Football Rallies for Thrilling 32-29 Win at Columbia

Saturday, November 15

New York, N.Y.

12 p.m.

Brown University

4-5 , 1-5

Columbia

1-8 , 0-6

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Brown

Columbia

Photo by: Neal Magnus

Football Rallies for Thrilling 32-29 Win at Columbia

11/15/2025 5:21:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A pair of touchdowns from sophomore running back Matt Childs, including the game-winner with 1:53 remaining helped lift the Brown football team to a big 32-29 win at Columbia on Saturday. The Bears defense also stepped up big by forcing three turnovers, with senior John Perdue recovering two fumbles, including one in the closing moments to seal the win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Childs finished the game with 10 carries for 50 yards, and seven catches for 59 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Sophomore wide receiver Trevor Foley had six catches for 140 yards, marking the third consecutive game with 99+ receiving yards.
Senior Ty Pezza added eight catches for 54 yards and one touchdown.
Sophomore Pearson Hill added a touchdown reception.
Junior quarterback James Murphy was 31-for-43 passing for 340 yards and a career-high four touchdowns passes.
Junior Ike Odimegwu added 2.0 sacks and forced a fumble.
Seniors Sam Smith (12.0 tackles) and John Perdue (11.0) both had double digit tackles, with Perdue adding two fumble recoveries.
Camryn Williams-Dalton picked up his first career interception to go with four tackles.
Junior Miles Brophy added nine tackles.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After both teams went three-and-out on their opening possessions, Columbia went for it on fourth down at the Brown 34 on their second possession, but Miles Brophy came up with a big pass breakup in the end zone to force the turnover on downs.
Brown went right down the field on the ensuing possession with Murphy going 5-for-5 on the drive and connecting with Pezza for a seven-yard scoring strike. Will Currid hit Levi Linowes on the two-point attempt for the 8-0 Brown lead with 2:42 on the clock in the first quarter.
Brown made it 15-0 with a 10-play, 88-yard drive that ended with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Hill with 5:40 left until halftime.
Columbia got within a touchdown on their ensuing possession with a 51-yard drive in just under two minutes to make it 15-7.
Brown was unable to cash in on two Columbia turnovers inside the final two minutes of the half with a turnover on downs and a blocked field goal.
Columbia tied the game at 15 on their first possession of the second half with a touchdown and two-point conversion.
The Bears went back in front 18-15 on a 23-yard field goal by Drew Crabtree at 2:46 of the third quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 30-yard catch and run by Jackson Bennett that moved the ball inside the 10-yard line.
The Lions went back down the field and took their first lead on the third play of the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown run to go up 22-18.
Brown answered with a 75-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Childs that put the Bears back in front 25-22 with 11:28 to play.
Following a botched Brown punt attempt deep in their own territory, the Lions quickly found the end zone on an eight-yard pass with 4:07 left to go back up 29-25.
Brown scored the game-winer with 1:53 remaining, as Murphy hit Childs in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass on 2nd-and-goal. The 75-yard drive was spurred by a huge 44-yard leaping catch by Foley that set the Bears up inside the five-yard line.
The defense helped seal the win on the first play after the touchdown when Elias Archie forced a fumble after a short completion, with Perdue falling on the loose ball at the Columbia 37.

UP NEXT
The Bears will return home to close out the season next Saturday, November 22 with a matchup against Dartmouth on Senior Day. Kickoff is set for noon on ESPN+ and NESN, with an audio broadcast on the Learfield Varsity Network.

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