With the clock winding down in a back-and-forth contest at Columbia (1-8, 0-6 Ivy), the Brown football team (4-5, 1-5) faced one of the most decisive moments of their 2025 campaign.
Down by 4 as Bruno’s offense took the field, the promise of the season’s first Ivy League win lay 75 yards away –– and the heartbreak of a fifth consecutive loss loomed if they blinked before the goal line.
“When you’re in a losing streak, a lot of things can happen. The team can fall apart, or the team can come together,” Brown quarterback James Murphy ’27 said in a post-game interview. “This team did a great job of coming together after some really tough losses.”
Facing the season’s brightest lights, the Bears stepped up. From midfield, Murphy launched a 44-yard pass in the direction of a sprinting Trevor Foley ’28. With the end zone in sight, Foley leapt over a Columbia defender and came down clutching the ball — just 5 yards away from glory.
Two snaps later, as the pocket collapsed around him, Murphy scrambled forward and searched for Matt Childs ’28 in the end zone. Breaking toward the middle of the field on an angled route, Childs wrestled past a Columbia linebacker, secured the ball midair and scored his second touchdown of the day, pushing Brown’s lead to 32-29.
When the Lions’ offense took the field for their final showing, standout cornerback Elias Archie ’26 sealed the victory. On the first play of the drive, he stripped a receiver –– and any chance of a Columba response.
When the game began two hours earlier, the opening drives did not show hints of the offensive battle to come. On their first possessions, the two sides did little more than trade 3-and-out punts.
Though the Lions’ offense began to drive on their second attempt — relying on 6 consecutive rushing plays to hammer across midfield — their progress quickly stalled, and they turned the ball over on downs at the 34-yard line.
Crafting a more balanced attack, the Bears moved downfield with short passes and runs. A 20-yard rush by Qwentin Brown ’26 got Brown inside Columbia’s 10-yard line. From there, Murphy tossed a ball to Ty Pezza ’26 on a corner route.
Matched one-on-one with a Columbia defender, Pezza out-muscled the smaller cornerback to clasp the first score of the day –– and his seventh of the season. A successful 2-point conversion gave Brown an 8-0 lead.
Playing from ahead, Bruno’s defense complemented their offense’s success. Pushing the Lions out of Brown territory, Ike Odimegwu ’27 — who is tied for first in the Ivy League for solo sacks — got to Columbia’s quarterback Chase Goodwin. The teams then traded three consecutive punts.
Beginning with a poor position at their own 12-yard line, Bruno’s offense went to work. The drive’s first snap went to Childs in the flat, who patiently weaved through Columbia defenders for a first down. Just two plays later, Murphy took advantage of a clean pocket and delivered to tight end Levi Linowes ’27 on the right sideline for 24 yards.
A pass interference penalty drawn by Pezza advanced the Bears to Columbia’s 28-yard line, and soon after, receiver Pearson Hill ’28 stiff-armed a Columbia defensive back and barreled into the end zone. Bruno kicker Drew Crabtree ’29 nailed the point-after try, and suddenly, Brown led 15-0.
Intent on keeping stride, the Lions roared to life. After reaching Brown’s 41-yard line, Goodwin made a 17-yard completion to receiver Titus Evans, and on the very next snap, he found a wide-open Beckett Robinson in the end zone to cut the Bears’ advantage to 8 points.
With less than 3 minutes remaining in the half, on third-and-10, defensive back Camryn Williams-Dalton ’27 intercepted an underthrown deep ball along the left sideline, turning possession back to Murphy.
But Bruno’s offense could not capitalize. Despite beginning the drive past midfield, they collected only 1 first down before being turned away on fourth-and-5.
Columbia’s offense, given the chance to close out the half, did not fare better, faltering on their very first play. Odimegwu hit Goodwin when Goodwin threw the ball, forcing a fumble. The ball was sent wobbling to the feet of Bears linebacker John Perdue ’26, who returned it to Columbia’s 17-yard line.
But when Bruno attempted a field goal, Columbia defensive back Caleb Solomon broke through the line to block the kick, and the teams were sent into the locker rooms for halftime.
On their first appearance of the third quarter, Bruno went 3-and-out, while the Lions’ offense flourished.
Through 7 straight run plays, the Lions pounded the ball from their own 35-yard line to Brown’s 26. Just 4 plays later, Goodwin found Evans in Brown’s end zone. Columbia matched Bruno’s point total at 15 when they converted for 2 more points.
Back on the field, Murphy led a calculated drive into Columbia territory. Then, with a barrage of defensive linemen bearing down on him at the 38-yard line, Murphy dumped the ball off to halfback Jackson Bennett ’27, who evaded a tackle and found a seam up the left sideline, careening between defenders all the way to Columbia’s 9-yard line.
But once in the red zone, the Bears failed to convert. Two stymied rush attempts and an incomplete brought Crabtree onto the field, who put the football through the uprights to make the score 18-15 — advantage Brown.
Now firmly confident in their post-half adjustments, the Lions pounced for another score. From just across midfield, Goodwin launched a deep shot 44 yards to the Brown 5-yard line. As the clock turned to the final quarter, Columbia punched a rushing score up the gut. Following a successful point-after kick, the Lions held a 22-18 lead.
Playing from behind for the first time on Saturday, Bruno turned to the passing game. On first-and-20 from his own 15-yard line, Murphy sent a missile across midfield. Shaking two Columbia defenders, Foley reeled in the pass for a massive 46-yard gain.
On the next play, Murphy went right back to Foley for 17 more yards over the middle. One first down later, Childs collected a screen pass and tiptoed up the left sideline, into the end zone to put Brown back in front.
Reflecting on Foley’s recent exceptional performances –– 3 straight games with at least 99 yards –– Murphy said, “You could easily say that he’s the best player on the field anytime he’s out there … he works so hard, and he really had his coming out these past few weeks.”
After Brown’s defense forced a Columbia punt, the offense succumbed to a fourth-and-long as well. But on their punt attempt, Flynn muffed the snap and was forced to dive on the ball to prevent a Lions scoop-and-score.
Beginning their drive at Brown’s 28-yard line, Columbia needed only 3 snaps to capitalize –– Goodwin found his most reliable target, Evans, to score once more, claiming a 29-25 lead.
With 4 minutes left in the contest, Murphy emerged from the sideline and directed his game-winning play, closing out Brown’s first victory since Oct. 10.
The team will look to punctuate the season with a victory when Dartmouth (7-2, 4-2) visits on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for noon.
Head Coach James Perry ’00 remarked in a post-game interview that the team “will be hungry to play their best game next week.”
Sajiv Mehta is a senior staff writer covering sports. He is from Scarsdale, New York and plans on concentrating in English and American Studies. In his free time, he can be found reading an encyclopedic novel or watching the Yankees.
