Holy Cross 31, Dartmouth 8

Dartmouth kicked off the 1959 football season by hosting Holy Cross on a perfect fall afternoon at Memorial Field. Some 13,000 fans jammed the stadium and spirits were high. Unfortunately, the Crusaders were unimpressed and proceeded to demolish the Indians, 31-8, and prove that Dartmouth was not nearly as strong as most pre-season "experts" had predicted.

The Crusaders gained 245 yards rushing through a porous Dartmouth defense, while the Indians' net rushing yardage was a — 8 for the afternoon. Holy Cross scored easily in the first period and went off at halftime with a 14-0 lead. Dartmouth looked most ineffectual, fumbling frequently, failing to gain consistently, and threatening only occasionally on pass plays.

The lone Dartmouth score came early in the third quarter when quarterback Seth Moger connected with a long 30-yard pass to halfback Jake Crouthamel, who then put on a dazzling run of 28 yards for the score. The Holy Cross scores came mainly as the result of consistent short gains through the line and around end. Dartmouth's line and secondary were unable to contain the Holy Cross rushing, and it seemed certain by the end of the game that Dartmouth's 1959 team was a long way from being a real contender for the Ivy crown.