Dartmouth snaps Princeton's streak with 31-7 drubbing

Posted November 05, 2021 7:00 am

The Associated Press

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) - Derek Kyler threw for 193 yards and three touchdowns, Isaiah Johnson returned an interception 73 yards for another score and Dartmouth rocked previously undefeated Princeton 31-7 in the 100th meeting between the Ivy League foes on Friday night.

Dartmouth (7-1, 4-1) forced three Princeton punts to open the game and scored 17 points off the changes of possession. Kyler hit a wide-open Paxton Scott with a 37-yard touchdown bomb as Dartmouth marched downfield in eight plays to score on its first series.

Kyler, 16-of-19 passing, directed Big Green to a second quick score, flipping a 4-yard pass to Dale Chesson at the back of the end zone. The TD catch was Chesson's first. Connor Davis added a 33-yard field goal as Big Green built a 17-0 early lead.

Princeton put together a 14-play drive with John Volker's carry from the 1-yard line getting the Tigers on the scoreboard, 17-7, with 3:48 left in the half. After forcing a Dartmouth three-and-out, Princeton got the ball back at its own 43 and drove to the Dartmouth 10 on a final possession, but a 27-yard field goal attempt glanced off the back of a Princeton lineman's helmet, deflected and bounced off the right upright as the first half ended.

Smith completed 21 of 32 passes for 171 yards but, in addition to the pick-6, was sacked six times, hurried twice and had four passes broken up.

In the second half, taking over after Princeton failed to convert a fourth-and-6 at the 45, Kyler fired a 23-yard dart to Jonny Barrett, pushing the score to 24-7. Then Isaiah Johnson stepped in front of a Smith pass, returning the interception 73 yards, racing past an attempted shoe-string tackle by Smith. The back-to-back touchdowns gave Dartmouth a 31-7 lead going into the final 15 minutes.

The Tigers (7-1, 4-1), ranked 16th in the FCS coaches poll, also lost a streak of an FCS-leading 12 straight road wins. In fact, Princeton's last road loss was Nov. 18, 2017 at Dartmouth (54-44).

The win was Dartmouth's second straight win over an opponent ranked in the FCS polls, having edged then-No. 21 Harvard 20-17 on Oct. 30.

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