In a wild turn of events in the final minute, the Brown football team rallied for dramatic 31-28 victory over Harvard on Saturday afternoon in front of over 10,000-strong at Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium. Trailing by 11 entering the fourth quarter, Brown scored the game’s final 14 points to take its first lead with 21 seconds remaining. With Harvard holding a 28-23 lead with under a minute left, the Crimson tried to extend their lead with a field goal attempt from the Brown nine, but the snap sailed over the holder’s head and was picked up by Nick Hudson, who returned in all the way to the Harvard 27 yard line, recovering his own fumble towards the end of the play. On the first play, quarterback Jake Willcox hit fellow fifth-year Mark Mahoney in the right side of the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown with 21 seconds remaining. The same duo connected moments later for the two-point conversion to spot the Bears a three-point lead they would not relinquish, stopping Harvard near midfield as time expired. Brown, along with Dartmouth, are the only two unbeaten teams in the Ivy League through two games following the Big Green’s 16-14 win over Merrimack. INSIDE THE BOX SCORE Willcox finished the game 21-for-37 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns and was also the team’s leading rusher with a career-high 57 yards on the ground. Mahoney finished with a team-high six catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Matt Childs had four carries for 14 yards and led the team with 101 receiving yards and a touchdown. Nate Lussier added a rushing touchdown. Junior Elias Archie picked up his first career interception that set up a Brown touchdown late in the first half. Junior Sam Smith had career-high seven tackles to lead the team. John Perdue, Tim Malo, Nevaeh Gattis and Quincy Eutsay all chipped in six stops. HOW IT HAPPENED Harvard opened the scoring on their second possession, going 48 yards before capitalizing on a two-yard run to take a 7-0 lead. Harvard struck again in the closing seconds of the opening quarter on a 20-yard pass to Cooper Barkate to hold two-touchdown lead after one. Brown responded with a 10-play drive that got the Bears on the board. A 56-yard pass to Solomon Miller helped set up a 23-yard field goal by Maron. Harvard went back up the field in 14 plays to extend the lead on a 16-yard pass to Barkate, making it 21-3 at 5:59 of the second quarter. Brown climbed back into it thanks to a huge interception by Archie, who returned it 44 yards to the Harvard one-yard line, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Lussier two plays later to pull Brown within 21-10 with 1:55 to play until halftime. After a missed Brown field goal, Harvard went up the field and capped an 80-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run on a QB keeper by Jaden Craig to push the lead to 28-10 at 6:16 on the third quarter. Childs provided the quick answer for Brown just two plays later, hauling in a wide-open pass for a 75-yard catch and run down the middle of the field to pull Brown within 28-17 at 5:57. Early in the fourth, Brown drove 62 yards on 19 plays down to the Harvard two-yard line before getting stopped on fourth-and-goal when a pass into the end zone was broken up. Undeterred, Brown rallied to pull within 28-23 when Willcox connected with Mahoney for a nine-yard scoring strike with 5:07 remaining. The Bears’ two-point attempt was no good.   QUOTES FROM THE COACH: JAMES PERRY “That was two terrifically talented teams. When you get a win like this, it’s an affirmation we’re doing the right things in practice. It’s something special to build on, but unless we come out tomorrow and practice properly, we won’t build. We’re focused on building off this great win against a great, well-coached team.” “Good things do happen when you put the hard work in. Through their efforts, they certainly make their own luck. They work their butts off, and they feed off each other. From my perspective, that’s what Brown football is and always has been. Looking at them, it pumps me up and inspires me to make sure I put my best foot forward tomorrow coaching them.” UP NEXT Brown will host in-state foe Bryant next Saturday, October 5 on Youth Day and Rhode Island Educator’s Appreciation Day. Kickoff from Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium is set for noon on ESPN+. Categories: Sports