HANOVER, N.H. -- Three years ago, Penn and Brown played the highest-scoring football game in Ivy League history, a game that signaled the Ancient Eight's transformation from a traditional power football league to an air-it-out, quarterback-dominated conference.
"In a passing league, teams have had to change quickly," Dartmouth quarterback Greg Smith said before Saturday's game against the Quakers. "It was Jim Finn's senior year when he scored six touchdowns [against Brown], and that was unheard of. It became very difficult to do that and stay in the game with the run game. You have to commit to scoring quickly."
After three straight 2-8 seasons, the Big Green have finally made that commitment, relying on Smith to guide their pass-happy attack.
On Saturday, Smith and the Dartmouth offense came out like gangbusters, with Smith completing 14 of his 20 first-half attempts for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith's opposite number, Penn quarterback Gavin Hoffman, did not put up incredible numbers, going 10-for-15 with 100 passing yards.
Instead, it was running back Kris Ryan who was responsible for building Penn's 21-14 halftime lead.
Ryan carried 19 times for 87 yards in the first half and scored all three Penn touchdowns. As Penn's passing game was unable to produce big plays, Ryan was counted on to carry the load.
At one point in the second quarter, Penn called Ryan's number on nine consecutive plays, and he rushed for 45 yards and two touchdowns in that stretch.
Ryan finished the day with 34 carries and 134 yards, and was critical in helping the Quakers burn time off the clock in the second half to protect their lead.
The 34 carries were the most for Ryan since his four-touchdown day against Fordham in 1999, and seemed to signal that the senior back has fully recovered from last year's injury problems and is ready to contribute, whether or not the Ivy League is dominated by quarterbacks.
"I felt pretty good," Ryan said. "They adjusted and played well against us defensively down the stretch, but I'm happy to get back into the groove."
Ryan's ability to shoulder the burden of moving the ball gave plenty of relief to Penn's air game, which produced just 155 yards on the day.
"You have to be able to rush the football," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "Because you're going to get into these situations, where you're trying to bleed the clock and need to run the ball."
While the Quakers were able to present a varied attack, Dartmouth was not.
Michael Gratch, the Big Green's running back, averaged just 2.4 yards per carry, and allowed the Red and Blue defense to concentrate on pressuring Smith and covering the Dartmouth receivers.
As a result, Smith's passing attack was stifled in the second half. Dartmouth's signal caller went just 10-for-21 with 108 yards and no touchdowns. Although the Big Green defense kept Penn from extending its lead, the one-dimensional offense could not tie the game.
"We were concerned about it because their front seven can play some really good run defense," Dartmouth coach John Lyons said. "We had real trouble getting our running game going, and with that we had to put the ball up, and they get pretty good pressure out of a four-man rush. We tried some different things, but we just weren't successful."
Dartmouth's inability to put the Penn defense off balance showed that even in a pass-oriented league, teams must still run the football in order to be successful.
The Big Green's decision to give their offense an aerial slant is a good one, and will keep Dartmouth from enduring another 2-8 season; losing by a combined five points to New Hampshire and Penn is nothing to be embarrassed about.
Still, Dartmouth cannot hope to contend for an Ivy title without the threat of the run, just as Columbia cannot hope to win the league with running back John Reese as its only threat.
With a mixture of Ryan and a dangerous passing attack, Penn has an excellent chance to win the league.
Harvard and Yale also have talented offenses, with quarterbacks and running backs who can both do a lot of damage.
Saturday's game was not a sign that the importance of the quarterback is fading in the Ivy League, nor was it a game that the Quakers will think about much if their campaign for a second straight Ivy crown is as exciting as last season.
Gavin Hoffman and his wide receivers will be crucial to the Red and Blue, but it is the threat of Ryan's running, as displayed on Saturday, that will allow Penn's passing game to thrive this season.
