Coming Attractions
THE football team has 16 of its 22 starters returning from last year, and some pre-season prognosticators are giving the Big Green a shot at winning an unprecedented 12th Ivy League championship. "I'm optimistic that our chances are good," said head coach Joe Yukica in early August. Last season, when the team posted a 4-4-1 record, the offense started slowly, scoring only 17 points in its first four games. "In terms of offense, we have to pick up where we left off in the last four games," observed Yukica. "That's what we've got to do."
The offense will hinge on the continued improvement of the Big Green quarterbacks, specifically Jeff Kemp, a senior who led the league in passing last fall. "Jeff has become a top-flight quarterback," noted Yukica. Backing up the son of U.S. Representative and former pro quarterback Jack Kemp will be Joe McLaughlin, also a senior, Darryl Wong, a junior, and Ricky Stafford, a sophomore. "That's a pretty good succession of quarterbacks," pointed out Yukica, who is also counting on big seasons from split end Dave Shula, the senior co-captain, and Jeff Dufresne, the senior tailback-fullback. Shula, who holds most of the Dartmouth receiving records, was named to the all-Ivy second team last year. Dufresne led the team in rushing in 1979 and received honorable mention as an all-league player. Senior fullback Mark Akey, who rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns last year, will also play a major role in the backfield.
"Our offensive line should also be improved," said Yukica. Among the returning starters are tight end Mike Lempres, tackle George Thompson, center Doug Prouty, tackle Jim Rill, who was second- team all-Ivy last year, and tackle Ken Cook.
"Defensively, we lost four key people," Yukica explained. "They are safety Cody Press, rover Dave Watt, left tackle Mike Francis, and linebacker Rich Salchunas. But we've got seven starters back and that's a good number, a good nucleus. It's not an overly big team defensively, so we'll have to rely on our speed." The Dartmouth defense gave up the fewest points per game in the league last season. Returning starters include nose guard Kent Cooper, right tackle Lee Sedberry, outside linebacker Steven Pignatiello, inside linebacker Jerry Pierce, a senior cocaptain, inside linebacker Joe Fernandes, and defensive backs Kevin Thorne and Barry Pizor. Lost through graduation were Dartmouth's two kicking specialists, placekicker Chris Sawch and all-Ivy punter Larry Margerum. Pizor is expected to handle the punting chores while Tim Geibel, a junior, will be the placekicker, "He has a strong leg and great potential," noted Yukica. "He was our kickoff man from the Harvard game on."
Yukica feels the league will be fairly balanced this year, as it has been for the past several seasons. He pointed out that if Dartmouth had defeated Yale instead of losing 3-0 at New Haven, the Big Green would have had a share of the Ivy League championship. "It will be the solid contender teams who will have a say on who will win the championship. And Brown is as solid as anyone will be," Yukica said. "Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Cornell any one of those four teams could be better than the next on any Saturday. I would put us in that category. There's not a team that we can't beat. I also look at Penn and Columbia to be improved. They will act as spoilers. They're the kind of teams that can do that."
FOR the first time in 45 years, the Dartmouth football team will play ten games. Several years ago, the Ivy League presidents gave their athletic departments the go-ahead for the extra game provided the first game was played while school was in progress and the last game was played before Thanksgiving. Originally, the extra game was to have substituted for the preseason scrimmage, but coaches have been permitted to keep the scrimmage this year by special request to the Ivy presidents. Dartmouth has added William and Mary to the schedule and will play the Green, Gold, and Silver for the next four years. This fall's game will be held at Williamsburg, Virginia, on October 11.
Yukica likes the idea of a tenth game. "It allows us to go out of the league," he explained. "We were pretty much locked into our nine-game schedule with seven league games plus Holy Cross. But the real plus is a well-chosen tenth team." William and Mary was selected because it had an open date, the school was good academically, and had a similar philosophy toward athletics, even though it grants full athletic scholarships. "This will give the alumni in the Washington and Virginia area a chance to see the team," Yukica said. "It will give others a chance to visit Williamsburg; it will add something for the team because this will be the only game we fly to; and, of course, there will be another week of revenues."
The addition of another team to the schedule is not really a headache for the coaching staff and the players. "The game itself is not a difficult thing for us it doesn't make a bit of difference," Yukica commented. "A game is actually easier than a practice, and since players improve as the weeks go on, why not let them play. What I don't like as a coach is an open date. The week-to-week basis is really important."
William and Mary is not a complete stranger to Dartmouth, although the two teams have not played in 38 years. Dartmouth first played William and Mary at Hanover back in 1935. That was also the last year that Dartmouth had a ten-game schedule. On that date the efforts of Fred Hollingsworth, Pop Nairne, and Chuck Billings sparked Coach Red Blaik's Big Green to 34-0 victory. Dartmouth lost 3-0 in 1941 and 35-14 in 1942. All three games were held in Hanover.
William and Mary will play in Hanover in 1981. The Green will return to Williamsburg in 1982, and the final game of the series will be held in Hanover in 1983. Other Ivy League schools have signed up a variety of opponents for the tenth game this year. Yale dropped Colgate and added the Air Force Academy and Boston College. Pennsylvania added Villanova. Harvard will play Army. Cornell selected Rutgers as its tenth opponent. Columbia will play Holy Cross. Brown added Bucknell, and Princeton selected Maine. Army comes on the Dartmouth schedule in 1983.
