Defensive tackle Michael Berg froze Dartmouth quarterback Mike Fritz in his tracks on one play in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 28-0 blowout.

For the Dartmouth football team, Saturday’s game against Harvard might have been like watching an old movie once again. Except this time, the flick would be titled “Gone in 34 Seconds,” which was all the time senior running back Clifton Dawson needed to score the game’s opening touchdown.

On the first play from scrimmage, Dawson broke through on a handoff from the shotgun and streaked 74 yards for a touchdown, giving Harvard (6-1, 3-1 Ivy) all the cushion it needed in a 28-0 blowout of the Big Green (1-6, 1-3 Ivy) before 2,028 rain-soaked fans in Hanover, N.H. On a day that first-place Princeton suffered a stunning 14-7 defeat at Cornell, the Crimson assured itself a piece of the league championship if it can finish the season’s last three weeks with victories.

“We got off, obviously, to a very fortunate start on the first play,” head coach Tim Murphy said, “and we seemed to gain some momentum from there.”

Harvard’s defense was not about to allow that momentum to slip away. Dartmouth moved the ball effectively on its first drive before senior defensive tackle Michael Berg forced a fumble by Big Green wide receiver Ryan Fuselier. Harvard junior safety Danny Tanner recovered the loose ball.

It was the first of six turnovers by Dartmouth on the day, the most that Harvard has forced this season. The Crimson defense allowed just 183 yards, 86 of them in the first half.

“Our defensive line did a great job,” Murphy said. “They put great pressure on their running game, automatically, then got some pressure on their quarterback, got a couple of sacks. And at that point, it’s very difficult calling plays on the other side of the ball when your offensive line is struggling a little bit against a very good group.”

Another Dartmouth turnover had the Crimson back in business once again. After being forced to punt on its third possession, Harvard got the ball back when freshman Michael Clarke laid a devastating hit on Big Green punt returner Phil Galligan, forcing a fumble that was recovered by junior John Hopkins at the Big Green 25-yard line.

It didn’t take long for Harvard to capitalize, getting Dawson’s second touchdown run just two plays later, capping off a 20-second scoring drive with an 18-yard scamper. Junior kicker Matt Schindel’s extra point was blocked, but the Crimson led 13-0 just 9 seconds into the second quarter.

A quick three-and-out by the Big Green led to a 12-play, 47-yard drive, capped by a fourth-down touchdown plunge by Dawson, his third score of the game. It was a banner day for Dawson, who has scored three touchdowns in six of the team’s seven games this year.

“All week long, our offensive line really emphasized just getting back on track running the football,” Dawson said. “We knew it was going to be bad weather, and we knew we were going to have to run the ball successfully in order to win this game.”

The Crimson had plenty of success on the ground, with Dawson racking up 153 yards on 18 first-half carries on his way to a 164-yard day. Harvard totaled 216 yards on the ground as a team.

After a last-second Schindel field goal attempt was blocked, Harvard went into the half ahead 21-0. But junior quarterback Liam O’Hagan hooked up with junior wideout Corey Mazza on third and 11 from the Dartmouth 37 for a long touchdown on the Crimson’s first drive of the second half, cementing the final score at 28-0.

O’Hagan, who made his first start since returning from suspension against Princeton last week, was efficient in passer-unfriendly conditions. Despite the pouring rain, O’Hagan was 9-for-13 passing for 121 yards and no interceptions on a day when Dartmouth quarterbacks combined to throw three picks.

“He did a very solid job,” Murphy said. “He just made good decisions, probably conservative decisions, which in the context of the weather and the type of game it was, was a real good job of managing the game.”

From there, it was all defense. Harvard continued to dominate the line of scrimmage and forced three second-half turnovers, including one when Berg burst through the line, hit Dartmouth quarterback Mike Fritz before he could hand the ball off, forced a fumble, and then recovered it himself. It was Berg’s second forced fumble of the day.

“We really emphasize getting off the ball,” Berg said, “[using] our speed, and utilizing that aspect of our D-line.”

Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens had high praise for the Crimson defensive line.

“The thing that we were impressed with was their athleticism,” Teevens said. “They get off the ball and run particularly well, they run like linebackers,” he added.

The win left Harvard in a second-place tie with Princeton league standings and once again in control of its own destiny.

—Staff writer Brad Hinshelwood can be reached at bhinshel@fas.harvard.edu.