September 25, 2009: Harvard 24, Brown 21

Friday-night football against Brown at Harvard Stadium.

The Ivy League’s defending co-champions went head-to-head on a Friday-nighter at the Stadium on September 25. Harvard prevailed, 24-21, surviving a dramatic Brown rally in the final minute of play. 

Junior Collier Winters, in his second start at quarterback, had a hand in each of Harvard’s three touchdowns. He threw scoring passes to tight end Nicolai Schwarzkopf ’11 and wide receiver Matt Luft ’10, and scored himself on a three-yard keeper. He connected on 18 of 27 pass attempts for 223 yards and was the game’s leading rusher, with 66 yards on 13 carries.

Brown had the best of it in the first half, thanks in part to Harvard defensive miscues. The Bears got two second-period scores—aided both times by pass-interference calls—and led, 14-10, at the break. 

Harvard needed just two plays for its first scoring drive. Taking the ball after Brown’s initial touchdown, Winters hoisted a 30-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Lorditch ’11. A 30-yarder to Schwarzkopf then put Harvard on the board. Following Brown’s second score, a 33-yard kickoff return by safety Matt Hanson ’12 sparked an eight-play drive completed by senior Patrick Long’s 25-yard field goal. 

Harvard controlled the second half, taking the lead on a 92-yard drive that was capped off by Winters’s short-yardage touchdown. 

The game’s biggest plays came at the start of the final quarter, when senior linebacker Jon Takamura intercepted a pass at the Brown 33. Harvard cashed in with a sharply thrown 15-yard pass to the six-foot-six Luft, who made a high-rise catch at the back of the end zone. 

Leading 24-14, Harvard seemed to have a lock on the game, but Brown had other plans. With just over three minutes to play, Bruin quarterback Kyle Newhall-Caballero led an 80-yard drive that produced a touchdown with 34 seconds to play. Brown then recovered an onside kick, and Newhall went to work again. As the seconds ticked down, he moved his team to the Harvard 25, but couldn’t connect on three last-ditch end-zone passes.

The Crimson incurred 11 penalties for 92 yards, the most given up by a Harvard team since November 2007. “We have a tremendous amount to work on,” coach Tim Murphy conceded after the game. “One thing at a time, we’re going to have to improve. It wasn’t a great performance, [but] it was a great effort, and that’s more important than anything.” 

 

Harvard is now 1-0 in Ivy play (1-1 overall). Brown has lost two squeakers and is still winless (0-1, 0-2), but can’t be counted out of the race for the league title. A year ago, the Bears capitalized on missed extra points to gain a 24-22 victory at Brown Stadium, ending the season with an Ivy record of 6-1 (9-1 overall) and a half-share of the league championship.…Harvard has beaten Brown in nine of the teams’ last 10 match-ups. 

Harvard takes to the road next weekend to face Lehigh (0-3), a nonleague opponent. The team then re-enters the Ivy League lists with an away game at Cornell. The Big Red (2-0) had its first Ivy test last Saturday, edging Yale, 14-12. 

 

~"cleat"

Brown     0    14    0    7   -  21

 

Harvard  0    10    7    7   -  24

Related topics

You might also like

Harvard Football: Harvard 31, Merrimack 7

The Crimson stay unbeaten and uncover a new star.

Harvard Football: Harvard 34, Cornell 10

The Crimson stays unbeaten following a hard fight with the Big Red

Harvard Football: Harvard 59, Holy Cross 24

Another week, another blowout, this one against an in-state rival

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Harvard’s Class of 2029 Reflects Shifts in Racial Makeup After Affirmative Action Ends

International students continue to enroll amid political uncertainty; mandatory SATs lead to a drop in applications.

Harvard Football: Harvard 35, Princeton 14

Still undefeated after subduing the Tigers, the Crimson await Dartmouth.

Explore More From Current Issue

A vibrant composition of flowers, a bird, and butterflies with a distant manor under a moody sky.

Rachel Ruysch’s Lush (Still) Life

Now on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, a Dutch painter’s art proved a treasure trove for scientists.

People gather near the John Harvard Statue in front of University Hall surrounded by autumn trees.

A Changed Harvard Faces the Future

After a tense summer—and with no Trump settlement in sight—the University continues to adapt.