In a game where nothing seemed to go right for Marist, redshirt freshman Matt Edwards led the only scoring drive for the Red Foxes, who fell to #21 ranked Dartmouth by a score of 49-7.
The Red Foxes used three quarterbacks for Saturday’s game. Redshirt sophomore Austin Day started the day and went 9-of-19 for 60 yards and two interceptions. After that, redshirt sophomore Luke Strnad came into the game throwing for 6-of-13, 24 yards, and one interception. Combined, the two quarterbacks went 15-of-32 with a mere 84 yards and three interceptions.
Edwards, who wore a headset and helped with the signals from the sideline for most of the game, entered the last offensive drive for Marist, in what was his collegiate debut.
The rookie threw a perfect 9-of-9 for 85 yards, as well as a score to redshirt sophomore Sean Gaffney. This was Gaffney’s second career receiving touchdown. “Those are our two’s out there,” said Marist head coach Jim Parady. “They got their opportunity and took advantage of their opportunity.” In that one drive, Edwards had more yards than the other two quarterbacks combined.
As far as the game went, Dartmouth proved why they were nationally ranked in the FCS. The no. 21 team in the country was in complete control for the entire game. Marist entered the day giving up 34.67 points per game to their opponents. After just the first half, Dartmouth was leading by a score of 35-0. The Big Green scored touchdowns on their first four possessions and five of their first six possessions. The first half was dominated by Dartmouth in every category, including time of possession, rushing and passing yards, and forced turnovers.
The Big Green also used three quarterbacks throughout the game, each having their role in throwing the ball or running the option. On the first scoring drive, the team faced multiple third downs but was able to run the ball right up the middle, using the option to perfection. On the day, they each combined to go 18-of-27 for 208 yards, as well as three touchdowns and one interception.
While the use of the three quarterbacks was effective for Dartmouth, the ground game was their bread and butter. In this game, the team rushed for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Eight different players carried the ball for the Big Green, including running backs, fullbacks, and quarterbacks. All in all, the Dartmouth offense was extremely efficient and moved the ball very well on most of their possessions. Dartmouth had 432 total yards to Marist’s 190, ran 15 more plays, and had possession of the ball for 11 more minutes. Even more impressive, the most important statistic for the Big Green was that they had zero penalties.
The defense for both teams forced turnovers, but Dartmouth was the one who capitalized on them. Just one minute into the second quarter, Dartmouth’s Jack Traynor intercepted Day’s pass and ran it back 55 yards for the score. In total, the Big Green had three interceptions and forced a fumble, which they recovered. Another great statistic for Dartmouth was their third and fourth down defense. On the day, Marist was 0-11 on third down and 0-2 on 4th down. The Dartmouth defense was stellar for the entire game until the final drive when they allowed a touchdown with just three minutes left.
Marist fell to 1-5 on the season while Dartmouth improved to 5-0, making them one of three teams in the FCS who is still undefeated. The Red Foxes are back in action on Saturday, October 26 when they travel to North Carolina to take on Davidson College and return to PFL play.
Edited by David Bieber