Dartmouth Football Practice Under Way

By Rick Bender
DARTMOUTH
HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth football team opened camp on Blackman Field the morning of Saturday, Aug. 19 with the first of the preseason practices and two scrimmages the Big Green will conduct before opening their 2023 schedule on Sept. 16 at in-state rival New Hampshire for the Granite Bowl.

Dartmouth will be without the services of Buddy Teevens, the Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach and winningest coach in program history, who continues his recovery from a bicycle accident back in March. Sammy McCorkle, who has served under Teevens for the past 18 years, will act as the interim head coach for the campaign, and he is looking forward to getting the players back on the field in preparation to compete for the program’s 21st Ivy League title.

“You know, we work hard in the offseason as a staff and as players, and getting back on the field is what we’ve worked toward,” McCorkle said on Friday. “We can’t wait to get back out on that field, and it really hits home on the eve of the first practice. We are going out there working to get better every single day. We need to put ourselves in a situation where we can be successful, and the guys continuously talk about what we do every day matters, that it’s important. If we put in the work every day, we can achieve the goals that we are striving for.”

A good portion of the work will focus on improving the offensive output, which after averaging more than 30 points per Ivy League game over the previous three seasons, dropped to just under 20 points a game last year. But the silver lining of suffering through a season of injuries is the experience gained by younger players that advance their on-field development.

Quarterback Nick Howard, a 2021 All-Ivy League First Team selection who has led the team in rushing each of the past two seasons despite being limited at times last fall, returns for a fifth year. He has a pair of capable quarterbacks who can spell him in senior Dylan Cadwallader and junior Jackson Proctor, both of whom demonstrated their skills at times last year. And with the second-leading rusher from 2022 in junior Q Jones back in the fold and four of the five starters on the offensive line, Dartmouth expects to continue to be one of the top running teams in the league.

The receiving corps will provide a boost to the passing game with seniors Paxton Scott, Isaac Boston and Jarmone Sutherland, as well as junior Painter RIchards-Baker providing quality experience at the position. All-Ivy honorable mention Jace Henry gives the Big Green an accomplished tight end as well, giving the quarterbacks numerous targets over the field with which to connect.

Defense has traditionally been a Big Green strength, having allowed fewer points in conference play than any other Ivy team in Ancient Eight history, and four starters return from the unit that ranked 13th nationally in points allowed a year ago. Fifth-year safety Quinten Arello is the anchor of the defense and has not missed a game in his career. Two other fifth-years in defensive end Charles Looes and linebacker Marques White will provide plenty of pressure, while senior Macklin Ayers — who led Ivy players in tackles per game in 2022 — will continue to blanket the field from sideline to sideline. Seniors Cam Maddox and Leonard St. Gourdin, along with sophomore Sean Williams, help make up an exceptional secondary as well.

Following the season opener at UNH, Dartmouth will host Lehigh for its home opener at Memorial Field on Sept. 23 at 1:30 p.m., the first of seven games that will be streamed live on ESPN+ with an eighth to air on ESPNU. Fans can sign up for a subscription to ESPN+ to watch those seven contests, and tickets are available through the Dartmouth Ticket Office.