Dartmouth edges Penn on last play

Dartmouth moved the ball at will for much of Friday's Ivy League game against Penn.

The Big Green amassed 414 total yards of offense, methodically picking up first downs at Franklin Field.

Yet the Quakers' defense, which utilized a bend-but-don't-break philosophy, still had an opportunity to secure a win in the final moments.

But with three seconds left in regulation, Dartmouth found the end zone from the 1-yard line on fourth down. Instead of attempting a field goal to tie the game, quarterback Jared Gerbino kept the ball and rammed over the goal line as time expired to give Dartmouth a 16-13 win.

Penn's defense couldn't deliver a final stand after the Quakers (2-1) took the lead with less than six minutes remaining thanks to Jack Soslow's 27-yard field goal.

"That was an old-time smash-mouth game," Penn coach Ray Priore said. "It's going to burn. Get through the evening and get back to work Sunday."

Penn wide receiver Justin Watson can be a menace for opposing defenses whenever the ball is in his hands. Dartmouth managed to contain him enough as part of an offense that lacked consistency.

Watson recorded 26 yards on two carries to complement his six catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.

"He's an incredible athlete," Dartmouth linebacker Jack Traynor said. "There were a couple times where I thought for sure we had him bottled up. … The dude is so fast, and he had a couple of great plays and really kept them moving a lot of the time."

Watson prolonged a drive with a first-down run in Dartmouth's territory midway through the fourth quarter. Six plays later, quarterback Will Fischer-Colbrie found Watson for an eight-yard reception to put Penn at Dartmouth's five-yard line, a yard short of the first down.

Although a Penn false start negated the attempt to go for it, Soslow's field goal with 5 minutes, 37 seconds left appeared to be all Penn needed.

Dartmouth (3-0) finished with 11 penalties for 105 yards to aid a Penn offense that struggled to get in rhythm.

The Quakers used those penalties to key two of their three scoring drives.

Watson delivered two big plays to bookend Penn's touchdown, which tied the game at 7-7 with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter. On the first play after another Dartmouth penalty, Watson ripped off a 21-yard run into Dartmouth territory. His 6-yard catch in the back of the end zone capped the drive.