PROVIDENCE – It’s been more than a decade since Brown has put together a football season like this, both overall and in Ivy League play.
The Bears clinched a bit of recent history on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 14, against Columbia, using an explosive second quarter and a survivor’s effort on defense to prevail at Brown Stadium.
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Matt Childs scored all four touchdowns and Brown came up with a pair of key stops late to seal the result. The Bears posted a 28-20 victory over the Lions under milky sunshine, a result that wrapped up a perfect 4-0 run on the East Side and made Senior Day that much more special.
“We wanted to change the narrative about Brown,” edge rusher Ike Odimegwu said. “I think today, winning out at home, we finally did that to a certain degree. We’re very happy with it.”
Phil Estes was the last coach at the school to close at least 4-3 in the conference and 6-4 overall, doing so in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Brown could lose next week at Dartmouth and still equal both of those marks over their 10-game schedule. The Bears will have more on their minds when they head north to take on the Big Green.
Four rushing touchdowns by Matt Childs (2) powered Brown to a 28-20 win over visiting Columbia on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Brown Stadium.
“You’ve got stepping stones,” Childs said. “This week is a great thing to lean on when we go to Dartmouth. We want to play for an Ivy League championship.”
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Brown ultimately did enough just before halftime to build a lead it never relinquished. Childs smashed in from 1 yard out to cut into a 10-0 deficit, and Jeff Bandy forced a fumble on the following kickoff. Airiz Coleman Bey recovered, Childs made a spectacular leaping catch along the left sideline on a fourth down pass from James Murphy and then ripped up the middle again from 4 yards out to make it 14-10.
“He’s practicing like that,” Brown coach James Perry said. “Matt is a great player. We’re very lucky to have him.”
The Bears weren’t done there, forcing a Columbia punt with 2:21 left and flying down the field. Levi Linowes slipped up the left sideline for a 45-yard gain on a short pass from Murphy, and Childs took a direct snap 1 yard up the gut to give Brown a 21-10 halftime advantage.
“That was the only time I could say I felt unstoppable,” Childs said. “It’s a great feeling.”
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Chase Goodwin’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Hutch Crow made it 21-17 at the end of three, and the Lions were driving again into the fourth. Columbia reached the edge of the red zone before drawing a holding penalty, and an Odimegwu sack on third down eventually forced a punt. The Bears followed the the clinching march, rolling 80 yards on eight plays and closing with a 7-yard touchdown run from Childs with 8:59 left.
“When you have guys who can get to the quarterback, it’s fun when they can finally get home,” Perry said. “We needed that.”
The Lions (4-5, 1-5 Ivy League) piled up 30 first downs, closed 11-for-16 on third down and held the ball for more than 42 minutes. Brown (6-3, 4-2) was still able to limit Columbia to four scoring drives, including a pair of field goals from Hugo Merry. It’s the eighth time in nine games this season that the Bears have held their opponents to 20 points or fewer, and the lone exception was a 38-31 overtime victory over Cornell.
“Coach Perry brought us all in and instilled a dog mentality,” linebacker Max Malo said. “Advantage Brown, right? It’s all about facing adversity.”
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Harvard tops the league standings at 5-1 while Brown sits tied with Princeton at 4-2. The Crimson would clinch an outright conference championship with a win against Yale next week, guaranteed to finish one game ahead of both the Bears and Tigers. That reality won’t erase what has been a turnaround season under Perry on the East Side, one that comes after winning the last two games of 2025 to close 5-5 overall.
“I’ve seen a lot of great times here,” Perry said. “I’m lucky to have been a part of some really great teams and great groups. This is one of the best.”
Columbia 7 3 7 3 – 20
Brown 0 21 0 7 – 28
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C – Brody McLaughlin 1 run (Hugo Merry kick)
C – Merry 30 field goal
B – Matt Childs 1 run (Drew Crabtree kick)
B – Childs 4 run (Crabtree kick)
B – Childs 1 run (Crabtree kick)
C – Hutch Crow 7 pass from Chase Goodwin (Merry kick)
B – Childs 7 run (Crabtree kick)
C – Merry 32 field goal
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Brown tops Columbia to clinch first winning season since 2013
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
