PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- For the first time in an Ivy League game this season the Penn defense collapsed, and 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 among Penn, Princeton, Yale and Brown, which have one loss.
The game pit strength against strength with the No. 2 rusher in Division I-AA, Brown's Nick Hartigan, facing the country's stingiest run defense -- Hartigan won.
The senior tailback carried the ball 39 times for 167 yards, more yardage than Penn allowed to any other team this season. It was 13 more than the Quakers last four opponents managed combined.
Hartigan's yards after contact were crucial, especially on third downs.
"It's kinda what I do," said an exuberant Hartigan after the game.
If Penn had any hope of keeping its perfect Ivy record alive, it was going to need a comeback reminiscent of the game against Brown last year at Franklin Field.
This time, however, the Quakers (5-2, 3-1) did not have experienced signal caller, Pat McDermott, under center. And that may have made all the difference.
Penn's offense never found a steady rhythm with sophomore quarterback Bryan Walker, who started for the injured McDermott.
Walker compiled 193 yards through the air, but two interceptions and several dropped passes by his receivers killed any momentum.
"It was too inconsistent," Walker said of the offense.
The win marked Brown's first over the Quakers since 1999, when the Bears won their last Ivy League title. It also denied Penn coach Al Bagnoli his 100th victory at the helm.
Hartigan could have accumulated even more yards, but the Bears' exceptional field position prevented the possibility. Two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a botched positioned Brown for easy scores deep in Penn territory.
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.
Following an interception during the Quakers' first possession, Brown's Steve Morgan hit a 47-yard field goal.
Penn let a 60-yard drive fizzle on the Brown 10 yard line as sophomore Derek Zoch missed a 27-yard field goal wide to the left late in the first quarter. Holder Scott Williams could not handle a bad snap, forcing Zoch's short-range miss.
Zoch had another chance early in the second quarter but came up short on a 48-yard attempt.
Brown used a 15-yard dash from Nick Hartigan to set up a touchdown pass from Joe DiGiacomo to Brennan Carson, and the Bears went ahead, 10-0.
After a holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff, Penn started from its own 14 yard line. Walker threw his first pass into quadruple coverage at the Penn 42, and Brown's Jamie Gasparella picked the ball out of the air with ease.
Gasparella broke seven tackles and scampered 40 yards into the endzone to put Brown up 17-0.
Gasparella wasn't done. On Penn's next position, the 6-foot-1 senior recovered a fumble by receiver Matt Carre on the Penn 35. The Brown offense took advantage of the field position and Hartigan pushed in his first touchdown of the day from the goal line.
The Quakers could not put together a solid offensive series until late in the second quarter. Walker completed a 30-yard screen pass to Joe Sandberg who ran all the way to the endzone for Penn's first score.
It looked as though Brown would add to its lead early in the second half until DiGiacomo lofted a screen pass at the Penn 22 yard line. The Quakers' Scotty Williams grabbed the ball -- and with a few blocks -- ran into the endzone for an 83-yard interception return. The touchdown pulled the Quakers to within 10, 24-14.
The Bears answered with a 24-yard touchdown run from Hartigan.
Brown pushed the lead to 20 in the fourth quarter when Morgan notched a new Bears record with his 15th field goal of the season. The sophomore leads the Ivy League -- he has made 15 of 17 kicks.
With little more than 10 minutes to go, the Quakers marched down to the Brown 26 yard line, where Walker connected with Sandberg for a touchdown. Zoch missed the extra point and Penn cut the lead to 34-20.
After that Brown's defense kept the Quakers at bay, bolstering the Bears' drive toward their first Ivy League title since 1999.
For complete coverage from the weekend in Ivy football, see Monday's Daily Pennsylvanian.
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