Season Ends With a Rally Cut Short

Brown scored 21 unanswered points in the first quarter and fended off a late Columbia rally to beat the Lions 30-22 Saturday at Baker Field. The loss gave Columbia a final season record of 1-9 (0-7 Ivy), and gave Brown outright claim to third place in the Ivy League with a 4-3 conference record.

Brown won the toss, elected to receive, and then showcased the same game-plan that helped it beat Dartmouth last week. Quarterback Michael Dougherty criss-crossed the field on his feet and threw quick, precise passes, catching Columbia’s defense in a number of mistakes. The Bears marched down the field in 10 plays to start the game, scoring on a 17-yard pass to sophomore Buddy Farnham.

Columbia’s offense started with an effective running attack. Sophomore running back Ray Rangel took the ball up the left sideline for 22 yards, the longest run of his career. He took the ball again on the next play, but a holding penalty erased his impressive carry. The Lions made up for the penalty to get to the 5-yard line, then decided to go for a touchdown pass on fourth-and-five. Senior quarterback Craig Hormann’s pass to freshman tight end Andrew Kennedy was on the mark, but was swatted down in the endzone.

Brown marched back down the field, scoring again on a direct snap play to sophomore receiver Bobby Sewall from three yards out. The Bears then came back to score a third touchdown on another direct snap to Sewall to end the first quarter ahead 21-0. Columbia benefited from two Brown penalties to get in the red zone once in the second quarter, but an incomplete pass and two ineffective running plays forced the Lions to settle for a field goal. With the score at 21-3 at the half, the Lions set about putting together their most impressive halftime about-face of the season.

After a lopsided first half, Brown head coach Phil Estes sensed a turnaround in the works.

“You get worried when you really take it to a team in the first half,” Estes said. “You say to yourself, ‘That was too easy.’ . . . They came out in no-huddle and made some big plays, and then offensively we went from hot to cold, and that’s all the ingredients for a disaster.”

A 46-yard kick return by sophomore receiver Austin Knowlin gave the Lions the ball at midfield, and Hormann led a nine-play drive to put Columbia within two touchdowns. The scoring play was a 9-yard bullet to Nico Gutierrez in the back of the endzone. The Light Blue defense forced Brown to punt twice, and the offense rallied with consecutive field goals of 20 and 26 yards. Down by eight, the Lions got a huge boost to start the fourth quarter when defensive end Matt Bashaw forced Sewall to fumble and senior defensive back Eugene Edwards recovered, sprinting up the sideline for a 69-yard touchdown.

Columbia’s defense then forced a timely three-and-out, providing the rejuvenated offense a chance to grab the lead. Hormann threw a 26-yard pass to Gutierrez on first down, but he was intercepted two plays later on a pass intended for Jamal Russell. The defense held Brown to just two field goals in the second half, and it was a stalwart effort in the red zone that kept the game winnable up until the final seconds.

With 2:48 left in the game, the Lions took the ball for what looked to be their last offensive drive of the season. After a gutsy pass play to Knowlin on fourth-and-12, the Lions called a time out. On the next play, Hormann threw another interception. Brown took the ball with 1:47 left to play, but failed to run out the clock, giving the Lions the chance for a final drive. After throwing an incompletion, Hormann was intercepted for a third time, and the Bears let the clock wind down for the win.

Though it was the last game of his career, the coaches made it clear to Craig Hormann that his position was in jeopardy if he ever started slipping.

“We had nothing to lose. We went out there and put it on Craig’s arm. I’m not going to lie,” said head coach Norries Wilson.

The coaches showed their faith in the senior co-captain up until the very end—and it was faith well deserved. Hormann was 35-55 with 326 net passing yards, compensating for the paltry 59 yards the Lions managed on the ground.

Coach Wilson characterized the game as 15 minutes of bad football followed by 45 minutes of good football. It was the theme of the Lions’ season, and it led to a frustrating end in twelve seniors’ college football careers.