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Cornell 17, Dartmouth 13

ITHACA — Dartmouth drove 64 yards to the Cornell 8-yard line in the final 90 seconds on Saturday at Schoellkopf Field, but Nick Howard’s pass on the game’s final play carried Jonny Barrett just out of the end zone as the host Big Red (5-4, 2-4 Ivy) survived to defeat the Big Green (2-7, 1-5 Ivy), 17-13.

GAME STATISTICS

After Cornell missed a 45-yard field goal attempt with 1:29 remaining, Howard — who threw for a career-high 213 yards on the day — completed 6-of-9 passes during the last-gasp drive with no timeouts available, including a 14-yard pickup on a fourth-and-five play. Consecutive completions to running back Noah Roper of 10 and 17 yards pushed Dartmouth to the 8-yard line, where Howard spiked the ball to stop the clock with four seconds showing. The Big Red called a time out to set up their defense, and Howard attempted a fade pass to Barrett in the right corner of the end zone. Barrett secured the ball as time expired but could not get a foot inbounds as the Cornell bench erupted when the referee indicated an incompletion.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, the Big Green had a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead when linebacker Joe Heffernan forced a fumble at the Big Red 47 that lineman Charles Looes recovered with nearly nine minutes to go. But when Howard scrambled on a third-and-10 play his extra effort to move the sticks led to him fumbling the ball back. Cornell then was able to run 6:40 off the clock before attempting that 45-yard field goal that went wide right.

Although Dartmouth ended with a slight edge in total yardage, 281-276, it had difficulty running the ball with 47 yards on 20 carries, leading to a nearly 16-minute deficit in time of possession. Howard finished the day 19-of-33 for his 213 yards and one touchdown, plus led the team with six rushes for 26 yards. Barrett was his favorite target as the senior caught five passes for 69 yards.

The game was primarily a defensive struggle, particularly in the opening half as each team reached the end zone once. Cornell put the first points on the board, taking more than eight minutes to march 84 yards, ending on a 1-yard bull run by Robert Tucker III on the 15th play of the drive early in the second quarter. The key moment came much earlier when quarterback Jameson Wang dove past the sticks for a first down on fourth-and-1 near midfield.

Dartmouth responded on its next drive as Howard guided the team 75 yards in 11 plays, converting three third downs along the way. After Howard connected with Jonny Barrett for a 16-yard gain to the Big Red 16, Roper threw the halfback option pass to a wide-open Jarmone Sutherland in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown. But the hold on the extra-point attempt was mishandled as the kick went straight into the line, leaving the Big Green on the short end of a 7-6 score.

After a third-down sack by linebacker Danny Cronin forced Cornell to punt from its own 5, Dartmouth had a terrific scoring opportunity when the punt was caught at the Big Red 31 with 2:16 left in the half. But the host defense was up to the task, batting down a 4th-and-6 pass attempt at the line to keep Cornell on top at the intermission.

Late in the third quarter, Dartmouth appeared to be taking control of the game as Howard completed passes of 24 yards to tight end Jace Henry and 18 more to Barrett before connecting with Henry again on a 22-yard touchdown. This time the PAT split the uprights, giving the Big Green a 13-7 lead with 2:52 remaining in the third quarter.

But the Big Red immediately flipped the script when Davon Kiser fielded the ensuing kickoff at his 9 and sprinted up the Cornell sideline 91 yards to the end zone. Jackson Kennedy put Cornell back on top with his extra point, 14-13. And when Dartmouth failed to get a first down on the next possession, the Big Red ran nearly six and a half minutes off the clock and came away with a 28-yard field goal for a four-point lead with 10:19 to play.

“Our defense played a really good game, worked hard to contain their quarterback who is so adept at running the ball and making plays,” Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens said. “We were hurt on special teams, particularly on the kickoff return, and we as coaches need to do a better job of preparing our offense to succeed. We have to do a better job of moving the chains and controlling the football.”

Dartmouth had three players with double-digit tackles, led by a career-high dozen by Looes. The league leaders in tackles, Heffernan and Macklin Ayers, had 11 and 10, respectively.

Cornell featured a balanced offense with 141 yards on the ground and 135 more through the air, though no player had even 40 yards rushing or receiving. Wang was 13-of-18 for 128 yards.

Dartmouth will conclude its season next Saturday, when Brown (3-6, 1-5 Ivy) comes to Hanover for a game at 1:30 p.m.

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NOTES: Dartmouth lost for just the second time in the last 13 meetings with Cornell and the first time at Schoellkopf Field since 2008. … The Big Green has thrown five touchdown passes over the last four games, each one by a different player — three quarterbacks, a running back and a wide receiver. … Three of the Big Green’s five losses in Ivy League play have been by four points or fewer and another ended in double overtime.

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