Linta Accounts for Four Touchdowns, Brown Falls at Harvard in Ivy League Opener, 45-28

Saturday, September 23

Boston, Mass.

12 pm

Brown University

1-1 , 0-1

Harvard

1-1 , 1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

BROWN

Harvard

Linta Accounts for Four Touchdowns, Brown Falls at Harvard in Ivy League Opener, 45-28

9/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

Boston, Mass. – Senior quarterback Thomas Linta completed 20-of-35 passes for 253 yards yards and accounted for four touchdowns in the second half, but Brown football fell to Harvard, 45-28, in its Ivy League opener on Saturday afternoon at Harvard Stadium.

Linta (Bradford, CT) threw three touchdown passes and added a rushing score, coming into the game in the third quarter. Bears' junior quarterback Nicholas Duncan (St. Louis, MO) threw for 86 yards, completing 14-of-25 passes, before giving way to Linta.

"TJ (Linta) came in and really gave us a spark," said Brown head coach Phil Estes. "It wasn't easy for him not to play in our first game, but I told him he was just one snap away from being back in the lineup. He showed us something today by moving us up and down the field."

Brown sophomore wide receiver Jakob Prall (Tipp City, OH) posted career highs with 13 catches and 120 receiving yards. Sophomore Jaelon Blandburg (Orange County, CA) caught six balls for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Freshman Scott Boylan (Bakersfield, CA) and sophomore Demitri Jackson (Nashua, NH) each tallied a receiving touchdown while Jackson recovered two on-sides kicks in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, junior linebacker Jordan Anderson (Knoxville, TN) led the Bears with nine tackles to go with a fumble recovery. Junior linebacker Isaiah Thompkins (Middletown, CT) made eight tackles, and senior defensive end Richard Jarvis (Watertown, MA) totaled seven tackles, a forced fumble, and a safety.

For the Crimson, quarterback Joe Viviano completed 11-of-13 passes for 150 yards, Charlie Booker carried 13 times for 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and Tanner Lee intercepted a pass for a touchdown.

Harvard got on the scoreboard first on its second possession of the game when Booker burst through the line and ran 16 yards for a touchdown with 8:40 left in the opening quarter to give the Crimson a 7-0 advantage.

Brown's defense stiffened and pinned the Crimson deep in its own territory late in the quarter. On third down, Bears' All-Ivy defensive end Jarvis penetrated and tackled Harvard quarterback Jake Smith in the end zone for a safety, cutting Harvard's lead to 7-2 with 3:06 left in the quarter.

Lee gave the Crimson a 14-2 lead with 2:10 left in the opening quarter when he intercepted a Brown pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown.

Harvard extended its lead to 21-2 with 5:34 left in the half with a 98-yard drive after a Crimson change in quarterback. Wide receiver Lavance Northington took the direct snap at the Bears six-yard line and scampered up the middle into the end zone.

The Bears were able to convert just 1-of-10 third down opportunities in the opening 30 minutes, while generating 76 total offensive yards.

With Viviano at the helm of the Crimson offense, Harvard kept the pressure up in the second half, building a 38-2 lead after three quarters.

Setting up the visitors' first score, Bears' junior defensive end Kenari Drayton (Santa Ana, CA) forced a fumble when he sacked Harvard's quarterback, with Anderson recovering for Brown at midfield.

Linta then directed the Bears to their first touchdown of the game, driving 50 yards early in the fourth quarter, capped off by a 15-yard scoring pass to Jackson with 11:07 left in the game.

Harvard pushed its lead to 45-9 with 6:10 to play as Smith connected with Cecil Williams for a five-yard touchdown.

Linta led Brown on another scoring drive, finding Blandburg to trim the Bears' deficit to 45-16 with 4:04 remaining. The score came at the end of a six-play, 67-yard drive that included a 34-yard reception for senior Isaac Whitney (Venice, FL).

Linta accounted for his third touchdown of the contest, scoring on a four-yard rush with 1:44 remaining and making the score 45-22. Junior Howard Strachan (Mooresville, NC) came up with a 36-yard reception on the drive.

Concluding the game's scoring, Linta hit Boylan for a 14-yard touchdown with 34 seconds to play.

Estes' squad returns home for an evening contest on Saturday, September 30, hosting the University of Rhode Island in the 102^nd renewal of the Governor's Cup football game between the two Rhode Island colleges. Game time is 7:00 pm at Brown Stadium.

Brown will host a Press Conference and Luncheon on Monday, September 25^th at the Rhode Island Statehouse, starting at 11:30 am, for the historic 102^nd Governor's Cup football game between Brown and URI. Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo will discuss the history of this storied Rhode Island rivalry, with Brown head coach Phil Estes and URI head coach Jim Fleming providing a preview of the gridiron clash. Selected student-athletes from both Brown and URI will also be available for interviews.