Football
Since the last report in these columns the varsity eleven has split even, defeating Harvard 13-7 and Columbia 26-0 while losing to Yale 13-7 and to Cornell 40-21. Injuries continued to plague the team, although not quite as much as during the 1953 season. Hardest hit was the left halfback post where first Bernie Fulton and then Jack Nicolette were lost, both with torn knee ligaments. End Dick Flagg, the Indians' top pass receiver, also went out for the season with torn ligaments, while Leo McKenna, who shared the quarterbacking chores with Bill Beagle, was lost for three games with a broken wrist, then returned just in time for the Columbia game to replace Bill Beagle who sat out that affair with a bruised hip. But McKenna bruised his wrist against Columbia and had to sit out the Cornell game. Both were expected to be ready for Princeton. Other injuries sidelined key personnel for single games. The Dartmouth starting lineup was changed for each game this fall and there is little doubt that injuries played some part in the Dartmouth defeat
The Dartmouth statistics, both team and individual, bear out the fact mentioned last month that the Big Green was largely a passing team with very limited running power and a spotty defense. Up to Princeton, the Indians gained only 501 yards on the ground in 287 attempts, while the opposition ground out 1,728 yards in 375 attempts. The Big Green's passing offense, however, clicked for 98 completions in 193 attempts for 1,028 yards, while opposition figures show 63 completions out of 133 attempts for 835 yards. The Dartmouth passing offense is currently ranked eighth best in the nation and first in the Ivy League.
On an individual basis, Dartmouth's quarterback Bill Beagle currently ranks first in the Ivy League and fifth in the nation with 70 completions in 131 attempts for 792 yards and five touchdowns. Leo McKenna, despite being out with a broken wrist for three games, has completed 16 of 35 passes for 216 yards and two scores. Captain Lou Turner, who has been playing brilliantly at right halfback, is the Indians' leading ground gainer carrying 78 times for 307 yards, two touchdowns and a 3.9 yards-per-carry average. Sophomore fullback Dick Smith ranks second behind Turner gaining 135 yards in 44 attempts for a 3.1 average. In pass receiving sophomore end Monte Pascoe has caught 20 for 249 yards and one score followed by veteran Tim Anderson with 14 for 227 yards and one score. The injured Dick Flagg had 17 catches for 176 yards, while Captain Lou Turner with 13 catches for 125 yards and two scores is the team's top scorer with two touchdown passes and two TD's by rushing.
Cornell 40, Dartmouth 21
The 18,000 fans at Cornell's Schoell kopf Stadium had not even settled down for the kick-off when it happened. Taking Bill Beagle's kick-off on the Cornell 3-yard line halfback Dick Jackson took a few tentative steps towards the center of the field, then spotting his blockers raced to his right, gathered steam and assisted by a key block raced all the way down the sidelines for a Cornell touchdown. This was a foretaste of events to come for later in the third period it was Dick Jackson again, this time breaking loose for a 55-yard touchdown romp. Cornell halfback Dick Meade and quarterback Bill DeGraff teamed up on one of the game's most spectacular plays in the second period when DeGraff raced around end from his own 12-yard line and carried down to the Dartmouth 30-yard line. About to be tackled, he lateraled to halfback Meade who then cut to the center of the field, swerved around two Dartmouth tacklers, outran another and raced across the goal line untouched. All in all, the Big Red rolled up six touchdowns for their fourth straight win of the season.
For the first period and part of the second it looked like a close game. After the Cornell kick-off touchdown, Dartmouth took over control of the game. With Beagle's short passes, plus fine running from halfbacks Lou Turner and Bob Charman and fullback Dick Smith, the Big Green drove to the Cornell 11yard line. Turner lugged it around end for the score and Beagle's conversion sent Dartmouth ahead 7-6. But then Beagle fumbled a few minutes later deep in Dartmouth territory and Cornell scored on five plays to go ahead 13-7. Only five minutes of the first half remained, but at the fourminute mark the Meade-DeGralf play, previously recounted, went for 88 yards and another TD. Cornell kicked off to Dartmouth, the Big Green fumbled, and Cornell again scored, so that at half time it was Cornell 27, Dartmouth 7 and the game was just about- over.
The second half, as was expected, saw slower action with Dartmouth scoring twice, once on a 65-yard march sparked by the running of Lou Turner and the passing of Beagle, and the second time on a fumble recovery deep in Cornell territory. Cornell also collected two scores, one on a 55-yard run by Jackson and the other when they blocked a punt by Lou Turner and fullback Guy Bedrosian plunged over from 11-yards out. The Dartmouth aerial attack seemed spotty against Cornell and it may have been that Beagle's layoff in the Columbia game slowed him up.
Dartmouth 26, Columbia o
The night before the Columbia game, Columbia Coach Lou Little, celebrating his 25th year as head mentor of the Lions, gave forth with some words of wisdom at a Hanover Inn press party. Said Lou, "There's one thing I've learned in this game. No matter how good a coach you are, you can't win unless you have those 'horses'!" Without those "horses," Little's Columbia team lost the next day to Dartmouth 26-0 before a Fall Houseparty throng of 9,000. Dartmouth scored a touchdown in each period and could have had more, but Coach McLaughry cleared his bench in the second half.
With Dartmouth quarterback Bill Beagle out with a hip injury, Leo McKenna took over the Dartmouth team and sparked a running attack to the Columbia 14-yard line early in the first period. McKenna then passed to end Monte Pascoe on the two-yard line and fullback Dick Smith plunged over for the TD. In the second stanza sophomore quarterback Mike Brown, replacing McKenna, gathered in a Columbia punt on the Lions' 37-yard line. Brown flipped two quick passes to Pascoe which brought the ball to the 10-yard stripe and then Brown hit end Ron Faser in the end zone for Dartmouth's second score.
The Indians got another in the third period when McKenna tossed a 12-yard pass to fullback Dick Smith after a 40yard march. In the final period Columbia quarterback Clause Benham fumbled on his own 12-yard line and Monte Pascoe recovered for the Indians. John Dell Isola, Dartmouth's third quarterback of the game, handed off once to Dick Smith and once to halfback Bob Charman and the ball was on the three-yard line. Then Dell Isola bucked across on a quarterback sneak for the final score. The outplayed Lions rarely got past midfield during the game, their deepest penetration going to the Dartmouth 26-yard line.
Yale 13, Dartmouth 7
Al Ward, a speedy 178-pound sophomore halfback, piloted Yale to a 13-7 victory over Dartmouth in the mud and rain of the Yale Bowl before a crowd of some 30,000. With Yale trailing 7-0 in the second period, Ward broke through guard and dashed 70 yards to put Yale back into contention. A few minutes later Ward romped 28 yards around end to bring the ball deep into Dartmouth territory, and after an exchange of fumbles, Yale scored again to win its fourth straight Ivy League game and virtually cinch the Ivy League championship.
At the start of the game it looked as though the Indians were going to pull another upset. The Big Green kicked off to Yale, then held the Elis, forcing them to punt. Taking over on their own 48- yard line Dartmouth went 52 yards on five plays to score. Beagle passed to end Dick Flagg on the 38-yard line and Flagg raced to the Yale 3-yard mark before being tackled. Two plays later fullback Dick Smith dove over for the score and Beagle's conversion gave the Indians a 7-0 lead.
However, Ward's 70-yard dash in the second period made it an even game, and in the same stanza he carried to the Dartmouth 5-yard line. The Indians held and recovered a Yale fumble, but one play later Dartmouth fumbled and Yale recovered. Then Verne Loucks, the Yale quarterback went over for Yale's second TD and the Bulldogs held onto this lead for the balance of the game.
Late in the fourth quarter the Indians rallied briefly. A punt by Dartmouth Captain Lou Turner was blocked, but Turner scooped up the ball and raced back to the 40-yard line. Then sophomore quarterback Mike Brown hit four out of five passes to steer the Indians to the Yale 25-yard line, but the rugged Yale line broke up the next two plays and drove the Indians back to the 40-yard line for a punting situation. Yale took the ball and ran out the clock to win.
Dartmouth 13 Harvard 7
Dartmouth and Harvard renewed their traditional rivalry in Cambridge on a perfect fall afternoon before a crowd of some 32,000 and the Big Green emerged with a 13-7 win for its first Ivy League triumph. It was Bill Beagle's passing that made the difference. The slender junior from Danville, Pa., completed 10 out of 15 heaves for 132 yards and Dartmouth's two touchdowns.
Dartmouth, after an even first period, started rolling when Beagle passed from the mid-field stripe to end Dick Flagg on the 30-yard line. Two running plays made six yards and then Beagle passed to Lou Turner on the Crimson 17-yard line, but here the Indians lost the ball. But with five minutes to play before the half, Dartmouth got a break when Harvard halfback Dexter Lewis fumbled on his own 21-yard line and Fritz Simms, Dartmouth center, recovered. On the next play Beagle spotted end Monte Pascoe downfield and fired to him on the 3-yard line and Pascoe spun over for the score. But Harvard, not to be outdone, took the kick-off back to midfield. Halfback Dick Hauglen then passed to Jim Joslyn on the Dartmouth 40 and Fryock, who replaced Hauglen, tossed a long pass to Tim Cochran who made a sliding catch on the 8-yard line. Fryock then passed to Cochran for the touchdown and Harvard was ahead 7-6 at the half.
The Big Green collected their second tally in the third period when Beagle fired to fullback Dick Smith on the Dartmouth 37 and Smith raced downfield to the Harvard 18. Beagle then fired to end Tim Anderson on the Crimson 4-yard line and to end Dick Flagg in the end zone. Beagle's conversion was good and Dartmouth led 13-7.
Harvard threatened late in the same period when they advanced to Dartmouth's 5-yard line. Here the Big Green line held magnificently for four downs and Dartmouth took over and got out of danger. Although this was far from one of the most exciting games played this fall, there was enough passing, fumbling, errors, penalties and action to satisfy even the most avid football fan.
The passing of Quarterback Bill Beagle (left) and running of Halfback Bob Charman (45) were bright spots in the loss to Cornell
The passing of Quarterback Bill Beagle (left) and running of Halfback Bob Charman (45) were bright spots in the loss to Cornell
