PHILADELPHIA, PA. 10/3/2015 – For the University of Pennsylvania football team it was a different experience from nine days ago when they defeated Villanova. The Big Green of Dartmouth owned the ball in the first half, and Penn could not mount an offensive drive until late. On the other side of the ball Dartmouth quarterback Dalyn Williams completed 22 of 24 passes, a school record for completion percentage, for 328 yards and ran for 73. He accounted for all 6 touchdowns. The result was a 41 – 20 win for Dartmouth in the Ivy League opener at Franklin Field.
“It was execution,” said Williams. “When you put up numbers like that, things are happening. We were doing what we were supposed to do. It’s my job to keep the offense going. We put an emphasis on keeping drives alive and attacking the defense throughout the game. We did a great job of that.”
The game started ominously for the Red and Blue. On a third and two the Quakers turned the ball over on a fumble by running back Tre Solomon setting up Dartmouth at the Penn 32 yard line. The Big Green converted when quarterback Williams found wide receiver Victor Williams with an 8 yard scoring strike. Penn could not find an answer for the Dartmouth quarterback who was a stellar 12 of 13 for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half. Williams ran for two touchdowns and added a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Houston Brown en route to a 27 – 6 halftime lead.
“Obviously, it was not the result we planned,” said Penn Coach Ray Priore. “You have to play week to week, and come out there ready to play, ready to do little things right. They executed very well hitting on all their opportunities. We knew it would be a dog fight, and Dalyn Williams is very talented.”
The Quaker defense could not put consistent pressure on the Big Green offense.
“The key was our inability to get pressure on the quarterback,” Priore said. “We’ve got to get pressure on him. He can beat you many different ways. Those completions come easy when the play gets extended, and that is what he does.”
The Red and Blue offense got started late in the half with a 14 play, 74 yard touchdown drive taking 6:17. Quarterback Alek Torgersen capped in drive with a one-yard keeper. Penn got their initial first down of the half in that final possession of the half. Torgersen did not play in the second half.
If the Quakers had thoughts of a second half comeback, Williams quickly dispelled those with a 22 yard touchdown pass to Brown, then later hit Victor Williams with a 43 yard play action scoring strike. Victor hauled in 12 passes for 213 yards, 6 yards shy of the program record, scoring twice. The Williams’ combined total yardage for the game was 614 yards.
Penn (1 – 2, 0 – 1) showed life in the final quarter getting two touchdown passes from Andrew Lisa to Justin Watson and Cameron Countryman for the final points of the game.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
Be the first to comment