Despite the return of veteran quarterback Thomas “TJ” Linta ’18, Brown failed to find an offensive rhythm its 34-7 loss to Ivy League leaders Yale Friday night. A last-minute touchdown reception by Livingstone “LJ” Harriott ’20 prevented the shutout, but the Bears (2-6, 0-5) couldn’t overcome the deficit and suffered their fifth consecutive defeat.
“We had a good week of practice, and it just didn’t translate well into the game,” Harriott said. “We had a lot of missed assignments. We didn’t execute the way we needed to, and the game went exactly how it should’ve. Yale made plays and we didn’t. It’s just what it came down to.”
Yale (7-1, 4-1) jumped to an early lead, rushing 68 yards to the endzone on its second play of the game and scoring twice more in the opening quarter. An 83-yard touchdown reception by JP Shohfi gave Yale a comfortable 27-0 lead going into the half and helped the Bulldogs on their way to 563 yards of total offense.
The Bears made most of their offensive progress through the air after the team’s early deficit as Linta completed 12 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. David Moodie ’19 led the Bears on the ground, picking up 57 of Brown’s 91 rushing yards.
Bruno got on the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter after defensive back Terrell Smith ’18 intercepted a Yale pass with 5:25 left in the game. Linta hit Jakob Prall ’20 on a crossing route for 49 yards and a crucial fourth-down conversion before connecting with Jaelon Blandburg ’20 for 19 more. A four-yard grab in the corner of the endzone by Harriott gave Bruno its lone touchdown of the night and settled the final score at 34-7 as Yale took a knee to drain the game clock.
“Our offense definitely needs to get going,” Harriott said. “We have a lot of playmakers on offense, and we just need to figure out how to find the ball in better situations. Offense is probably the biggest thing we’ve got to focus on. We’ve got to help out our defense, get them off the field and just produce.”
With only two games remaining, Bruno cannot come away with a winning record but can shake up conference rankings in its game against third-place Dartmouth (6-2, 3-2) at Fenway Park Friday. Sports broadcasting icon Chris Berman ’77 P’08 P’09 will serve as an honorary captain for the Bears as the teams continue their rivalry for the 95th year, and the game will be aired live on NBC Sports Network.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially for our seniors,” Harriott said. “They gave up their last home game to play at Fenway and they’re all-in for it. We’re all pretty excited. It’s another opportunity on national television to show everyone what we got and how good of a team we truly are. Everyone is pretty hyped. We jumped right into preparation really early, so we’ll be ready.”
