Quakers grind out win at Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. -- It took until the third quarter for either team to record a touchdown, but in a game that relied heavily on special teams, Penn came away with a win to open Ivy League play. The Quakers (2-1, 1-0 Ivy) took advantage of excellent field positoin, a solid kicking game and a few long balls from Pat McDermott to knock off Dartmouth, 26-9, at Memorial Stadium. The win was the eighth straight over Dartmouth (1-2, 0-1) for the Red and Blue. Here's a look at the scoring:

FIRST QUARTER: 5:10 - Dartmouth kicker Erik Hinterbichler hits right upright on 33-yard field goal attempt following a lengthy Big Green dirve. END OF FIRST QUARTER: PENN 0, DARTMOUTH 0 SECOND QUARTER: Penn benefits from good field position following a Dartmouth punt. Pat McDermott's 26-yard pass to Nick Okoro put the Quakers in prime scoring position on the Green 17. The drive stalled as two McDermott passes sailed over the heads of their intended receivers. Derek Zoch makes 35-field goal. 11:46 - PENN 3, DARTMOUTH 0 Dartmouth's punt team mishandled a snap at the Green 30-yard line. Scotty Williams scooped it up for Penn at the Dartmouth 14, then attempted a lateral pass, which was ruled illegal. Penn started at the Green 19. A holding call pushed Penn back to first-and-goal from the 20, and the offense again couldn't gain any ground. Derek Zoch's 37 yard kick is good. 9:02 - PENN 6, DARTMOUTH 0 McDermott's 29-yard flea-flicker pass sparked a 61-yard drive that fell short at the Dartmouth 6. Derek Zoch's 24-yard field goal extended the Quakers' lead. 3:13 - PENN 9, DARTMOUTH 0 Charlie Rittgers connected with Justin Raiti for a 56-yard strike to put Dartmouth on the Penn 12 with 15 seconds to play before the half. Rittgers, however, couldn't find any help in the red zone, and the Green tried for a 24-yard field goal as time expired which sailed wide to the left. HALFTIME: PENN 9, DARTMOUTH 0 First-Half notes: Pat McDermott has completed 10 of 17 passes for 105 yards. On the other side, Charlie Rittgers has recorded 117 yards on 11 of 18 completions. But 56 of those yards came on one. late second-quarter strike. Penn held Dartmouth without a first-down for most of the second half until the Big Green's late scare. Derek Zoch is perfect (3/3) on field goals, while Dartmouth's Erik Hinterbichler is 0/2. THIRD QUARTER: Dartmouth caught a break when McDermott's pass was tipped and intercepted by Brian Osimiri at the Penn 29. The Quakers' defense held Dartmouth to a 33-yard field goal attempt. This time, Hinterbichler split the uprights to put the Green on the board. 11:25 - PENN 9, DARTMOUTH 3

The Quakers hung a seven thanks to a 41-yard completion by McDermott to Dan McDonald, which set up Chris Mizel's 7-yard touchdown snare. Penn needed a little over three minutes to press a worn-down Dartmouth defense 82 yards to the end zone. Derek Zoch's extra point was good. 8:50 - PENN 16, DARTMOUTH 3

The Big Green's sloppiness cost them another seven points at the end of the quarter. A fumbled snap was recovered by Ric San Doval at the Dartmouth 20. Penn needed just six plays to pad the lead. McDermott hit Billy May in the corner of the end zone with a 5-yard strike. Zoch's kick was good. 0:36 - PENN 23, DARTMOUTH 3 FOURTH QUARTER: Rittgers chipped away at the Penn lead with a 10-yard touchdown pass. Holder Dan Shula bobbled the snap on the extra point attempt and Hinterbichler's squib kick was caught by Penn defenders in the end zone. 7:43 - PENN 23, DARTMOUTH 9 A 23-yard Zoch field goal gives the Quakers insurance. 0:42 -- PENN 26, DARTMOUTH 9 FINAL SCORE: PENN 26, DARTMOUTH 9 Monday's Daily Pennsylvanian will include a complete wrapup of the weekend in Ivy League football, including analysis and commentary from the Penn-Dartmouth Ancient Eight opener.

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