One play is all it took for the Bears to proclaim that they are back and better than ever. On the Bears’ first offensive play, quarterback Jake Willcox ’24.5 shocked the Hoyas’ defense, taking to the air and delivering an 87-yard touchdown strike.
“It’s true to our identity that we’re going to take shots,” Willcox said in an interview via Brown Athletics after the game. “It’s a good (indication) of what we have coming for the rest of the year: we want to be on the attack.”
Attacking is exactly what the Bears did on that defining opening possession. Solomon Miller ’26 caught Willcox’s throw 24 yards down the field, slipping past his cornerback. At that point, it was a footrace between Miller — who is currently ranked third among Brown’s all-time fastest 60-meter runners — and the Georgetown safety. Needless to say, it wasn’t much of a race.
“We’re always looking to try to use the talents of our players,” Head Coach James Perry ’00 said. “Jake is an experienced player. He saw Solomon down the sideline and threw a beautiful ball. From there, it was just a great play from Solomon. That was a terrific way to start the game.”
Saturday afternoon marked the football team’s (1–0) long-awaited return after ten months away from competitive play. Facing a well-prepared Georgetown team (2–2), which already had three games under its belt, the Bears prepared themselves for a fight. Following a dominant offensive performance in the first quarter and a shutout by the defense in the second half, Bruno secured a 26–14 point victory in their season opener.
“It was definitely time to get back on the field,” senior captain Isaiah Reed ’25 said via Brown Athletics. “We’ve been practicing a long time and it was finally time to go against a team wearing a different color. We’ve been waiting for that and we were ready for this day. We came out and we competed. I look forward to doing it again next week.”
On their second offensive possession, the Bears stayed true to their lethal air attack. After a series of first downs in which the offense methodically chipped away at the 70-yard stretch of field ahead of them, Bruno was ready to pounce. Luring the linebackers into the box with a play-action fake, Willcox delivered a 45-yard bomb down the middle of the field. With a defender on his back, wide receiver Mark Mahoney ’24.5 had his work cut out for him. But standing at 6’5” and 240 pounds, Mahoney was more than ready to rise to the challenge. Lunging forward to grab the ball, Mahoney secured the touchdown and advanced the Bears’ lead to 14–7.
The second quarter featured Brown and Georgetown trading scores on three straight possessions. Relying on tried-and-true kicker Christopher Maron ’25, the Bears came away with two field goals, while the Hoyas scored a touchdown. Still, it was Brown who stood tall, leading 20–14 at halftime.
When play resumed, the defense came out with a taste for blood — playing a shutout half and virtually guaranteeing the Bruno victory. Flying off the left end on the Hoyas’ first possession, Quincy Eutsay ’25 pummeled the Georgetown quarterback, forcing a fumble in the process. Winston Jordan ’25 was there to scoop it up, creating a second turnover for the defense following a leaping interception by Nevaeh Gattis ’26 earlier in the first.
Yet the defense was not done. During their next appearance, they continued to wreak havoc on a floundering Georgetown offense. Looking to gain some easy yardage, the Hoyas’ quarterback threw a hitch along the sideline; but even relatively safe routes are not guaranteed when Reed, a 2023 First Team All-Ivy selection, is on the field. Flying downhill, Reed deflected the ball into the air, and safety Tim Malo ’25 showed off his excellent footwork, toe-tapping the sideline and coming away with the interception.
“We want to be an elite defense,” Reed declared. “We want every offense to have to fight for every yard, for every touchdown, for every point that they get. I feel like we did that today. We were able to get off the field a lot. We were able to create turnovers. We can build on this and we’ll have a great defense all year.”
With a stellar performance from their defense, it was up to Bruno’s offense to capitalize. With five minutes to go in the third, the Bears launched a methodical attack. This time, it was the ground game that overwhelmed the Hoyas’ defense, and over the course of the 61-yard drive, three separate runners — Stockton Owen ’25, Qwentin Brown ’26, and Willcox — each moved the sticks. Capping off the drive was Jordan Delucia ’25, who punched the ball in from one yard out and cemented the 26–14 victory.
“There’s tons to be proud of,” Perry said after the game. “We knew we were playing a very good team on the road, and I’m very proud of the effort of the kids.” But according to Perry, what makes the group stand out is that they “are hungry to get better. Even the defense — they played exceptionally well in the second half against a very good team, but they’re still trying to get better.”
With one victory under their belt, the Bears will take on Harvard on Saturday at home. Though the annual rivalry game is sure to be tough — with Harvard having won the last twelve matchups — the Bears are eager for the challenge in front of what’s sure to be a packed and rowdy crowd.
“We’re going to keep it rolling,” Willcox announced. Let’s “string a couple of victories together.”
Lydell Dyer is a Senior Staff Writer for the sports section. A sophomore hailing from Bonn, Germany, Lydell is studying nonfiction English and political science, and if he's not off "making words sound pretty," you can find him lifting heavy circles at the Nelson.
