Last week, the Big Green's offense exploded against Butler University in Indianapolis and the team hung on for a 30-23 win on the road. The game, however, was not as close as the score suggests. Dartmouth held a 30-10 lead late into the fourth quarter until a fumble allowed the Bulldogs to get back into the game. After the turnover, Butler scored two touchdowns quickly and came a completed Hail Mary from tying the game in the final seconds.
"I think our coaching staff does a great job of preparing us, and this week they are preaching fundamentals," Dalyn Williams '16 said. "We did a good job of mental assignments. We just need to show up a little better athletically."
Williams and co-captain running back Dominick Pierre '14 starred in an outstanding offensive performance in the game. The offense amassed over 400 yards, Williams alone accounting for 347. Pierre added three touchdowns in the win.
"The game will be fun," co-captain and free safety Garrett Waggoner '13 said. "It'll be a nighttime game, kind of takes you back to the high school Friday Night Lights' atmosphere."
Holy Cross (1-3, 0-0 Patriot) holds the recent advantage, having won seven of their last nine games against Dartmouth, but the Big Green has won two of the past three, including a 13-10 victory last year on a Riley Lyons '15 field goal as time expired.
"We're pretty confident, but we aren't going to take them for granted," Pierre said. "In the end, our main goal is to come out with a win. We're going to need to balance our offense like we did against Butler."
Holy Cross enters the game more dangerous than their 1-3 record suggests. They crushed Central Connecticut State University two weeks ago 52-21, and two of their losses were one-possession games.
Holy Cross fields a balanced offense, averaging 334 yards per game, and is led by a trio of quarterbacks: juniors Steven Elder and Ryan Laughlin and freshman Peter Pujals.
On the year, Holy Cross' rotation of quarterbacks accounted for 752 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions while completing just over 50 percent of their passing. They have combined for 124 yards on 47 carries and two scores.
"They returned some receivers and some other skill position players from last year," Waggoner said. "It was a close fought match last year but just like anyone on our schedule, we're going to play them to the best of our potential every time we step on the field."
Whoever starts for the Crusaders at quarterback will be supported by a solid run game and standout senior wide receiver Mike Fess. Fess and freshman running back Gabe Guild are the two main threats on the Holy Cross offense. Ranked first and second in yards receiving, respectively, Fess has 20 receptions for 239 yards and four scores, while Guild has 10 catches for 158 yards and a score catching the ball out of the backfield to go along with his 108 yards on the ground, tied for second place on the team. Guild leads the team in yards from scrimmage with 266 yards, while Fess is only four yards behind.
Fifth-year senior linebacker Roman SanDoval and senior defensive tackle Gary Acquah lead the defense of Holy Cross. SanDoval leads the team with 31 tackles and has a fumble return for a touchdown.
Shoring up the defensive line is Acquah, who serves the team as captain, along with Fess, and has 25 tackles on the season. Neither SanDoval nor Acquah have registered a sack, or even knocked down the quarterback, though Acquah has two sacks on the year last year.
With the exception of their game against Towson University, the Holy Cross defense has been solid but not opportunistic, registering only five sacks, two interceptions and three recovered fumbles. This should open up the possibility for a mistake-free game, allowing the Dartmouth offense to sustain drives and put points on the board.
Dartmouth's defense might also have the opportunity to force Holy Cross to punt the ball with regularity, as the Holy Cross offense has only converted 23 of their 58 third down opportunities. Stopping the opposing offense has been a recurring theme for the Big Green defense in practice since before last week's game and was a large focus of practices this week.
"[Butler] possessed the ball too long," head coach Buddy Teevens said. "Twelve, 13, 15-play drives, that's just too much. The big thing will be getting ourselves off the field defensively and finishing from an offensive standpoint."
The question of who will start for the Big Green under center is still unanswered, with Teevens maintaining that Williams and senior Alex Park '14, who saw action on only one possession in the win against Butler, are the "1-A" and "1-B" options for the team.
Saturday's game against Holy Cross is the team's last before Ivy League play begins. The team will travel to Philadelphia to take on the University of Pennsylvania, who is looking to win its fourth league title in five years, a feat which has never been accomplished in the history of the Ivy League.
