Tim Tai, Senior Photographer

After dropping their first Ivy League game of the season to Cornell, the Yale football team (2–1, 0–1 Ivy) will return to the Ancient Eight to play the Dartmouth Big Green (3–0, 1–0 Ivy) this Saturday. The game will be an important one for both teams as the Bulldogs look to climb the rankings. 

Last season, Yale followed a similar path. After losing to Cornell in their first Ivy game of the 2023 season, the team took down Dartmouth in a close 31-24 battle, and the Bulldogs will look to do the same this season. 

On the other hand, the Big Green have started the season strong with three wins, one of them being against Penn, another Ivy League opponent. 

After being down 14-10 going into the second half, the Big Green made some huge stops, showcasing their stellar defensive unit. Offensively, the Big Green managed to run the ball into the endzone and with the help of a field goal in the fourth quarter, came out on top by three in a final score of 20–17.

With starting quarterback Grant Jordan ’25 back for his third start of the season, the Bulldogs offense looks much more balanced, even with a more conservative game plan against CCSU which seemed designed to ease him back into play. Having their top quarterback in the lineup will be especially important against a strong Big Green passing defense that currently tops the league, allowing only 140.3 yards per game this season.

With that in mind, the game plan for Yale’s offense should be a heavy dose of star running back Josh Pitsenberger ’26. After missing the season opener due to injury, Pitsenberger has carried the load for the Yale offense and is second in the Ivy League with 98.5 yards per game so far this season. 

For the Yale defense, the emphasis needs to be on stopping the run. Dartmouth’s quarterback Jackson Proctor averages only 192.67 yards per game. The Big Green throw the ball less than every team but Harvard in the Ivy League, so have leaned on their rushing attack to put points on the board. 

Dartmouth’s run game will call for another big day from safety Abu Kamara ’27, who leads Yale and the Ancient Eight in tackles. Dartmouth has three running backs that average over 30 yards per game, with senior Q Jones being the feature back with nearly 80 yards per game on 55 carries over the first three games. 

The story for Dartmouth all season has been an exceptional defense, ranking first in the Ivy League in both scoring defense, allowing 14.7 points per game, and in yards allowed per game at 256.0. The Big Green have not allowed more than 20 points in any game this season. 

The Yale offensive line will have their work cut out for them against an aggressive Dartmouth pass rush, as well. The Big Green have four players with more than one sack on the season so the line will need to hold up to give Jordan time to throw. Another help should be Jordan’s mobility if the pocket does break down. He’ll also need to prepare to hang in and take some hits to give his receivers time to get down the field. 

For Saturday the thing to watch will be both teams running the ball, with offense becoming a battle of the running backs. Defensively, the Bulldogs and the Big Green will have to focus on holding the line to prevent any cracks where a runner could slip through. 

With the emphasis on rushing for both teams, it will also be interesting to see how either team uses the pass game. If the defenses crowd the line and stop the run, a play-action pass could be a real weapon.

Kick-off is at noon at the Yale Bowl this Saturday. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.