HANOVER, N.H.—No. 16/17 Dartmouth scored 42 unanswered points during an 11-minute span and went on to register a 59-24 football win over Columbia Friday evening at Memorial Field.
 
Columbia (2-4, 1-2 Ivy League) tied the game at 10-10 midway through the second quarter, but Dartmouth scored 28 straight points to take a commanding 38-10 halftime lead. The Big Green scored four touchdowns in a seven-minute span including touchdown runs of three and two yards by Jared Gerbino and Drew Estrada respectively, a 17-yard interception return by Isiah Swann and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Derek Kyler to Hunter Hagdorn just 11 seconds before halftime. The Big Green tacked on two more touchdowns in the first five minutes of the third quarter to go up 52-10 before the Lions finally scored on a 1-yard run with 3:06 left in the third quarter.
 
"We started the game okay, then things unravaled quickly," Columbia's Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football Al Bagnoli said. "It started with the momentum shift with the punt return. The next thing you know while playing against a good team at home, you find yourself a lot further down than you thought you should have been at that point. Somewhere in that sequence we threw a pick-six, and gave up a big, explosive play. The next thing you know, you're down 24 points in five minutes. It certainly didn't go the way we wanted it to go."
 
"That's a credit to Dartmouth. They're a great football team, really balanced. They can hurt you in all three facets. They're about as well-rounded, solid and well-balanced as any team we've seen this year. They're going to be a tough out for somebody."
 
Dartmouth (6-0, 3-0 Ivy League) outgained Columbia 473-312 in total yardage and outrushed the Lions 273-122. Columbia dominated time of possession (32:27-24:19), but turned the ball over three times.
 
First-year placekicker Alex Felkins gave Columbia a 3-0 lead on a 25-yard field goal following a nine-play, 59-yard drive. A 12-yard run by Ty Lenhart and a 31-yard pass from Lenhart to senior wide receiver Josh Wainwright fueled the drive.
 
Dartmouth took a 7-3 lead on an 87-yard punt return touchdown by Drew Estrada with 5:51 to go in the first quarter. Estrada initially evaded a tackle and scampered down the middle of the field for the touchdown. The Big Green went up 10-3 on a 31-yard field goal by Conor Davis, which was set up by a 26-yard run by Caylin Parker.
 
Columbia tied the game at 10-10 midway through the second quarter when Lenhart found Wainwright in a one-on-one situation for an 11-yard touchdown pass. The play followed a 16-play, 71-yard drive which spanned eight minutes and 15 seconds. Key plays in the long drive included an 11-yard pass from Lenhart to senior tight end Rory Schlageter and a nine-yard pass from Lenhart to sophomore wide receiver Mike Roussos.
 
On its next possession, Dartmouth took the lead back, 17-10, on a three-yard run by Jared Gerbino. The score followed a five-play, 75-yard drive and featured a 34-yard pass play from Drew Estrada to Hunter Hagdorn.
 
The Big Green then extended their lead to 24-10 on a two-yard run by Drew Estrada with 3:33 before halftime. Estrada set up the score with a 40-yard punt return, which gave Dartmouth first-down-and-10 on the Columbia 24-yard line.
 
Dartmouth made it 31-10 with 2:28 to play before halftime when Isaiah Swann intercepted a pass and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown. The Big Green received the ball before halftime on a turnover on downs and went up 38-10 on a 10-yard pass from Kyler to Hagdorn following a 67-yard, five-play drive.
 
"At halftime I told our kids you can't make up three touchdowns on a single play, so we've got to continue to play," Bagnoli said. "I thought in the second half, our players continued to give us some great effort. We're still giving up some explosive plays. We still had some turnovers that we don't want to have and for the first time this year, we really got exposed in the kicking game."
 
Columbia scored two touchdowns in the second half on a 1-yard run by Roussos and 13-yard pass from Lenhart to junior Broderick Taylor, his first career receiving score.
 
Roussos led the Lions with 263 all-purpose yards, including 177 kickoff return yards and 83 receiving yards on a career-high seven receptions. The 263 all-purpose yards rank as the 10^th most in school history. Lenhart completed 22 of 33 passes for 190 yards and a career-high tying two touchdowns.
 
Next up for Columbia, the Lions travel to New Haven, Conn. to play Yale on Saturday, Nov. 2. Kickoff is at Noon at the Yale Bowl.