With an explosive first quarter and a career-high 203 receiving yards from wide receiver Drew Estrada ’20, Big Green football trounced Ivy League preseason favorite Yale University by a score of 42-10 on Homecoming weekend, giving head coach Buddy Teevens ’79 his 100th win at the helm of the program and earning Dartmouth the STATS FCS team of the week recognition.
The Big Green hit the ground running on the second play of the first drive, when quarterback Jared Gerbino ’20 found Estrada wide open down the middle of the field for a 75-yard touchdown pass.
Estrada said scoring immediately provided a confidence boost to the entire team.
“It showed that we can go out there and put up points,” he said. “I’m sure it energizes everyone and gets everyone fired up. It was a great way to start the game.”
Later in the first quarter, strong safety Niko Mermigas ’21 made an athletic play to pick off Yale quarterback Kurt Rawlings, securing the Big Green’s first interception of the season.
The Big Green picked up where it left off on the ensuing offensive drive. After Gerbino hit Estrada for a 25-yard gain, Gerbino extended the lead to 14 points with a six-yard touchdown on a quarterback draw.
On the third play of the following Yale drive, Rawlings threw another interception, with safety Quinten Arello ’23 forcing the turnover. Quarterback Derek Kyler ’21 scored on a 12-yard run, and the Big Green led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Dartmouth defense saw captain and first-team All-American Isiah Swann ’20 return to the field for the first time this season. While Swann continues to battle an injury and only played about 25 snaps, head coach Buddy Teevens ’79 said Swann adds value to the team as a mentor and teacher for many of the younger defensive backs.
The Bulldogs found some life early in the second quarter, but two drives stalled in Dartmouth territory, resulting in a 42-yard field goal and a shocking 23-yard missed field goal attempt by Yale kicker Sam Tuckerman.
The Big Green’s first offensive drive of the second half produced a similar result to its initial drive in the first quarter. On the third play of the drive, Gerbino found Estrada for a 61-yard touchdown pass.
Gerbino was not done, as he found tight end Robbie Mangas ’22 for a 58-yard gain. Running back Dakari Falconer ’21 found the end zone from 10 yards out on the next play, recording the Big Green’s sixth touchdown of the afternoon.
Gerbino only had five completions in the game, but he averaged 44.8 yards per completion and finished with 283 all-purpose yards.
Estrada’s five catches for 203 yards marked the fourth game in which a Dartmouth receiver gained more than 200 yards receiving. He fell just 16 yards shy of the school record set by Jack Daly ’84 in 1982.
The Big Green averaged 9.62 yards per play, more than double that of the Bulldogs. The Dartmouth offense ran 45 plays to Yale’s 81 offensive snaps, and the Big Green had little trouble moving the ball against an aggressive Bulldog defense.
Estrada said the Big Green coaches’ game plan prepared the team well for Saturday.
“It just seemed like everything we put on was working, and they really didn’t have an answer for it,” Estrada said.
Yale head coach Tony Reno said Dartmouth outplayed the Bulldogs in every facet of the game.
“They capitalized on mistakes and made plays on both sides of the ball,” Reno said. “Dartmouth’s had a heck of a run here. From 2014 on, Dartmouth’s been the premier team in the league. You have to give credit to coach Teevens and his staff.”
Although Saturday’s victory marked Teevens’ 100th win with his alma mater, he was already looking ahead to the next game.
“It just means I’ve been here a long time,” he said. “Number 101 is more important right now.”
The win moves Dartmouth to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in Ivy League play. One more non-conference matchup remains, as the Big Green will travel to play the Red Foxes of Marist College next Saturday. Following that game, the team will finish its season with five Ivy League opponents, including a game on Nov. 9 at Yankee Stadium in New York City against defending conference champion Princeton University. Next Saturday’s matchup against Marist will kickoff at 12 p.m. from Leonidoff Field in Poughkeepsie, NY.
