After Buddy Farnham '10 caught an 18-yard touchdown pass to put the Bears ahead 31-14 late in the third quarter of Saturday's football game at Cornell, the Bears were feeling good about their chances for a win. Coming off a victory over Princeton, the defending-Ivy League champions, Brown had created a comfortable cushion over the first two-and-a-half quarters by burning the Big Red through the air on numerous occasions.
But as in many of the football team's losses over the past two years, the team could not close out the game. Brown allowed Cornell to score 17 unanswered points to send the game into overtime, where the Big Red scored first and kept Brown out of the end zone for a remarkable 38-31 comeback victory.
The loss drops Brown to 1-2 in the Ivy League and 2-4 overall, while Cornell is now 1-2 in the league and 4-2 overall.
"I think one of the issues is confidence," said tri-captain Eric Brewer '08 of the team's penchant for narrow losses. "We kind of panicked a little bit when they came back."
Brown's defense held firm in the first half, ceding just one touchdown in each quarter. But near the end of the game, the defense could not get off the field. Cornell scored on three straight possessions starting with a rushing touchdown with 1:07 to play in the third quarter. The Bears then watched Cornell finish a 16-play drive with a 14-yard passing touchdown, and the Big Red tied the game after getting outstanding field position on a punt return and booting a 24-yard field goal with 4:39 to play.
The Bears did not give up points in bunches in the first-half against Cornell or in the Princeton game, but Brewer said Saturday's opening period loosened up the Bears defense across the field.
"We didn't really change a whole lot from the Princeton game. (Cornell) just ran a different scheme," he said. "Our goal was to shut down the run but unfortunately we gave up too much on the ground early in the game. It definitely opened up the play action for them in the second half."
In overtime, Cornell's offensive success continued. After seven- and nine-yard passes to get the ball to the Brown five-yard line, running back Randy Barbour barreled into the end zone for his third touchdown of the day.
Needing a touchdown to tie the score and send the game into a second overtime, Brown gained two yards on three passes and faced a fourth-and-eight at the Cornell 23-yard line. With the game's outcome hanging in the balance, Head Coach Phil Estes called a time out. Then, he went to his bag of tricks to try and gain a first down and extend the game.
"I threw a swing pass to Bobby (Sewall '10) and he was going to toss back to me for a screen," said quarterback Michael Dougherty '09. "But we weren't able to complete it."
Dougherty, the leading passer in yards per game in Division I-AA, had another spectacular game, going 32-for-55 for 359 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception. He played a spectacular first half, throwing two touchdown passes to Sewall and connecting with Farnham and Paul Raymond '08 several times.
"I thought we made big plays on third down to get it down the field a few times," Dougherty said. "I don't know if they did too much different in the second half. They played more man (defense) and brought a little more pressure."
Farnham finished with 132 yards and a touchdown. Raymond had 95 yards and Sewall and Colin Cloherty '09 chipped in 58 and 55 yards, respectively. But once again, the Bears struggled on the ground without Dereck Knight '08, who is out for the season with a foot injury. Brown finished with 58 rushing yards on 19 carries, just over three yards per touch. The team's inability to control the run game contributed to Brown's inability to close out games, but Dougherty said the lack of a consistent rushing attack is no excuse.
"Throwing is how we get our points and what our offense does best," he said. "It doesn't matter if our offense is up 20 (points) or down 20, we have to execute."
Next week the Bears will look to take down the University of Pennsylvania in front of a Parents Weekend crowd.
"We still have a lot to play for," Brewer said. "You can't call it quits in the Ivy League because you never know what's going to happen."
