‘I’m at a loss for words’: Brown football beats Harvard for first time in 14 years

Fourteen years of history rested on the shoulders of the Bears (2-0, 1-0 Ivy) as the final thirty thrilling seconds of a roller coaster game came to an end. The end zone was 27 yards away – and for the first time since 2010, a win against the Harvard Crimson (1-1, 0-1 Ivy) was in sight. With less than a minute to go, Bruno was five points behind and unleashed a final attack.

After the crowd was on its feet and time expired, the Bears took to the air. In the end, the fifth-year duo of quarterback Jake Willcox (24.5) and wide receiver Mark Mahoney (24.5) proved too difficult for the Crimson. Mahoney beat his defender on the sideline, put his arms in the air and came down victorious. With a 27-yard touchdown strike, Mahoney gave Bruno the first lead of the day and cemented the 31-28 point comeback victory.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Willcox said in a postgame interview. “The way the game played was great. I’m just happy we got the win. We deserve that. We worked hard this week.”

What makes the ending all the more remarkable is the fact that the Bears were facing defeat just thirty seconds before the touchdown. At the other end of the field, the Harvard Crimson set up the game-winning 30-yard field goal. With only one chip toss separating Harvard from its thirteenth consecutive victory, the audience held its breath in fear.

But it was a home game, and today Providence was in the Bears’ favor. When it snapped shut, it floated high above the handler’s head. With lightning speed, Nick Hudson ’26 grabbed the ball and flew across the field as the crowd went into an uproar. When he was finally brought down at the 27-yard line, he had already done what the Bears had failed to do for a decade before him: he plunged a dagger into the heart of Harvard’s confidence.

“When we got the ball back, I think everyone knew we were going to score,” Mahoney said. When Hudson got the ball back, “it was a huge energy boost for us.”

“Something we have is resilience,” Willcox added. “I am happy with the way we played and fought until the end. It’s not over until the clock shows three zeros.”

And when the clock finally hit zero, there were only a few people left in the stands to witness it: an avalanche of white flooded the field as students and fans flocked to celebrate the team’s victory.

“We love playing in front of groups like this,” Willcox said. “We love Brown and we love it when people come and support us. It really means the world to us. When you look up and see that so many people are genuinely cheering us on and cheering us on – it’s an incredible feeling.”

Even in the face of such a victory, the football team, which trailed the Crimson until the final minute of the game, knows the job is far from complete after just its first Ivy game.

“You can never take a breath,” head coach James Perry ’00 said at the postgame conference. “We call the season a ten-week sprint. If we don’t make the necessary corrections starting today, we’ll be on hold. But these guys know that. We can be happy about a win, a remarkable win, but also know that these guys will be ready to go tomorrow.”

Early in the game, it was the Crimson who wreaked havoc on the Bears. The Bears were unable to convert on offensive possessions and were held scoreless in the first quarter. The defense, shaken by their repeated performances, was exposed by an effective Harvard passing system. When the first quarter ended, the game ended 14-0 in Harvard’s favor.

In the second quarter, the Bears’ first offensive success – a 22-yard field goal by Christopher Maron (25) – was overshadowed just minutes later when the Crimson scored their second passing touchdown of the game. Trailing by 18 points, the Bears appeared to be on the verge of another loss.

Just as Bruno had to pick me up, Elias delivered Archie ’26. After the ball was thrown into the air during a failed catch attempt, Archie pounced, ripped the ball out of the receiver’s hands and stormed across the field. Despite being tackled at the one-yard line, Archie managed to energize a crowd desperate for their team’s success and reinvigorate a team struggling with a seemingly insurmountable deficit.

The Bears’ offense now had to score. When Bruno lined up in the goal formation, he pinned his hopes on Nate Lussier’s back. He caught the snap right away, leapt forward, broke initial contact and pierced the goal line. Finally, with 1:52 left in the half, the Bears scored their first touchdown, cutting Harvard’s lead to 21-10.

The interception breathed life into the team, Mahoney recalled after the game. “It’s always great to score at the end of the half,” he said. “That was huge for us.”

When the Bears emerged from the locker room, they were almost unrecognizable. With a goal that reverberated through the stadium, Will Jarvis ’25 set the tone on the first special teams play after halftime. The Bears hadn’t given up and were ready to get back in the game.

But Harvard wasn’t going to make it easy. On a crucial third down for the Bears – one where the defense had an opportunity to stop Harvard and capitalize on Brown’s offensive momentum – the Crimson went deep. Harvard destroyed the Bears’ coverage and converted a 52-yard pass that put them in the red zone. From there, Harvard’s running backs took over and with six minutes left in the third, the Crimson led again by 18 points, 28-10. But it would be the last time Harvard scored the entire game.

“I think sometimes you make your own luck,” Perry said. Attack and defense “feed off each other. From my perspective, this is Brown Football. When I look at them, it gives me a boost and motivates me to do my best tomorrow.”

What followed was exactly that kind of luck: a Bears team that would not accept defeat for the thirteenth straight season. On their next possession, the Bears attempted a passing play in which the inside receivers went deep and faded to the outside, stretching the safeties the length of the field and exposing a glaring hole in Harvard’s defense. After passing his linebacker, Matt Childs ’28 was suddenly alone between the hashes. With a strike, Willcox found Childs, who ran the ball in for a 75-yard touchdown. After a successful PAT, the Bears cut Harvard’s lead almost in half: 28-17.

Buoyed by their offensive success, the Bears defense attacked the Crimson with renewed vigor, forcing a quick three-and-out. By now the stands were on their feet and saw that the Bears, for virtually the first time since the first quarter, had a glimmer of hope. They watched as Bruno methodically marched down the field, only to have the drive stall in a devastating four-and-goal situation at Harvard’s two-yard line.

“It would have been easy for us to get upset with ourselves,” Willcox said after the game. “But we knew there was a chance we could get the ball back.”

With five minutes left in the fourth half, the offensive was finally successful. After a 14-play, 69-yard drive, Willcox turned to his favorite target: Mahoney. Using his massive 240-pound frame, he shielded the ball from his defender, hurled a laser beam toward the goal line, and pulled the Bears to within five points. The offense didn’t hesitate about what would happen next: It was time for a two-point attempt.

The snap came, and for three long seconds Willcox darted around the pocket, desperately searching for a target. He found one in the form of Qwentin Brown ’26, who was alone in the bottom corner of the end zone. Willcox threw the ball and it landed safely in Brown’s hands — until a Harvard defender charged downhill and knocked the football loose.

The incomplete decision led to minutes of chaos at Brown Stadium, with referees rioting on the Bears’ courtside and fans booing in the stands. The challenged call required verification to determine whether or not it was a completed catch and the verdict was not in Bruno’s favor.

Now it was five points instead of three, and the game plan was clear: get a stop on defense and score a touchdown on offense. There was no time to think about it anymore – what the Bears needed to do was execute. But as time went on, it seemed like Brown wouldn’t be able to do that.

Harvard embarked on a successful, time-consuming ride, eating the clock until there was less than a minute left. They were within field goal range and ready to decide the game. With only 21 seconds left on the clock, Harvard prepared to kick. The snapshot came and the rest is history.

“Just like we thought,” Willcox remarked with a wry smile after leaving the field.

The Bears will now look to capitalize on their early season momentum with a series of in-state games. The Bears host the Bryant Bulldogs next Saturday at 12 p.m.

“We’re going to enjoy this victory for another twenty hours or so,” Willcox said, “and then we’ll get back to work in the morning.”

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Lydell Dyer

Lydell Dyer is a senior writer for the sports department. Lydell, a sophomore from Bonn, is studying non-fiction English and political science, and when he’s not “making words sound pretty,” he can be found lifting heavy circles in the Nelson Theater.