The football team (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) looked unstoppable in Saturday’s home opener against the Georgetown Hoyas (2-2, 0-1 Patriot League). In their best offensive performance since 2013, the Bears posted 46 points — all while shutting out a 2-1 Georgetown offense.
“Having coached here a long time, that was as complete a game as I’ve ever seen on this field,” Head Coach James Perry ’00 said in a post-game interview with The Herald. “I’m really proud of the kids for putting that effort in in preparation and then executing today.”
From the opening snap, it was all Bruno. Catching a swing pass to the right, 2024 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Matt Childs ’28 streaked upfield and down the right sideline to take the first play from scrimmage 36 yards downfield. First-time starting quarterback James Murphy ’27 connected with Tyler Pezza ’26 and Levi Linowes ’27 for 23 yards through the air while Childs carved through the defensive line on the ground.
In three minutes, Brown had marched down to the goal line, where Qwentin Brown ’26 — who emerged as the team’s most prolific scorer a year ago, racking up nine rushing touchdowns and tying for first in the Ivy League — took over, punching home the Bears’ first touchdown of the 2025 season.
“That’s just our hard work paying off,” Qwentin Brown said in a post-game interview with The Herald. “We’ve always known that that was in us, and that was just it expressing itself.”
On the defensive end, the Bears were just as lethal. Coming into the contest, Georgetown averaged about 40 points a game, but on the 100-year anniversary of the opening of Richard Gouse Field, the bruising Bruno defense played shut-out football.
Led by Miles Brophy ’27, a transfer student from Davidson College, and Tommy Dunn ’27, who paralyzed the Hoya quarterback from the edge, the Bears vanquished Georgetown’s hopes of reaching the end zone. During Georgetown’s first offensive possession, Brophy racked up three tackles.
But it wasn’t just the rushers who dominated. On the outside, Bruno’s defensive backs blanketed Georgetown’s receivers.
With just over three minutes to go in the first quarter, on Georgetown’s second offensive possession, Brown clinched their first take-away. Looking to hit his receiver on an out route, Georgetown’s quarterback Dez Thomas II fired a missile to the right sideline.
Tyler Pezza ’26 (right) celebrates a play with teammates in the first quarter of Saturday’s game. Three minutes into Saturday’s game, Qwentin Brown ’26 punched home the Bears’ first touchdown of the 2025 season.
Safety Nevaeh Gattis ’26, who recorded an interception in last year’s match-up against Georgetown, was pivotal in securing another one this year. Undercutting the route, he deflected the ball into the air and straight into the arms of a lunging Cap Davis ’27.
Buoyed by terrific play on the defensive side, the offense was quick to capitalize. After a quick 11-yard pass to Dillon Golden ’26, and a facemask call that gifted Brown 14 yards, the Bears cruised into the Hoya redzone. From nine yards out, running back Jackson Bennett ’27 did the rest.
Taking a stretch play to the right, he slipped through an arm tackle at the line of scrimmage and bent upfield, outsprinting Georgetown’s linebackers and lunging into the endzone for the second Bruno score of the day. With 1:22 left in the first, Brown led 14-0.
By Georgetown’s third offensive drive, something became very clear: Brown was simply performing on a higher level. There wasn’t anything fancy to Bruno’s domination — no trick plays or surprise schemes. The Bears’ running game was ruthless, the passing game smooth, and on the defensive end, Georgetown was no match for Bruno’s ferocious pass rush or run defense.
Nonetheless, Perry underscored the talent pervading Georgetown’s roster. “They’re going to have a great season,” he said. “They’ve already won two very impressive games. Last week was a barn burner against a terrific Lafayette team. So, they’re a hell of a team.”
Perry called Brown’s win against a team that has already played three games “a great reflection of our preparation.” he continued. “It’s hard, very, very hard to come out and do that — our first game, their fourth game — and the kids performed very well.”
Securing a win in Bruno’s first game of the season against a team that had already played three was “a great reflection of our preparation,” Perry said.
“It’s unfortunate that that’s the way the Ivy (schedule) works,” Qwentin Brown added, “but watching other people play just gets us even more ready to come out” and perform.
The Bears’ running game was ruthless, the passing game smooth, and on the defensive end, Georgetown was no match for Bruno’s ferocious pass rush or run defense.
Though this was the most one-sided game Bruno has had in the last decade, it was not flawless.
After Najih Rahman ’27 exploited Georgetown’s cover 1 scheme on a slot fade — bursting between the outside linebacker and low-safety to find a hole in the coverage and clinch a 40-yard reception — Brown found themselves in Georgetown’s red zone.
Three plays later, the Bears were nearing the end zone. But on third down, perhaps for the first time all game, Murphy’s inexperience showed. Solomon Miller ’26 beat his defender off the line and streaked across the endzone. But Murphy held the ball for too long, and after missing the open window, Brown had to settle for a field goal.
In the wider context of the game, this missed play ended up being inconsequential. But once the Bears find themselves in a tight fight, they’ll need to be able to withstand the pressure of must-score plays and find the endzone when it counts.
Just a play later, the Bears more than made up for the missed touchdown. Flying down the field, Sam Smith ’26 pummeled the Georgetown returner on the kickoff. Clinical in his tackle, Smith hit hard and punched the ball out. Camryn Williams-Dalton ’27 scooped it up, bursting down the right sideline until he was shoved out of bounds at the six-yard line.
Two plays later, the team was in virtually the same situation — third-and-goal, at Georgetown’s four-yard line. This time, Bruno wouldn’t be denied. Murphy connected with Childs on an angle route to advance the lead to 24-0.
On Brown’s next offensive drive, the Bears seemingly proved they were destined to win. With three minutes left in the half, Brown made what should have been a crucial mistake. An errant snap slipped through Murphy’s fingers, and as Georgetown’s defensive line came crashing into the backfield, Murphy was still peeling the ball off the turf. With the pocket collapsing, Murphy just barely managed to hand the ball off to Qwentin Brown, who was met in the backfield for what should have been a tackle for loss.
Once the Bears find themselves in a tight fight, they’ll need to be able to withstand the pressure of must-score plays and find the endzone when it counts.
But Qwentin Brown didn’t go down. He broke through the initial tackle, muscling his way ten yards downfield, where the next wave of Georgetown defenders swarmed. A linebacker initiated contact, and the safeties were quick to follow. Soon, it was a good old fashioned shoving match, with players from both sides trying to push the pile. Somehow, in the confusion of revolving legs and pounding shoulder pads, Qwentin Brown emerged from the pile, waltzing 49 yards into the endzone for his second score of the game.
It was just that type of day. Even on the plays Bruno was supposed to falter, they somehow managed to score.
“I was just always taught never stop running your feet until you hear that whistle and that whistle didn’t blow,” Qwentin Brown said in a post-game interview with The Herald.
As the teams entered the locker rooms, the stats looked dismal for Georgetown: 272 total yards of offense for Brown to the Hoya’s 70 and a 32-0 Bruno lead.
When the second half began, things somehow got worse for Georgetown. They showed glimpses of promise — but every time, they either made a mistake or were swallowed by Brown’s dominant defense.
With three minutes left in the third, Brown got back to scoring. Murphy connected with Linowes on a 42-yard bomb up the seam. Linowes was pitted one-on-one against the safety, and after beating him inside, he turned up the hash and was home free. Following the successful point after touchdown, Brown led the game 39-0.
As the third wound to a close, Dunn had one more miracle in store. After Liam Fitzgerald ’28 burst through the o-line, forcing Thomas to step up and to the right, Dunn torpedoed from the edge, blowing up Thomas and forcing a fumble, which Bruno recovered at the 21-yard line. From there, it only took a few plays for the Bears to score.
For the first time in over a decade, Bruno dropped over 40 points on an opponent. Now up 46-0, the Bears coasted until the final whistle blew.
The Bears will next play against Harvard, on Saturday at 6 p.m.
“Harvard’s going to be a tough team,” Qwentin Brown said. “After what happened last year, they’re going to have an edge on us. We know that. We’re ready. You can see we have a whole new energy even compared to last year, so I think we’re ready for that.”
Lydell Dyer is a sports editor for The Herald. A junior hailing from Bonn, Germany, Lydell is studying nonfiction English and political science, and if he's not off "making words sound pretty," you can find him lifting heavy circles at the Nelson.
