CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - A missed opportunity.
For Brown fans, that's the only way to characterize the outcome of Saturday night's 24-17 loss in the first ever night game at the 103-year-old Harvard Stadium.
For much of the night, it looked like an aggressive Brown squad might spoil the debut of Harvard's new lights and turf field, but ultimately Brown couldn't build any kind of momentum in the second half or exploit Harvard's inability to put the game away. As a result, a victory against the Crimson, which remained within reach well into the fourth quarter, eluded Brown for an eighth consecutive year.
An upset against the heavily-favored Crimson would have been a major boost for a Brown program looking to bounce back from a disappointing 3-7 season last year and Saturday night was a football game that, given one more fortuitous bounce or big play, Brown easily could have won. The loss showed the Bears' potential - a fast-paced passing game and a hard-hitting run-defense were two bright spots - but also revealed that the Bears have a lot of work to do if they want to be an elite team in the Ivy League this year.
A Tale of Two Halves
A sluggish second half, especially on offense, doomed the Bears Saturday. Harvard's halftime play was not much better, but the Crimson was able to control the ball and shut down Brown's passing game in the second half.
To defeat the University of Rhode Island in an intra-Ocean State matchup on Saturday, the Bears will have to play a more complete game of football. Even with a virtually non-existent rushing attack, the Bears' offense was able to move the ball effectively against Harvard's defense in the first half, racking up 236 yards of total offense. Brown played resiliently in the first two quarters, twice recovering from potentially demoralizing Harvard drives to even the score.
But in the second half, Bruno's offense was stagnant and seemed unable to establish any kind of rhythm. Brown totaled only 62 yards of total offense and after an impressive first two quarters, quarterback Michael Dougherty '09 was 5-for-17 with three interceptions in the second half. Brown's defense was stout, holding Harvard to three points and forcing a big fourth-quarter fumble, but the Bears couldn't convert the turnover into points. The ensuing three-and-out possession, followed by a missed 41-yard field goal from normally reliable kicker Steve Morgan '08 was a major turning point in the game and emblematic of Brown's performance in the second half.
Running game a source of concern, receivers shine
Brown's rushing offense struggled in the absence of tri-captain Dereck Knight '08, who pounded Duquesne University for 208 yards last week. Knight came out in the first quarter after injuring his foot. Backup tailback Jonathan Edwards '09 showed a quick burst on a few runs to the outside and plowed up the middle for a clutch conversion on a gutsy fourth-and-one play call from the Harvard 8-yard line in the second quarter, but for much of the rest of the game Brown couldn't get anything going on the ground. With Knight's status uncertain - he was on crutches during the third and fourth quarters - Brown's running game remains a big question mark heading into this Saturday.
If the running game is a concern, Head Coach Phil Estes had to have been pleased with the play of the receiving corps. Paul Raymond '08 had five catches for 106 yards and showed the speed that makes him the fastest sprinter in the Ivy League. He flew past the Harvard defense on a 63-yard pitch-and-catch for a touchdown in the first quarter. Raymond also had some nice blocks on the outside freeing up Brown receivers for more yards after the catch. Buddy Farnham '10 was also impressive with eight catches for 102 yards. After a breakout performance last week, it was a disappointing second game for Colin Cloherty '09, who had two drops and no catches.
Secondary struggles
Defensively, the Bears looked strong up the middle led by linebackers Frank Nuzzo '09 (13 tackles, five unassisted) and tri-captain Eric Brewer '08 (10 tackles). Defensive end Kai Brown '08 was a force from the outside and provided the game's biggest hit, laying out a Harvard receiver in the fourth quarter. Brown's secondary was porous at times giving up over 300 passing yards. Even after knocking out Harvard's starting quarterback Liam O'Hagan, Brown had trouble with backup Chris Pizzotti, who completed 10-of-16 attempts coming off the bench.
Bruno fanatics hit Cambridge
A sizeable contingent of Brown partisans made the short trip north, providing some vocal (and occasionally vulgar) support for Bruno behind the Bears' sideline. The Brown crowd did thin during the fourth quarter, but Bruno supporters made a lot of noise on Harvard third-downs and gave Brown a hearty ovation as the Bears headed into the locker room for halftime. A few fans were ejected from the game because of their rowdy behavior.
The boisterous tailgating scene in the parking lots outside the stadium prior to kickoff and the big crowd gave this Ancient-Eight clash a Big Ten feel. A large collection of recent Brown football alums, including former Ivy League Player of the Year Nick Hartigan '06, performed a pregame toast to their fraternity. There was no sign of New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, who was spotted at last year's Brown-Harvard game.
The traditional yuckfest competition between the Brown and Harvard bands was decidedly a back-and-forth affair. Bruno scored some early creativity points by forming a dreidel (the game, originally scheduled for Friday night, was moved to Saturday because of Yom Kippur) and staging a mass faint when Harvard ran onto the field, but the Harvard band hit back with some clever gags poking fun at a few of the stereotypes of Brown students.
The Crimson now lead the all-time series against the Bears 77-28-3.
