Brown QB guns down Penn

Morey pulled in a 19-Morey pulled in a 19-yard touchdown in theMorey pulled in a 19-yard touchdown in thefinal minute to win it. PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- An Ivy League football team's season is 10 games long, and this was only the sixth week, but it seems fair to say that anyone who witnessed Saturday's Penn-Brown clash knows all there is to know about the Quakers' season. It was all on view -- inconsistent offense, breakdowns in the secondary, kicking-game adventures, plenty of penalties and a controversial ending -- in Penn's 27-21 defeat in front of 5,125 homecoming fans at Brown Stadium. In fairness, the enigmatic Bears (3-3, 2-1 Ivy) were at their best most of the day, looking far more polished than the squad that Yale crushed 30-0 on opening day. They intelligently rode the arm of senior quarterback Jason McCullough to their first win over Penn since 1990. Up 21-7 with under 13 minutes to play, Brown seemed to have the game well in hand. But all of a sudden, the offense came alive for Penn (2-4, 0-3). Starting at their own 20-yard line, the visitors marched 80 yards in 13 plays, including two crucial third-down conversions. Junior quarterback Tom MacLeod, making his first career start, got help from his receivers on the drive with both Brian Bonanno and Mark Fabish making highlight-reel catches. Fabish's was a diving grab in the left corner of the end zone, which much to the chagrin of Brown's defensive backs was judged to be in bounds. Normally reliable kicker Jeremiah Greathouse complicated matters by missing the extra point wide. MacLeod enjoyed the best statistical game by a Penn quarterback this season. He completed 20-of-38 pass attempts for 213 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. "Once we got midway into the second period, he got much better tempo with what we were trying to do," Penn coach Al Bagnoli. "I thought he played well enough for us to win." After closing the gap to 21-13 with less than six minutes to play, the Quakers were handed another score when wide-out Sean Morey fumbled on a reverse near midfield and Penn's John Bishop returned it to the Brown five-yard line. Two plays later, MacLeod and Fabish hooked up again. Tailback Jasen Scott (24 carries for 120 yards) continued to play well, plunging in over the left side for the two-point conversion. With less than five minutes to play, the Bears took over at their own 26. They marched to midfield, but then Penn's defense held firm, bringing up a third-and-16 situation. McCullough was flushed out of the pocket and heaved a ball downfield for tailback Marquis Jessie, who collided with Quakers nickelback Joseph Piela. Pass interference was assessed, and Brown had new life. Bagnoli was livid on the sideline, and only marginally calmer after the game. "Kids are running all over the field in a breakdown situation -- it's the classic no-call," said Bagnoli, who will have to wait at least another week to become Penn's all-time winningest head coach. "It's a rotten shame that [the game] gets decided by that call." Brown coach Mark Whipple took the line that "if the officials called it, it must be pass interference." But he did not see the play as the game's deciding point. "Look at the statistics -- they don't lie," Whipple said. "We pretty much had the game in hand until we muffed the thing and they get the ball on the five-yard line." Four plays later, McCullough hit Morey with a perfect toss for the deciding 19-yard touchdown, the second touchdown of the day for Brown's star receiver, who totaled 171 yards on nine catches. It was the most important, but not the only, big play Penn's secondary allowed. "They're good athletes, but we felt we had better athletes," said McCullough, who completed 18-of-31 attempts for 248 yards. "So we were looking to exploit that with guys like Morey." Both teams played sloppily all afternoon. In addition to missed extra points, the sides combined for 21 penalties, including five personal fouls. Brown opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first quarter. Fullback Mike Wall finished an 86-yard drive with a one-yard blast through the line. With five minutes left in the half, the Bears struck again. After a MacLeod pass was intercepted, McCullough led his team 48 yards for a touchdown, finishing it with a five-yard strike to Albert Lairson. Penn cut the gap to 14-7 at halftime on a 22-yard pass across the middle from MacLeod to Bonanno, who slipped into the end zone. Penn fell behind by two touchdowns again in the third quarter, when Morey got behind the Penn secondary on the right sideline and McCullough found him for a 44-yard score.