Two undefeated Ivy League members lock horns this coming Friday, when the 6-0 Dartmouth Big Green pay the 6-0 Harvard Crimson a visit in Massachusetts Both are coming off contrasting wins. Dartmouth engaged in a nail-biter of a game versus Columbia, while Harvard looked very dominant in an absolute thrashing of Princeton.
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[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Dartmouth Big Green vs. Harvard Crimson Preview
Where: Harvard Stadium, Massachusetts
When: Friday, October 30, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Dartmouth Big Green vs. Harvard Crimson – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Dartmouth Big Green (6-0)
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Dartmouth is about to face its toughest test this season: a road game against fellow undefeated Harvard. That’s after the Big Green survived a scare last Saturday, when Dartmouth edged Columbia in a close encounter, 13-9.
In that game, quarterback Dalyn Williams led the team by passing for 235 yards and a touchdown without an interception. Williams is the motor behind Dartmouth’s offense that puts up 294.3 passing yards per game. His top two weapons are Victor Williams and Ryan McManus, who have combined for 955 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 64 total receptions.
The Big Green had lots of chances to pull away from Columbia, but they shot their foot multiple times, allowing the Lions to hang around. Dartmouth committed 17 penalties—a team record—for a loss of 159 yards. Conversely, Columbia only had five infractions.
Clearly, playing honest and minimizing their penalties are top priorities for Dartmouth against Harvard’s unforgiving defense. The Crimson possess the best defense in the FCS, allowing opponents down to averages of 7.8 and 265.2 total yards per game.
Dartmouth, however, isn’t too shabby on defense either, as it ranks second nationally in scoring defense (9.3 points allowed per game) and third in total defense with 268.3 yards given up per contest.
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Betting on the Harvard Crimson (6-0)
As expected, the Crimson ran all over Princeton last Saturday on their way to a 42-7 victory—Harvard’s sixth-straight victory this year.
Quarterback Scott Hosch was in the zone against the Tigers, as he passed for a career-high 437 yards and two touchdowns without a pick on 29 of 40 throws. Complementing Hosch and Harvard’s air attack was explosive running back Paul Stanton Jr., who rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Stanton may be a bit limited on the ground against Dartmouth’s conference-best rushing defense but expect him to deal damage nonetheless, especially when Hosch take away some of the Big Green’s attention.
Even better in the Princeton game was Harvard’s defense that surrendered just 293 total yards. As mentioned earlier, Harvard’s defense is among the best in the nation. In fact, it is second in the FCS in total defense (265.2 yards allowed per game) and first in scoring defense, letting opponents score a measly average of 7.8 per tilt.
Look for Harvard’s pass rush to make a difference in this game, as Dartmouth’s offensive line is a glaring weak point of the Big Green. Daly Williams has been sacked 13 times thus far this season, which includes the six he received against Columbia last Saturday.
Writer’s Prediction
Harvard wins, 25-17.
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