Dartmouth no match for Football

The faces have changed, but the results are the same.

This was supposed to be the year that Penn football lost its stranglehold on the Ivy League, but the Quakers (3-0, 1-0) thrashed Dartmouth, 49-14, at Franklin Field on Saturday to record their third victory in as many games.

After losing close contests against Colgate and New Hampshire, the Big Green (0-3, 0-1) were not even competitive this week.

The game did not begin, however, as the final score might suggest.

Penn quarterback Mike Mitchell (32 for 43, 428 yards) engineered two long drives early on, but each ended with an interception by Dartmouth free safety Clayton Smith in the endzone.

The first ball was tipped by linebacker Lyle Campbell, and fell right into Smith's hands with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter.

Less than eight minutes later, Smith victimized Mitchell again, this time in the west endzone.

"We drove the ball right down the field," Mitchell said. "Everyone was making plays and we were clicking, but I just made some bad reads and bad throws.

"I thought it was important that we come back from those two interceptions, stay focused, and stay with the game plan."

The senior from Orlando, Fla., would have his chance to rebound, but not before Penn's defense stepped forward to make a big play first.

With 11:44 left to play in the second quarter, Penn safety Vince Alexander slipped in front of his receiver to pick off Dartmouth quarterback Brian Mann.

Alexander returned it 42 yards down the right sideline, untouched, for a touchdown and the game's first score.

"We were faking an outside blitz, so I think the quarterback thought he'd have the flat open," Alexander said. "But I didn't blitz and dropped right into his passing lane, and it kind of just fell into my lap."

Penn coach Al Bagnoli emphasized how crucial the interception was, particularly after Mitchell had thrown two himself.

"I thought it was huge," Bagnoli said. "We got down there twice in the red zone and [didn't convert] and, obviously, the longer you keep the underdog in the game, the harder it's going to be.

"And so for us to get on the scoreboard first and to do it via defensive touchdown was huge. Vince is having a terrific year."

The Quakers' offense then put it all together in its subsequent possessions.

Mitchell tossed a six-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Castles to cap a 13-play, 80-yard drive and a three-yard strike to Rob Milanese to send Penn into the locker room with a commanding 21-0 lead.

Momentum shifted somewhat when, for the second consecutive week, Penn's Josh Appell had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown, trimming the lead to 21-7.

The Big Green had the chance to do some more damage shortly thereafter, but failed to convert a fourth-down play from the Penn 30-yard line.

The Quakers' offensive unit quickly responded with a nine-play, 70-yard drive for a touchdown.

At the start of the fourth quarter, with the Red and Blue comfortably ahead, Penn strayed from its trend of long, sustained drives when Mitchell hit Milanese in stride down the left sideline for an 82-yard touchdown to make it 42-14.

Mitchell would have had enough time in the pocket to first diagram the play before throwing the ball, and he credited the offensive line's terrific effort after the game.

"When the offensive line's blocking like that, giving you all kinds of time, and the receivers are cutting their routes and getting open, it makes my job a heck of a lot easier," Mitchell said.

The defensive drama of the second half came when Penn senior captain and linebacker Travis Belden recovered a Dartmouth fumble and returned it to the Big Green's 11-yard line.

Belden, who has stated that his ultimate goal is to score a touchdown, came close. But he was snagged from behind by Mann.

"I don't think I'm ever going to live that down, getting caught by a quarterback," Belden said after the game.

Belden added that despite the coaches' warnings about Dartmouth's toughness, he expected Penn to dominate this game.

"Coach Bagnoli always keeps us on our toes, saying, 'Historically, this has been a great series, but we thought coming in that this shouldn't even be a game," Belden said.

49-14.

Who could argue?

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