Gio gets a record; lines dominate Dartmouth

Before Saturday's game, Yale coach Tom Williams challenged Gio Christodoulou to prove that he, and not Dartmouth senior Shawn Abuhoff, is the best punt returner in the Ivy League.

After the game, Christodoulou received a ball from his head coach after he became Yale's all-time leader in punt return yardage, breaking Todd Tomich's record which has stood since 2000.

"That is just (about) the guys who have been here before me, guys have taught me and just coaches having schemes to put me in (position) to be successful. I have to call Todd Tomich. I heard he was a legend, I heard so many stories about him. I am happy I get to leave and have my mark on Yale football."

Speaking of leaving a mark on Yale football, the Bulldogs front four on defense and front five on offense put Yale in position to head into the game at Penn in two weeks in first place in the league.

The defensive line not only shut down Dartmouth running back Nick Schwieger, the Ivy League co-MVP as a junior, but made life unbearable for the Dartmouth quarterbacks.
"We came into the game knowing that it was going to be a battle in the trenches" said Yale defensive tackle Jake Stoller, who had two sacks and a forced fumble. "They wanted to run the ball and it was the first game this year when they were going to try to run it down our throats. We appreciated that and we hadn't faced that.

"I think we did our job today. We they started throwing the ball, we were getting after it. Our goal today was to get after the run and stop that. I think we are pretty happy with the goose egg."

All the offensive line did was allow Yale to run for 269 yards. Sure, Alex Thomas (130 yards), Mordecai Cargill (83) and Deon Randall (43) played a key role in the gaudy rushing numbers, the fact is that Yale's offensive line wiped out the Dartmouth front with alarming regularity.

"It is the best line I have had since I have been here," Thomas said. "It has continued to get better and better. I am so impressed with their performance, they opened holes for Mo and I and made our jobs easier."

The win could be a costly one, however as starting left tackle Wes Gavin suffered an apparent right ankle injury in the third quarter. Williams was not sure of the severity of the injury. Holder Jake Semones was also knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury.