Thanks to the steady guidance of quarterback Nick Marietti '05 and the dominant running of tailback Nick Hartigan '06, the football team ended its season on a high note, defeating Columbia, 33-21.
The pace of the game was set during Brown's first offensive series, on which Marietti threw for 23 yards and two first downs. The first completion was to Mike Westbrook '05, another senior who had not seen much playing time this season. A 21-yard field goal by Steve Morgan '08 gave the Bears a quick 3-0 lead.
Columbia (1-8, 1-5 Ivy League) showed no signs of lying down, responding with a 66-yard touchdown drive to surge ahead, 7-3. But Brown regained momentum: timely passing by Marietti allowed Brown to take a 10-7 lead three minutes later.
"I was just excited that coach gave me the opportunity to play on Saturday," said Marietti. "I just tried to go out there, be confident, step up and try to make plays."
Morgan hit another field goal to give Bruno a 13-7 lead going into the half. The second half proved to be like many for Brown this season as Hartigan took over.
"He is an unstoppable, very productive and very durable back," Estes said. "To take the pounding that he does game in and game out and carry the ball 39 times is pretty incredible."
Consistent with the game's back-and-forth nature, the two teams traded touchdowns to make the score 20-14. Once again, Brown replied. Keyed by a 19-yard reception by Jarrett Schreck '06 on third-and-10, Brown responded with a touchdown as Hartigan scored again, putting Bruno up 26-14.
Columbia managed to get it back to a one-score game, scoring another touchdown with 3:21 left. They attempted an on-side kick, but co-captain Anjel Gutierrez '05 signaled fair catch, drawing a 15-yard penalty when the Lions tackled him.
"I saw how the ball was placed and thought it could come to me," said Gutierrez. "Then when he kicked the ball, it was just instinct that took over and that was that."
Starting at the Columbia 31, Bruno sealed the win with another score. Hartigan, behind offensive linemen Sean Fortin '05, co-captain Will Burroughs '05, Tyler Johnson '05 and Ian Tolle '05, rushed for his fourth touchdown, giving him a Brown record 17 on the season.
"We're talking about controlling the football and making first downs and they did better than that," Estes said. "They put points on the board and put the game out of hand."
The efforts of the defense were similarly hard to overlook. A strong defensive effort spearheaded by Craig Young '05 (five tackles and an interception) kept Columbia from retaking the lead. Paul Kaminski '05 and Mike Stefanacci '05 each contributed three tackles, while linebackers Scott Epperson '05 and Dan Doublin '05 combined for 12 stops and a sack.
For Marietti, the victory in his final game in a Brown uniform was particularly sweet. "He did what a veteran quarterback should," Estes said. "I owe him a lot for the four years of service he put into this football team. I didn't just do this for him, I did this because we were thinking that he could go out there and win for us."
Hartigan was clearly the star of the game with 179 yards and four touchdowns. Along with the single-season touchdown record, Hartigan also set a new Brown mark for points in a season with 102.
"A lot of (my touchdowns) have to do with me and a lot of them have to do with the rest of the offense," said Hartigan. "It's an honor to be called upon in those situations by coach, and I'm just doing the best I can in those situations."
With the Columbia game barely on the books, Estes was already thinking about next season. "I'm just proud of the way our seniors played, Estes said. "But right now it's about letting people like Nick Hartigan step up to lead this team next year. We were talking about it all the time, as soon as that Columbia game is over we start planning for next year."
