At A Loss For Words: Brown Football beats Harvard for the first time in 14 years

Fourteen years of history rested on the shoulders of the Bears (20, 10 Ivy) as the final thirty nerve-wracking seconds of a rollercoaster game came to a close. Twenty-seven yards away was the end zone and for the first time since 2010, a victory against the Harvard Crimson (11, 01 Ivy) was in sight. Trailing by five points with less than a minute to go, Bruno unleashed a final wave of attack.

As the crowd rose to their feet and the clock drew to a close, the Bears took to the air. Ultimately, the fifth-year duo of quarterback Jake Willcox 24.5 and wide receiver Mark Mahoney 24.5 proved too difficult for the Crimson to contain. Mahoney beat his defender along the sideline, stretched his arms in the air and came down with victory in hand. With a 27-yard touchdown strike, Mahoney claimed the first Bruno lead of the day and cemented the 3,128-point comeback victory.

I'm at a loss for words, Willcox said in a post-match interview. The way the game played out was great. I'm just happy we won. We deserved that. We have worked hard this week.

What makes the ending all the more remarkable is that the Bears found themselves staring down the barrel of defeat just thirty seconds before the touchdown. On the other side of the field, the Harvard Crimson had set up for a 30-yard field goal. With a bull's-eye being all that separated Harvard from their thirteenth straight victory, the crowd held their breath in fear.

But this was a home game and today Providence favored the Bears. When the click came, it came high and hovered over the holder's head. With lightning speed, Nick Hudson 26 picked up the ball and flew down the field as the crowd went into a frenzy. When he was finally taken down at the 27-yard line, he had already done what a decade of Bears before him could not do: he drove a dagger into the heart of Harvard's confidence.

When we got the ball back, I think everyone knew we were scoring, Mahoney said. When Hudson recovered the ball it was a huge energy injection for us.

One thing we have is resilience, Willcox added. I'm happy with the way we played and fought until the end. It's not over until there are three zeros on the clock.

And when the clock finally showed zeros, few people in the stands witnessed it: an avalanche of white engulfed the field as students and fans flocked to celebrate the victory with the team.

“We love playing in front of groups of people like that,” Willcox said. We love Brown and we love it when people come and support us. It really means the world to us. When you look up and see many people genuinely encouraging and supporting us, it's a great feeling.

Even with such a win, the football team, which trailed the Crimson until the final minute of the game, knows the job is far from done after just their first Ivy game.

You can never breathe, said Head Coach James Perry 00 at the post-game conference. We call the season a ten-week sprint. If we don't make the necessary corrections starting today, we will be dead in the water. But these guys know that. We can enjoy a win, a remarkable win, but also know that these guys will be ready to go tomorrow.

Early in the game, it was the Crimson wreaking havoc on the Bears. Unable to convert on offensive possessions, the Bears were left scoreless in the first quarter. The defense faltered through their repeated performances and were exposed by an effective Harvard passing scheme. When the first quarter was over, the game was tipped at 140 in Harvard's favor.

In the second quarter, the Bears' first offensive success (a 22-yard field goal from Christopher Maron 25) was overshadowed just minutes later, when the Crimson set up their second passing touchdown of the game. Trailing by 18 points, the Bears seemed to be on the brink of another defeat.

Just as Bruno was about to pick me up, Elias delivered Archie 26. After a mishandled catch sent the ball flying into the air, Archie swooped in, snatched the ball out of the receiver's hands and raced across the field. Although Archie was tackled on the one-metre line, he was able to reinvigorate a crowd desperate for their team to succeed, and revive a side staring at a seemingly insurmountable deficit.

The Bears offense now had to score. Bruno came out in their goal line formation and pinned his hopes on the back of Nate Lussier. He immediately took the blow, shot forward, broke the initial contact and pierced the goal line. Finally, with 1:52 left in the half, the Bears scored their first touchdown and cut Harvard's lead to 2,110.

The interception gave the team life, Mahoney recalled after the game. It's always great to score at the end of the half, he said. That was huge for us.

When the Bears emerged from the locker room, they were barely recognizable. Will Jarvis 25 scored a goal that reverberated through the stadium and set the tone for the first special teams play after half-time. The Bears hadn't given up yet and were ready to claw their way back into the game.

But Harvard wasn't going to make it easy. On a crucial third down for the Bears, in which the defense had a chance to stop Harvard and capitalize on Brown's offensive momentum, the Crimson went deep. Beating the Bears' coverage, Harvard converted a 52-yard pass that took them into the red zone. From that point on, Harvard's running backs took over and with six minutes left in the third the Crimson again led by 18 points, 2810. But it would be the last time Harvard scored the entire game.

I guess sometimes you make your own luck, Perry said. The attack and defense feed each other. From my perspective, that's what Brown football is. Looking at it makes me excited and motivated to put my best foot forward tomorrow.

What followed was just the touch of happiness: a Bears team that didn't accept defeat for the thirteenth time in a row. On their next possession, the Bears went for a passing play with the inside receivers going deep and disappearing outside, stretching the safeties across the width of the field and exposing a glaring hole in Harvard's defense. After blowing past his linebacker, Matt Childs 28 suddenly found himself alone among the hashes. With a strike, Willcox connected with Childs, who ran the ball in for a 75-yard touchdown. After a successful PAT, the Bears nearly cut Harvard's lead in half: 2,817.

Buoyed by their offensive success, the Bears' defense attacked the Crimson with renewed ferocity, forcing a quick three and out. The stands were now upright and saw that the Bears had a glimmer of hope for the first time since the first quarter. They watched as Bruno methodically marched down the field, but the drive stalled after a devastating fourth-and-goal situation at the Harvard two-yard line.

It would have been easy for us to get in on ourselves, Willcox thought after the game. But we knew there was a chance we could get the ball back.”

With five minutes left in the fourth inning, the attack was finally executed. After a 14-play, 69-yard drive, Willcox turned to his favorite target: Mahoney. Using his massive 240-pound frame to shield the ball from his defender, he took a laser on the goal line and pulled the Bears to within five points. There was no hesitation on the offensive end about what would happen next: It was time for a two-point attempt.

The bang came and for three long seconds Willcox darted around the bag, desperate for a target. He found one in the form of Qwentin Brown 26, who stood alone in the bottom corner of the end zone. Willcox threw the ball and it landed safely in Brown's hands until a Harvard defender rushed down the hill and knocked the football loose.

The incomplete ruling caused chaos for several minutes at Brown Stadium, with the Bears in an uproar against the referees and fans cheering in the stands. The disputed call warranted a review to determine whether it was a completed catch or not, and the verdict did not go Bruno's way.

Now down five points instead of three, the game plan was clear: stop the defense and score a touchdown on offense. It was no longer time to think about what the Bears needed to do: execute. But as time went on, it seemed like Brown wouldn't be able to do this anymore.

Harvard made a successful, time-consuming drive and ate the clock until less than a minute remained. They were within field goal range and ready to finish the game. With only 21 seconds left on the clock, Harvard prepared for the kick. The click came and the rest is history.

Just as we drew it, Willcox noted with a wry smile after coming off the field.

The Bears now look to capitalize on their early-season momentum with a series of in-state games. The Bears will host the Bryant Bulldogs next Saturday at noon.

We would enjoy this victory for another twenty hours or so, Willcox said, and then get back to business in the morning.

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Lydell Dyer

Lydell Dyer is a senior staff writer for the sports section. Lydell, a sophomore from Bonn, Germany, is studying nonfiction English and political science, and when he's not busy “making words sound nice,” you can find him spinning in heavy circles in the Nelson.