Football Comes up Short in 34-31 Shootout at No. 25 Harvard

Friday, September 22

Boston, Mass.

7 p.m.

Brown University

1-1 , 0-1

Harvard

2-0 , 1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Brown

Harvard

Photo by: Emma C. Marion

Football Comes up Short in 34-31 Shootout at No. 25 Harvard

9/22/2023 11:39:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

BOSTON, Mass. – A valiant hard-fought effort by the Brown football team came up just short in a 34-31 setback at No. 25 Harvard on Friday night. Senior quarterback Jake Willcox and wide receiver Wes Rockett each had career nights as Brown's offense put up 447 yards of offense, 364 of which came through the air.

Both teams combined to score on six consecutive possessions in the second half. The Crimson, spurred by a goal line stand in the first half, and converting on a pair of third-and-longs on their final possession, were able to hold off the Bears' rally.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Willcox set a career-high for the second straight game with 364 passing yards, going 36-for-52 with one touchdown.
Rockett finished with nine catches for 147 yards, including a long of 51 yards, all of which were career-highs.
Junior tailback Stockton Owen tallied three rushing touchdowns for this first-career multi-score game.
Junior Jordan McIntyre had two catches for 16 yards, including his first career touchdown.
Cooper DeVeau led Brown's defense with six tackles, while Caleb Moorhead and Tim Malo each added five stops.
Ethan Royer grabbed his first career interception on Harvard's opening drive to set up the Bears' first score.
Harvard quarterback Charles DiPrima rushed for 98 yards, 96 of which came in the opening half, and threw for 203 yards on 15 completions.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Brown's defense made its presence felt immediately as Malo broke up a pass over the middle and Royer came away with a big interception off the deflected pass on the third play of the game, setting up Brown at the Harvard 34-yard line. It led to seven points as Owen took a direct snap and rushed it in from a yard out on 3rd-and-goal, giving Brown a 7-0 lead at the 9:56 mark.
Brown pushed the lead to 10-0 with 12 seconds to go in the opening frame on a 30-yard field goal by Christopher Maron, capping a 10-play, 84-yard drive.
Harvard jumped on the board early in the second quarter with a 14-yard touchdown pass at the 13:47 mark, capping a five-play, 75-yard drive to cut the Brown lead to 10-7.
On its ensuing possession, Brown had three chances to score from inside the two-yard line, but was stopped on 4th-and-goal from the one.
Harvard took the lead right before halftime, picking up chuncks of yardage on the ground with DiPrima taking over the drive and scoring on a three-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left.
After a Brown punt to start the second half, both teams combined to score on six consecutive possessions when Harvard pushed the lead to 20-10 (missed PAT) with a 77-yard scoring drive, scoring on a 43-yard run by Shane McLaughlin.
Brown struck back with a 17-yard, 75 play drive on its ensuing possession, taking advantage of a third down personal foul penalty to keep the drive alive near midfield, and scoring on a nine-yard pass to McIntyre with 4:03 left to cut it to 20-17.
Harvard answered right back with a 52-yard kickoff return and scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass to the back left corner to make it 27-17 at 2:06.
Brown pulled within three points on a one-yard run by Owen at the 13:07 mark of the fourth quarter to cut it to 27-24, but Harvard provided a quick answer once again, going 75 yards on four plays to go back up by 10 with 11:23 to go.
Once again, the Bears would answer, cutting it to three after going 80 yards on 11 plays, culminating with Owen's third rushing touchdown of the night, going up the middle before bouncing it to the outside.
Harvard took over with 6:41 remaining, and helped by two huge 3rd-and-9 and 3rd-and-10 completions, was able to run out the clock and keep the Brown offense on the sidelines.

QUOTES FROM THE COACH: JAMES PERRY

"That was a really hard-fought game today. We played a great team and played really hard and have a lot to be proud of. At the same time, the kids recognize there's a lot of things we can improve upon. We played a great team and it came down to the end of the game, but we left a lot on the table and we'll look to build on it."
"We have two captains on offense, and in a big game (Rockett and Willcox) played like it. There was not an easy yard on the field, and for Wes to have a game like that I think speaks volumes on the talent he has and his preparation."
"We're a mature enough team and we know we have a lot of things to get better on. When you have older guys that you know you can trust like we do right now, I trust that they'll be proud of their effort, but hungry to get better."

UP NEXT
Brown will host its home opener next Saturday, September 30 when it welcomes Central Connecticut State to Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Gallery: (9-22-2023) Football at Harvard, 9/22/2023

BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the lifeblood of the athletics program, and exists to enhance the student-athlete experience through philanthropic support from alumni, parents, fans and friends. A gift through the Sports Foundation makes an immediate impact on today's Brown Bears and helps them to be their best in the classroom, in competition and most importantly in the community. To learn more about supporting the Bears, please click here.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Brown Athletics, please follow @BrownU_Bears on Twitter, @BrownU_Bears on Instagram, like BrownUBears on Facebook and subscribe to the BrownAthletics YouTube channel.