Ahead of his team’s penultimate clash of the 2024 campaign against Cornell on Saturday, Dartmouth College football coach Sammy McCorkle is still preaching complete focus on the next opponent.

The mantra of going “1-0 each week” is oft repeated in college football circles, and it’s one by which the No. 24 Big Green have lived this season.

Dartmouth, on the heels of a 26-17 win over Princeton, boasts a 7-1 (4-1 Ivy) record, tied atop the conference’s standings with Harvard. It’s hard not to get swept up in the broader Ivy League title race implications as the season winds to close, but McCorkle has tried to keep those thoughts from creeping into the minds of his players and coaching staff.

That starts with zeroing in on the next opponent. Control what you can control and worry about the rest later. Don’t dwell on past results, victories or defeats, because it has little bearing on the next four quarters of football you’ll play. These are the messages reverberating around the locker room ahead of kickoff.

“We do not talk about that,” McCorkle told reporters on a Wednesday Zoom call following a question about the conference title race. “We talk about each opponent that’s coming up the next week. That’s our complete focus. That’s something that we are committed to as a football program, as a coaching staff and as players.”

It’s also hard to ignore the obvious. If the Big Green win their remaining two games, first against the Big Red at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y., this weekend and then against Brown in the regular-season finale in Hanover, they will guarantee at least a share of the Ancient Eight crown for the fourth time in five seasons. A loss, needless to say, could see those title hopes fade away.

McCorkle was proud of the way his players responded after the loss to Harvard, a game that saw Dartmouth surrender a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, to beat Princeton last Friday night. But it’s time to flush that result, too — to steal one of McCorkle’s favorite adages — ahead of Saturday’s 1 p.m. tilt with Cornell.

“There were some situations last week that we had some opportunities to do things, and it didn’t happen the way we wanted to,” McCorkle said. “Obviously, the biggest thing is just learning from those situations and building on that. But more importantly, just to have the ability to continue to plug away and keep playing and do what you need to do to put yourself in the situation that you can win at the end of the football game.

“When it all comes down to it, it’s all about getting the W’s, and that’s what you want to try to do.”

Here are three storylines to monitor ahead of kickoff.

<sbull value="sbull"><text xmlns="urn:schemas-teradp-com:gn4tera"></text></sbull>Cornell’s “explosive” offense: The Big Red attack is led by their quarterback, Jameson Wang, an All-Ivy second-team selection last season.

Wang, who ranks first in the conference in passing yards per game (270.9), total yards per game (316.1), completions (204) and touchdown passes (22), looks well on his way to earning another all-conference nod. His completion percentage and quarterback efficiency rating are also in the top-three rankings in the conference.

His favorite target, Samuel Musungu, has 69 receptions for 808 receiving yards this season, marks which both top the conference’s receiving categories. His nine touchdown catches are tied for the most in the Ivies alongside Harvard’s Cooper Barkate.

All this to be said, the Dartmouth defense will have its hands full trying to contain Wang, Musungu and a Cornell offense that has hung 98 points on the scoreboard in the last two games. McCorkle is “well aware” of that reality.

McCorkle reiterated that some of the fundamental principles central to his defense’s success this season — being assignment-sound and limiting explosive plays — will be key in attempting to do what Penn and Princeton could not do this month.

“(Cornell is) explosive offensively; they do a lot of good things,” McCorkle said. “Jameson (Wang) back there, obviously, with Sam (Musungu) at wide receiver, the 1-2 punch right there. You look at all the (offensive) categories; they’re No. 1, No. 2, all the way down. Their names are being thrown around for Ivy League offensive player of the year. So they’re very, very talented players. … They’re very dangerous.”

The Proctor-Saunier tandem: Just like at the start of this season, there’s no questioning the pecking order in the Big Green’s quarterback room right now. Since senior Jackson Proctor made his return after being sidelined for three games with an injury, sophomore Grayson Saunier has returned to a backup role.

But Proctor’s re-assumption of the starting role hasn’t thrown the room’s energy in flux on or off the field, McCorkle said, because both understand that the main objective is putting points on the board, simple as that.

“Both those guys have been phenomenal,” McCorkle said. “They (both) understand it’s all about the team, and it’s about putting our offense in position to get points. And ultimately, the biggest thing is obviously getting a win at the end of the game. It doesn’t matter who gets the touchdown, who gets the stat, who gets the glory. We all have to work together.”

Offensive coordinator Kevin Daft has also been able to use both quarterbacks, providing a small callback to the program’s dual-quarterback approach in recent years. After Proctor marched Dartmouth down the field on consecutive drives in the second quarter against Princeton, it was Saunier who scampered into the end zone on a pair of 1-yard rushing scores.

The flexibility to lean on either quarterback, especially using Saunier’s legs, adds another layer to an offense that boasts weapons across the board.

“They know that they complement each other really well, and it’s going to take both of those guys to put us in situations to be successful,” McCorkle said. “And they understand that their responsibility, their part may change week to week. We don’t pigeonhole them in, ‘Hey, you’re only this type of quarterback, and you’re the only this type of quarterback.’ That’s not how we do it. We’re going to utilize them in the best way we can, week to week, and we’ll continue to do that.”

Dartmouth’s pass rush vs. Cornell’s offensive line: The Big Green lead in the Ivies in sacks with 18. The trio of seniors in Braden Mullen, Ejike Adele and Josiah Green rank second, third and fourth in the conference in sacks.

By contrast, Cornell has conceded just five sacks to opponents this season, a mark that is tied with Yale for fewest in the conference.

Dartmouth’s focus isn’t just on getting to Wang in the pocket, either, but also ensuring he doesn’t escape and rip off long runs. Wang, who has scored six rushing touchdowns this year, averages 45.3 rushing yards per game. McCorkle said the Big Green can ill afford allowing Wang to have ample time in the pocket, reiterating that discipline up front is central to limiting the Big Red quarterback’s ability to scramble and extend drives beyond his threat as a passer.

“It’s going to be very critical that our guys do a very good job of putting pressure,” McCorkle said. “But at the same time, we’ve got to be in control. We’ve got to be disciplined. Because (Wang) is very athletic. He runs for a lot of yards, and he does a very good job of getting out of that pocket and hurting teams with the scramble.

“So we’ve got to be very disciplined across the board. We’ve got to be good with our eyes, and we’ve got to be good with our responsibilities.”

Alex Cervantes can be reached at acervantes@vnews.com or 603-727-7302.