Without a second to spare

Big Green squeaks byBig Green squeaks byPenn when the refereeBig Green squeaks byPenn when the refereerules the Quakers had runBig Green squeaks byPenn when the refereerules the Quakers had runthe clock down to 00:00 HANOVER, N.H. -- It was only week one of the Ivy League season, but it had the feel of a championship game, with the winners swarming onto the field and the losers desperately pleading for one more second -- to no avail. Saturday's Penn-Dartmouth contest was not the prettiest game either team will play this year, but it just might have been the most important, as anyone who saw Penn placekicker Jeremiah Greathouse screaming in anger after Dartmouth's 24-22 triumph can attest. Greathouse was denied an opportunity to attempt a potential game-winning field goal when the officials ruled that time had expired before Mark Fabish could get out of bounds at the Dartmouth 33-yard line. No amount of pleading could put a second back on the clock, and the disbelieving Quakers (0-1, 0-1 Ivy League) headed home with an opening day loss for the first time since 1992. "I can run 40 yards in four seconds, but I can't run 10 and get out of bounds?" said Fabish, who caught six passes for 83 yards. "I would have liked to see what happened [on a field-goal try]." Still, the record shows that Penn lost to another football team, and that they clearly did. Aside from one series and one play in the first half, the Quakers struggled to move the ball against the Big Green's ballyhooed defense. At the same time, Dartmouth was able to come up with just enough big plays of its own to satisfy the crowd of 8,521 who came out to Memorial Field. Trailing by four late in the second half, the Big Green engineered a 55-yard scoring drive in just over two minutes to win the game. Dartmouth utilized all aspects of its multi-dimensional offense in the drive, including a 10-yard reverse to Eric Morton and a fourth-down pass to fullback Pete Oberle to keep the game alive. The winning touchdown came with just 19 seconds left as quarterback Jon Aljancic found Morton wide open on a crossing pattern for the score. The Quakers looked strong in the early going. After a defensive stop on the Big Green's opening possession, Penn marched 65 yards for a touchdown, largely because of senior tailback Jasen Scott, who capped a fine series with a 20-yard scamper through the middle to make it 7-0. But Dartmouth eventually solved the Quakers' defense. After a punt return to Penn's 34, the Big Green muscled the ball through Penn territory with Dartmouth tailback Ambrose Garcia trotting into the end zone from six yards out. Dartmouth kicker Dave Regula then missed the first of four extra points the Big Green would botch on the day. "It was a fiasco, a joke -- we've got to get it straightened out," said Dartmouth coach John Lyons, who lost faith in his kicking game and ignored field-goal possibilities later in the contest. Dartmouth had little trouble moving on Penn in its next two series. Using the option, bootlegs, as well as running senior tailback Greg Smith through the middle, the Big Green wore down Penn's defense. They put themselves ahead 18-7 midway through the second quarter with a pair of goal-line dives by Aljancic. "I really felt that we controlled the game," Lyons said. "After the first few series, I thought we did a real nice job moving the ball." Needing a spark, Penn turned to Scott, and he delivered. Scott took a hand-off deep in Quakers territory, raced down the right side, and 84-yards later brought Penn back to 18-13, the score at halftime. But Penn was hapless offensively in second half. The ground game, which racked up 174 yards before halftime, disappeared, finishing at the same 174-yard total (including 166 on the ground by Scott). Meanwhile, senior quarterback Steve Teodecki finished 7-for-18 for 108 yards, not counting a two-point conversion attempt on which he misfired. "Steve, for his first game, was going into a lion's den," Quakers coach Al Bagnoli said. "I thought he handled himself pretty well." Both of the Quakers' second-half scores were largely gifts. Penn's lone second-half touchdown, a slant to Fabish, who snuck into the end zone, came after a fumbled kickoff. And Greathouse's 35-yard field goal 53 seconds earlier was set up by Penn sophomore cornerback Joseph Piela's interception. That made the score 22-18 in favor of Penn. The Quakers got the ball with under five minutes to play, but failed to go forward on three running plays. A 42-yard punt a gave Dartmouth the ball at their own 45 with 2:34 left. That set the stage for Aljancic to lead the winning drive.