Football Downed at Dartmouth

Hanover, N.H. – Dartmouth College is located between the Green Mountains and the White Mountains (could that be the reason why Dartmouth's school colors are green and white?). Playing without three starters on offense, the Fordham football squad felt today as if they were trying to scale one of those mountains, in bare feet, in the snow. In the end it was too big a hill to climb for the Rams as they fell to the Big Green, 45-13, on Memorial Field.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 0-4 on the year while Dartmouth opens the season with a win.
 
The Rams were playing without the services of quarterback CJ Montes, running back Julius Loughridge, and wide receiver Garrett Cody, all starters who were injured. Junior quarterback Jack Capaldi made his first career start, completing 23 of 43 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown. Grad student wideout Mekai Felton led the Fordham receivers with three catches for 53 yards while sophomore receiver KJ Reed added six receptions for 42 yards. Junior running back Ricky Parks paced the Fordham ground game with 63 yards on seven carries.
 
Defensively for Fordham grad student linebacker Jackson Barletta and junior defensive lineman Sam Buerkle each finished with nine tackles with one of Buerkle's being for loss, while senior defensive lineman Matt Jaworski added seven tackles, including one for loss.
 
The Big Green wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard, taking the opening kickoff and, four plays later, scoring on a 40-yard run for a 7-0 lead 1:52 into the game.
 
Later in the quarter the Big Green capped a ten-play, 86-yard drive with a 19-yard scoring strike to take a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
Dartmouth scored a touchdown and field goal on its first two possessions of the second quarter to take a 24-0 lead. The Rams had a chance to get on the scoreboard on the final play of the half but freshman kicker Bennett Henderson's 56-yard field goal attempt had the distance but was just wide left.
 
The Big Green attempted an onside kick to open the second half but it was recovered by the Rams and Fordham started the drive at the Dartmouth 35 following a penalty. The Rams got down to the Big Green eight but a holding penalty moved them back and Henderson's 39-yard field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a score as Dartmouth took a 31-0 lead.
 
The Rams got on the board later in the third when Jack Kaiser rushed it in from the one to make it a 31-7 game.
 
Dartmouth scored early in the fourth before the Rams made it a 38-13 game when Capaldi found Cole Thornton in the endzone with 6:30 left. The Big Green closed out the scoring late in the game.
 
Takeaways
• Grad student defensive back Nahil Perkins picked off a Dartmouth pass, his third of the year and seventh of his Fordham career.
 
• Jack Kaiser's touchdown was the second of his career.
 
• The game was Fordham's first game against an Ivy League opponent since a game at Yale in 2019.
 
• Fordham is 29-51 all-time against Ivy League schools, 25-44 on the NCAA FCS level.
 
• The Rams are 1-5 all-time in the Granite State with the win coming in Ford­ham's first game in the state at Dartmouth in 1951.
 
By the Numbers
9 – Different Rams to catch at least one pass in the game.
 
44.4 – Punting average for Will Haslett, who landed two of his eight punts inside the Dartmouth 20.
 
2,380 – Career rushing yards for Julius Loughridge, eighth on the Fordham career list.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams continue the 2024 season by traveling to West Long Branch, N.J., take on the Monmouth University Hawks at Kessler Stadium on Saturday, September 28, at 1:00 p.m.
 
• It will be the fifth meeting between Fordham and Monmouth on the gridiron.
 
• The all-time series is tied, 2-2.
 
• Fordham won the most recent matchup, 52-49, at Monmouth in 2022 as Tim DeMorat completed 34 of 51 passes for 452 yards and tied a school record with six touchdown passes while Fotis Kokosioulis caught a school-record 15 passes for 130 yards and two scores.