HANOVER — The Dartmouth College football team extended its winning streak to three on Friday under the lights with a dominant 49-3 Ivy League drubbing of the Columbia Lions at Buddy Teevens Stadium at Memorial Field,
The Big Green scored touchdowns in all three phases of the game.
Dartmouth nickelback Tyson Grimm, left, returns a 75-yard interception for a touchdown on the opening series of their game against Columbia in Hanover, N.H., on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. At right is safety Harrison Keith. Dartmouth won, 49-3, improving to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Ivy League. DOM GALLO / Dartmouth Athletics
The Big Green got off to a strong start, something that had been lacking in recent weeks. Dartmouth had not scored a first-quarter point since its 36-24 loss to Penn on Oct. 4.
Dartmouth roared out to an early 21-0 lead, thanks to a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown from senior defensive back Tyson Grimm, followed by the first of junior quarterback Grayson Saunier’s hat trick of rushing touchdowns, and a blocked punt and score by sophomore defensive back No’Koi Maddox.
“I felt like we came out and we were in attack mode,” Dartmouth Head Coach Sammy McCorkle said. “Our guys did a really good job of coming out with energy from the very get-go, just preparing for every play and coming out and trying to win every snap.”
Dartmouth is now 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Ivy. Next up is a road matchup with Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., starting at 3 p.m. next Saturday.
The Crimson were ranked 17th in the country in the latest FCS Coaches Poll, heading into their game with Princeton on Saturday, which they won, 35-14.
The win over Columbia, 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Ivy, served as a good tune-up.
Offensively, Saunier was nearly perfect, throwing just one incompletion on 13 attempts, while racking up 162 yards and a touchdown through the air. He also rushed for 55 yards on his way to three scores.
Senior running back D.J. Crowther was another bright spot, bulldozing his way through the Columbia defense for 103 yards on the ground, averaging over five yards per carry.
In addition to the highlights from Grimm and Maddox, senior linebacker Zyion Freer-Brown led the Big Green with 12 tackles in a defensive performance that saw Dartmouth hold Columbia to 271 total yards.
Initially, the Lions came out fast, driving from their own eight-yard line to the Big Green 37-yard line in just six plays.
But on the seventh snap of the game, Grimm stepped in front of a pass from sophomore quarterback Caleb Sanchez, who was hurried on the play, intercepted it, and took it all the way to the house for a 7-0 Dartmouth lead.
“This whole week we were focused on attack mode — we’ve got to go take the plays ourselves, we can’t wait for them to come to us. The play came our way, and I was just fortunate enough to make it,” Grimm said. “I just feel like it was great for the team to set the tone.”
After the defense’s electric start, the Big Green offense joined the fray. The defense forced a punt on Columbia’s possession following the pick-six, and the Big Green’s offense got right to work.
Dartmouth wide receiver Nick Lemon, right, speaks with defensive back Cameron Best-Alston during their game against Columbia in Hanover, N.H., on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. Lemon had three receptions for 61 yards, including a 48-yard catch in the team’s first offensive play of the game. Dartmouth won, 49-3. DOM GALLO / Dartmouth Athletics
On the offense’s first play of the game, Saunier threw a deep ball to junior wide receiver Nick Lemon for a gain of 48 yards. Saunier capped off the scoring drive just four plays later with a 24-yard rush to extend Dartmouth’s lead to 14-0.
Things went from bad to worse for the Lions on the ensuing possession, as they were forced to punt yet again, only for it to be blocked and returned 19 yards for a score by Maddox.
“It was a good moment,” Maddox said. “Had to wipe it, turn the page, get right back for the next play — couldn’t have done it without the rest of my team as well.”
After the end of the first quarter, Dartmouth had run just five offensive plays and led the visiting Lions, 21-0.
Dartmouth quarterback Grayson Saunier scores a 24-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter of their game against Columbia in Hanover, N.H., on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. It was part of a 21-0 first quarter; the Big Green cruised to a 49-3 victory over the Lions. DOM GALLO / Dartmouth Athletics
The Big Green kept pouring it on for the remainder of the first half. Saunier picked up two more rushing touchdowns from 13 yards and one yard out, while the defense continued to stifle the Lions, to take a 35-0 lead into halftime.
Dartmouth picked up where it left off to begin the third quarter and scored another touchdown on the second half’s opening possession in just six plays. The scoring drive was capped off by a 35-yard pass up the seam to senior tight end Chris Corbo to go up 42-0.
Dartmouth added another touchdown in the final seconds of the third quarter on a two-yard rush from senior running back Desmin Jackson to go up 49 points. Columbia added a field goal late in the fourth quarter to avoid a shutout.
Friday’s beatdown of the Lions was Dartmouth’s largest margin of victory since 2013, which also came against Columbia, 56-0.
Dartmouth now gets an extra day of rest before hitting the road. The Big Green has not beaten Harvard since 2021.
“You prepare the same way every week,” McCorkle said of his team’s mindset. “Harvard’s a big game because it’s the next game, and we’re going to lock in and focus. We’ve got to prepare ourselves. They’re a very solid football team — very good football team, and we’re excited for the opportunity.”
