Brody Gilkinson, Contributing Photographer

With 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, David Pantelis ’25 caught his third touchdown of the day. Yale (2–2, 0–2 Ivy) looked in charge, up 37-16 over Dartmouth (4–0, 2–0 Ivy). Then it all went downhill for the Bulldogs.

Dartmouth ripped off three straight touchdowns and an onside kick to force the game into overtime with all of the momentum on the Big Green’s side. Once in overtime, Dartmouth got the ball first and scored a touchdown to go up seven, which Yale answered with a touchdown of their own.

However, after watching his defense struggle to stop Dartmouth in the fourth quarter and his offense failing to move the ball, Yale head coach Tony Reno opted to try to win the game with a two-point conversion. Pantelis ran a great whip route to get open, but quarterback Grant Jordan ’25 sailed the throw over his head and out of bounds. The game ended 44-43 for a Dartmouth win.

As the only team to go 0-2 in conference play so far this season, the loss drops Yale to the bottom of the Ivy League standings. 

The first quarter was void of action, with the only points coming from a safety by Yale when Dartmouth snapped the ball over the punter’s head out of the back of the end zone. The Dartmouth offense looked inept, opening the game with three straight three-and-outs. The usual backup, Woods Ray, started the game as quarterback for the Big Green and, after struggling mightily, was replaced by third-string sophomore Grayson Saunier for the start of the second quarter. 

In the second quarter, Yale started gaining momentum, putting up three touchdowns by three different players. Dartmouth only managed to score one, giving the Bulldogs confidence going into halftime. 

The Bulldogs were looking strong coming into the second half, up by 16 points 23-7. This game was one of the first times this season the Bulldogs have shown off their passing offense, with Jordan connecting with his receivers and finding lots of success on the deep ball. He threw for a pair of 71 and 62-yard touchdown passes on the day.

The Bulldogs continued their scoring streak with a touchdown from Pantelis, who had a hat trick this game, securing 18 points for Yale. However, the Big Green responded with a touchdown and a field goal as they desperately tried to catch the Bulldogs. 

Going into the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs still held onto a comfortable lead 30–16. Pantelis widened the gap even more with his third touchdown of the game to start the fourth quarter. However, this was when things started to go south. 

Dartmouth managed to score three consecutive touchdowns as the Yale defense struggled to slow the Big Green and missed numerous tackles. The Bulldogs weren’t playing with a deep safety on multiple plays, opting to crowd the line instead, leaving them vulnerable to big plays. By the end of regulation, the Big Green had done what some may have thought was impossible and tied the Bulldogs 37-37.   

Dartmouth’s third-string quarterback, Grayson Saunier, managed to stay calm under the pressure and with the help of Q Jones, the Big Green scored their final touchdown of the game. 

The Bulldogs’ play calling late in the game was also puzzling beyond the lack of a deep safety. Twice in the fourth quarter, the Yale coaching staff opted to go for long field goals of more than 45 yards rather than attempting to convert short fourth downs. Both attempts were missed and cost the Bulldogs greatly.

Another mistake was when the Yale kickoff return team was entirely unprepared for a Dartmouth onside kick at 7:30 in the fourth quarter. With the Big Green down two touchdowns at the time, the only way for them to come back was an onside kick, so the fact that Yale was unprepared was a major misstep. 

This is Yale’s second straight Ivy League loss of the season, leaving them with a big hill to climb if they’re going to compete for the championship as they have in past seasons.

One bright spot for the Bulldogs was that before the fourth quarter, the offense, especially the passing attack, was humming. Jordan threw for 412 yards and five touchdowns on the day, while Pantelis pulled in eight catches for 117 yards and three touchdowns. 

Yale will play its final non-conference game of the season against Lehigh on Saturday.