncertainty that pervades the Dartmouth football program right now.
Jay Fiedler '94, who played at times last season like he had a red cape tucked under his uniform, has never looked so human. He's completed less than half of his passes on the season and, for the first time in his Dartmouth career, is starting to look flustered on the field.
Fiedler has admitted that he has been trying to force plays that simply aren't there, but unless the rest of the offense can take the pressure off, he'll have no choice but to throw into double coverage with linemen hanging on his ankles.
But Yale's defense is considerably softer than some of the heavy-hitting squads that Dartmouth has faced in past weeks. The Elis are giving up an average of 407 total yards per game and have allowed their opponents 25-plus points in each of their last three games.
Ironically, the team's hopes for an Ivy League title rest not on the shoulders of Fielder but rather in the considerable, if untested, talents of Pete Oberle '96.
A transfer student from Colorado State, Oberle showed the flashy moves that made him the player of the year in Colorado in high school as he rushed for 87 yards in just 14 carries Saturday against the University of New Hampshire.
It was his first real action after he sat out the bulk of the first three games due to a shoulder injury.
"Pete's going to start and he's going to get the ball in his hands a lot," Lyons said.
With Oberle and Chris Umscheid '94, who has been consistent and dependable at fullback all season, behind Fiedler, Dartmouth's backfield is as solid as it has been all year and actually out-gained the highly-touted UNH running game last week.
The Dartmouth defense has been nothing short of fabulous this season. Last week, the stingiest eleven men in the Ivy League gave up just fourteen points to the best offense it will see all year in UNH.
Yale should prove considerably less difficult to contain. The fastest hound in twhe Bulldog's backfield, tailback Keith Price, blew out his knee in the pre-season and forced Yale to switch from an I-Bone offense that relied heavily on the option to a more traditional attack that features more passing.
What makes Yale dangerous is that its offense is finally starting to fall in sync. Last week, the Elis went into the fourth quarter down 27-17 to Holy Cross but ended up winning, 31-27. Quarterback Steve Mills recorded 305 yards of passing and two touchdowns.
"They do a good job with the personnel they have," Lyons said. "They're a very well-coached team and they've been improving every week."
In that way, Yale and Dartmouth are approaching Saturday's game in a very similar way. A loss for either will end any dreams of championship brass that might be in the future.
Start the music, it's time for the dance.
