Penn trounced by Dartmouth in Ivy League opener, 31-7
Penn, playing in front of a home crowd for the first time since the 2019 season, couldn't keep up with a Big Green offense led by QB Nick Howard's 101 rushing yards.
Nick Howard rushed for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Dartmouth turned an interception and a blocked punt into points, defeating Penn 31-7 in an Ivy League opener for both teams Friday night.
Dartmouth (3-0, 1-0), the 2019 Ivy League champs, struck early when Robert Crockett III scooped up a blocked punt deep in Penn territory for a 7-0 Big Green lead at 6:10 of the first quarter.
That began a stretch of Dartmouth scoring three touchdowns and a field goal on its last four drives of the first half, taking a 23-7 lead into halftime.
Howard, who gained more than 100 yards for the second straight game, scored on runs of 7 and 1 yards. Zack Bair, who rushed for 91 yards, caught an eight-yard TD pass from Derek Kyler. Kyler completed 15 of 22 passes for 160 yards.
Dartmouth has outscored opponents 100-28 in its three wins this season. The win was also a 65th birthday gift for coach Buddy Teevens and evens his record at 2-2 on games played on his birthday.
Penn (1-2, 0-1) playing in front of a home crowd for the first time since the 2019 season, looked sharp early, answering Dartmouth’s opening score with a 73-yard pass from John Quinnelly to a wide-open Ryan Cragun, followed by a seven-yard Isaiah Malcome scoring run to knot the score at 7-7 in two plays.
Quinnelly was 6 of 15 passing for 106 yards and two interceptions.
The Quakers were out-gained 413 yards to 141 in total offense, getting held to just 35 yards rushing.