Dartmouth Captures League's Top Spot

Though the ranks of the unbeaten were whittled down to one, Saturday's gridiron action opened up a three-team race for the championship of the Ivy League.

Dartmouth, the only undefeated team in the Ivies, is in the driver's seat, but Brown and Columbia are only one game behind. The three contenders will clash in the final three weeks of the season with a league title and Division I-AA playoff berth on the line.

The Big Green (7-0 overall, 4-0 Ivy) escaped from Cambridge with its perfect record intact, posting a 6-3 win over a young Harvard squad. Two second quarter field goals by placekicker Dave Regula secured a victory for the visitors in the 100th meeting of the schools.

For Harvard, wide receiver Coby Skelton tied a career high with nine catches for 62 yards, but Harvard's failure to capitalize on several scoring opportunities spelled defeat.

This week, Dartmouth returns home to face Columbia (6-1, 3-1). The Lions are coming off their first loss of the season, a 14-11 home defeat at the hands of Princeton (2-5, 1-3) which knocked them out of the national rankings.

The Princeton defense, sparked by Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week Bret Marshall's two interceptions, repeatedly frustrated the home team. A goal-line stand just prior to halftime forced the Lions to settle for three points and a 14-3 deficit at the break. A stop in the waning moments of the game caused the favorites to attempt a 49-yard gametying field goal which went wide right and preserved the Tigers' first Ivy win.

Surging Brown (4-3, 3-1) whipped Cornell (2-5, 2-2) 35-21 in Ithaca thanks to a career day by running back Marquis Jessie. Jessie earned Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts. The junior galloped for 185 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, caught three passes for 31 yards and returned a kickoff 16 yards to boot.

The Bears' offense is clicking at the right time. With upcoming games against a stingy Harvard defense and frontrunners Dartmouth and Columbia, Brown will need repeat performances from Jessie and senior quarterback Jason McCullough, who completed 17 of 30 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown Saturday, to remain in the title hunt.

At the bottom of the Ancient Eight standings, some semblance of normalcy was restored as disappointing Penn (3-4, 1-3) knocked off Yale (2-5,1-3), 20-3. The Quakers' first league victory of the season was due in large part to RB Jasen Scott, who rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for 11 yards and a score.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Penn, which is enduring its worst season in recent memory. On the other side of the ball, Yale dropped its third consecutive decision, its fourth overall loss by 17 points or more.