Brownout

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - If Penn had any hope of keeping its perfect Ivy record alive, it was going to take a dominant comeback reminiscent of what happened against Brown last year at Franklin Field. This time, however, the Quakers did not have their experienced signal caller, Pat McDermott, under center. And that may have made all the difference. Penn's offense faltered out of the gate and never was able to put it together. And, for the first time in an Ivy League game this season, the Quakers' defense collapsed as Brown washed away the league's only unbeaten team. With the 34-20 victory, the Bears (6-1, 3-1 Ivy) forced a tie atop the standings along with Penn, Princeton and Yale. The win was Brown's first over the No. 25 Quakers (5-2, 3-1) since 1999, when the Bears won their last Ivy title. It also denied Penn coach Al Bagnoli his 100th victory at the helm of the Red and Blue. "We didn't play anywhere near as well as we're capable of, and I certainly would take the blame for that," Bagnoli said. "We had some decent field position and then some penalties, and we just couldn't seem to get over the hump." As expected, Brown's Nick Hartigan made the game all about himself. The senior tailback carried 39 times for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Not only was this more yards than Penn allowed to any other team this season, it was 13 more yards than the Quakers' last four opponents managed - combined.

"I was going to put it in [Hartigan's] hands and let him take care of it," said Bears coach Phil Estes, noting that his quarterback, junior Joe DiGiacomo, had been uncomfortable all day. Crucial to all of this were Hartigan's yards after contact, especially on third downs. But that was nothing new. "It's kinda what I do," said an exuberant Hartigan. And he probably would have gotten more if not for the Bears' exceptional field position. Two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a botched put set Brown up for easy scores deep in Penn territory. "I thought we had a good, strong defensive line, but he just ended up breaking a couple and capitalizing on the short field," said Penn junior lineman J.J. Stanton. The Quakers meanwhile, could not take advantage of a short field on three key possessions early in the third quarter, going three-and-out on a trio of drives from midfield. Sophomore quarterback Bryan Walker, starting for the injured McDermott, compiled a respectable 193 yards through the air and two touchdowns, but the two picks and a number of dropped passes by his receivers killed any momentum. "It was too inconsistent," Walker said of the offense's work that day. Inconsistent would be an understatement, as the Bears built a 24-0 lead in the first half. Trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, Walker went deep into quadruple coverage for junior Chris Mizell at the Penn 42. Brown's Jamie Gasparella was one of those four, and he snagged the ball with ease. "I don't think he was open at all," Gasparella said. To add insult to injury, Walker's counterpart DiGiacomo broke seven tackles and dashed 40 yards into the end zone to put Brown up 17-0. For only the second time this season, the Quakers failed to score a rushing touchdown, even though two of the three strikes were caught by running back Joe Sandberg. Penn's running game was stifled as Brown kept senior Sam Mathews to just 78 yards on 20 carries. Long third-down positions also severely limited the ground game. "If you look at the third downs for both teams it's not very pretty, but that was caused by a lot of negative plays on first and second down," Bagnoli said. His squad converted just two of 15 third downs. Junior Zak DeOssie, who led Brown with 13 tackles, forced the fumble from the tentative hands of Carre and kept the Quakers off balance all day. "Zak was all over that field. He made big play after big play," his coach said. And just when you thought kicker Derek Zoch had it all figured out, old demons resurfaced. The sophomore missed a pair of field goals - one from 27 yards and another from 48 - as well as an extra point in the third quarter. Zoch's counterpart, Steve Morgan, pounded through two field goals, giving him 15 for the season - a new Brown record. For a group of Brown seniors that had never won an Ivy title, let alone beaten Penn, the victory was monumental. Call it validation for a program that for many years played second-fiddle to Penn and Harvard. "That's where you gauge your program," Estes said. "If you play up to their level and you beat them - then you know you're a good football team." Injuries or no injuries, Brown was the better football team on Saturday. NOTES: Senior tackle Don Snyder was carried off the field in the first quarter. Bagnoli said that he sustained a dislocated ankle and would be out for the season. With the loss, the Quakers' stay in the top-25 will likely be just one week this season. Penn has been ranked in the Division I-AA polls at least once each season since 2000.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.