When asked to relive the critical fumble he committed on his opponent's goal line in Saturday's football game against No. 22 Penn, Brown junior running back Nick Hartigan buried his face in his hands.
"I let my team down," last year's Ivy League-leading rusher said.
Hartigan couldn't have made a more spurious claim.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound tailback torched the Quakers for 176 yards on 39 carries in Penn's 20-16 victory over Brown on Saturday. And without his third-quarter fumble that almost assuredly cost Brown a touchdown, Hartigan would have led his Bears team to victory and end what is now a 19-game Ivy winning streak for the Red and Blue.
With each victory this season, the Quakers winning streak continues to look more and more precarious, and one of the key reasons for that is the growing problems with Penn's rush defense.
Last weekend, the Quakers allowed Yale running back Robert Carr to amass 167 yards on the ground -- although they did hold him scoreless -- in Penn's 17-7 victory over the Elis. After Hartigan's performance on Saturday, the Brown game marked the first time that any of the current Quakers have let up back-to-back 100-yard performances by an opposing rusher.
The Quakers also allowed Columbia running back Rashad Biggers -- who, unlike Hartigan and Carr, was not one of the top three Ivy League running backs a year ago -- to run for 64 yards on 22 carries in Penn's 14-3 victory over the Lions.
While Biggers averaged under three yards per carry against the Quakers, the Lions were able to maintain possession for large stretches of time with their running game, which kept Columbia only a touchdown away from taking the lead until the final quarter.
Despite allowing Columbia and Yale to run with consistency, the Quakers still came into the Brown game allowing their opponents a measly 2.4 yards per rush attempt.
What, then, explains Hartigan's explosive performance?
Penn coach Al Bagnoli attributed it to Brown's ability to set up strong plays for Hartigan.
"They cause you some schematic problems ... they do a good job of camouflaging formations," Bagnoli said. "And [Hartigan] makes you miss."
Penn senior defensive end Bobby Fallon, who recovered Hartigan's goal-line fumble, echoed his coach's sentiments.
"Hartigan ran hard for the whole game. I was very impressed with that," Fallon said. "From our energy level standpoint, on the Penn side of the ball, [the fumble] was a turning point" of the game.
The Quakers were unable to capitalize after the fumble, however, and found themselves in a dangerous situation, trailing 16-13 with time winding down in the fourth quarter and Brown in possession of the ball.
Hartigan plowed through the line six times during the drive, and led Brown into Penn territory until the Quakers' defense, led by Fallon, finally clamped down on the rusher around the Penn 40-yard line.
The Bears punted the ball to the Penn 12, giving the Quakers only three minutes to drive nearly 90 yards for any hope of victory.
Brown had what it wanted. Or so it thought.
Although McDermott was able to lead the Red and Blue on a remarkable scoring drive, Hartigan was just a few yards short, on several occasions, from sealing a Bears victory at Franklin Field.
And while Carr and Hartigan both represent some of the best the Ivy League has to offer, the Quakers have not yet faced the top running back in the Ancient Eight.
In two weeks, Penn will square of against Harvard in a game that could decide the Ivy League championship.
The Crimson will bring sophomore tailback Clifton Dawson, who leads the Ivy League in rushing yards (940), rushing touchdowns (14) and average yards per carry (5.50).
For the Quakers to maximize their advantages against Harvard, they will have to do a better job of clamping down on Dawson. Because in two weeks, they may not be lucky enough to get another goal-line fumble to stop the run.
