In the final game of the season, the Brown football team (5-5, 2-5 Ivy) surged to a miraculous 35-28 victory over Dartmouth (7-3, 4-3). The Bears’ defense delivered their best performance of the year this Saturday, creating 4 turnovers and lifting Bruno to their first victory over the Big Green since 2016.
The Senior Day win marked an apt end to a roller-coaster 2025 campaign, in which Brown faced some of their highest highs and lowest lows en route to finishing the season with a .500 record.
The year began with a 46-0 thrashing of Georgetown (6-6, 3-4 Patriot League) and a historic Governor’s Cup triumph over the University of Rhode Island (10-2, 8-0 Coastal Athletic Association) — but a 41-7 clobbering at the hands of Harvard (9-1, 6-1 Ivy) humiliated the Bears. A 29-19 victory against Bryant (3-9, 1-7 CAA) in October gave way to 4 consecutive Ivy League losses, including an agonizing 11-point collapse at Cornell (4-6, 3-4 Ivy). But just last week, Bruno fought to a win over Columbia (2-8, 1-6) — the only other Ivy League team without a conference win at the time.
Up until Saturday, the Big Green, meanwhile, had continued their winning ways that earned them their 2024 Ivy League title. This year, dropping only 2 contests and ranked third in the Ivy League, Dartmouth carried lofty expectations to Providence — plus a chance at earning a trip to the national playoffs.
But the Bears had other plans. Coming off of last week’s momentum, Brown played their most complete game of the season, treating their home crowd to transcendent moments on both sides of the ball.
Though the game ended in triumph, it began with a tremor. On just the second play from scrimmage, quarterback James Murphy ’27 gave away the first turnover of the game.
“I’ve been on this field a lot,” Head Coach James Perry ’00 told The Herald in a post-game interview. “I’m as proud as I’ve ever been of these kids, how they practice, how they work, how they take care of business.”
Though the game ended in triumph, it began with a tremor. On just the second play from scrimmage, quarterback James Murphy ’27 gave away the first turnover of the game.
The Big Green wasted no time capitalizing on the Bears’ mistake. Collecting 2 first downs on their opening 2 snaps, Dartmouth swiftly moved into the red zone. Two plays later, they crossed the goal line to earn the first lead of the game.
Determined to respond, Murphy began a purposeful offensive onslaught. With 6 minutes left in the first quarter, running back Matt Childs ’28 collected the ball on a slant route and ran over a Dartmouth defender to move the chains. Murphy then delivered a dart to tightly covered receiver Solomon Miller ’26 to get the Bears into the red zone. Two snaps later, Childs slipped out of the backfield into the end zone and easily corralled a toss from Murphy to tie the game.
“At Harvard, we had an early interception — a pick six on the first play of the game, and I didn’t handle it as well as I thought I handled it today,” Murphy reflected in a post-game interview with The Herald. “I think it just comes to leaning on your teammates.”
As the Big Green’s offense took the field with plans to respond, the Bears’ defense bared their teeth. After creating a third-and-14, captain linebacker John Perdue ’26 — whom Perry called “one of the best players in the (Ivy) League” — perfectly read a pass and stepped in front of a Dartmouth receiver to deliver the ball back to Bruno’s offense.
Murphy pressed the momentum shift, firing off consecutive completions to receiver Trevor Foley ’28 to get to the Big Green’s 24-yard line. On a fourth-and-1, running back Qwentin Brown ’26 took a direct snap and pushed the pile for a first down. From the 6-yard line, Childs sped over the goal line to give Bruno a 14-7 lead.
Dartmouth’s response was emphatic. A short dump-off to receiver Ky’Dric Fisher went for 31 yards, and on a fourth-and-8 from Brown’s 35-yard line, Dartmouth tight end Chris Corbo drew his team even by comfortably catching a lob from Big Green quarterback Grayson Saunier and bringing it to the end zone.
Accelerating the contest’s pace even more, Bruno scored on their next drive in only 6 plays. From Dartmouth’s 41-yard line, Murphy escaped a collapsing pocket and put his shoulder down for a 20-yard gain. On the very next play, he threw in the direction of receiver Jackson Delaney ’26, who caught the ball — Delaney’s first career touchdown in his very last game as a Brown Bear.
As the Big Green’s offense took the field with plans to respond, the Bears’ defense bared their teeth.
At this point, Brown had strung together three straight touchdown drives. But Dartmouth, one of the league’s premier units, refused to give in.
With just 12 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Fisher found a soft spot in the defense for a Big Green touchdown grab and secured a 21-21 dead heat as the teams headed to the locker rooms.
After the second half opened with 3 consecutive three-and-outs, Murphy attempted to force a ball into traffic over the middle, but Dartmouth cornerback Niquis Ratcliff leaped into the air to secure the turnover.
Beginning their drive with strong field position at their own 46-yard line, the Big Green hammered toward the end zone. With 8 straight rushing plays — including a 3-yard touchdown run up the gut — Dartmouth claimed the lead, 28-21.
Suddenly looking lost after moving the ball at will in the first half, the Bruno offense attempted a direct snap on their next fourth down. But the Big Green stuffed the rushing try, and their offense received the ball at Brown’s 32-yard line.
If Dartmouth had scored here, they would have pulled 2 scores in front — almost undoubtedly out of Bruno’s reach. But on third down, linebacker Sam Smith ’26 burst into the backfield and sacked Saunier, forcing a 50-yard field goal attempt that fell harmlessly short.
Bruno cornerback Cap Davis ’27 –– standing only 5-feet 10-inches –– wrestled the jump ball away from Dartmouth tight end Chris Corbo for an astounding game-sealing interception.
Revitalized, Brown’s offense answered. On first down, Murphy dumped the ball off to Childs, who found daylight up the right sideline and pulled away for 38 yards. As the clock turned to the final quarter, Murphy released a bullet over the middle, finding Miller in the end zone to tie the game at 28 all.
The story of the season’s final quarter was written by only one unit: the Brown defense. In just 15 minutes, the Bears forced 3 turnovers.
After the Bears’ offense was forced to punt, bringing the defense back out, Brown cornerback Alejandro Bello ’28 authored the game’s — and perhaps the season’s — most exhilarating play. Facing pressure on third down, Saunier rolled right and released a pass downfield. Lying in wait, Bello jumped the route and seized the football. Without missing a beat, he turned on the afterburners and dashed up the left sideline all the way to the end zone, sending Brown Stadium into a frenzy.
“We were in zone coverage, and I trusted my teammates,” Bello recalled in a post-game interview with The Herald. “When I saw the ball in the air, I knew I had to go get it, and I just ran as fast as I could for my brothers.”
With less than 5 minutes remaining, Dartmouth had one last chance to tie the game. But instead, Bruno’s defense punctuated their sublime performance.
From Brown’s 31-yard line, Saunier launched a deep ball to the end zone for the 6-foot-5-inch Corbo. In one-on-one coverage, Bruno cornerback Cap Davis ’27 — standing only 5-feet 10-inches — wrestled the jump ball away from Corbo for an astounding game-sealing interception.
“There’s a lot to build on for next year,” quarterback James Murphy ’27 said. “But for right now, we’re just going to cherish what we have and celebrate the win.”
After kneeling out the upset in victory formation, Murphy said that the win against Dartmouth — who he called “one of the best teams in the Ivy League” — shows the strength of Brown football.
“There’s a lot to build on for next year,” he added. “But for right now, we’re just going to cherish what we have and celebrate the win.”
