Brown Preview

The Yale Bulldogs host the Brown Bears on Saturday at the Bowl. Kickoff is slated for 12 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN+.

The Bears enter the contest with a 3-4 overall record and a 2-2 record in conference play. Brown sent shockwaves through the Ivy League with a 31-28 victory over Harvard in Week 2 and defeated Cornell 23-21 in a close contest weeks later. Penn jumped out to an early 21-7 lead last week against Brown and held off a late comeback from the Bears to win 38-28.

Senior QB Jake Willcox (6’2”, 215 lbs.) leads the Bears offense and was a 2^nd Team All-Ivy selection a year ago after leading the Ivy League in passing yards. Willcox has completed 62.5% of his passes this season with 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. The Bears are able to score in a hurry to claw back into contests as Willcox seems to heat up in the second halves. Willcox is a decent scrambler when the pocket collapses and has rushed for 242 yards and a touchdown. Freshman RB Matt Childs (6’0”, 200 lbs.) is the top ball carrier for the Bears with 4.3 yards per carry and 2 touchdowns on the season. Childs is also very dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield with 20 catches for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns. Senior RB Stockton Owen (6’1”, 215 lbs.) splits carries with Childs and was an Honorable Mention All-Ivy performer in 2023. Junior WR Solomon Miller (5’11”, 185 lbs.) is an explosive athlete who can stretch opposing coverages. Miller leads Brown in both receptions and receiving yards with 23 catches for 320 yards. Senior WR Mark Mahoney (6’5”, 240 lbs.) has the speed of a wideout and the size of a tight end. Mahoney leads the Bears in touchdown receptions with 4 and caught 2 touchdown passes against Harvard. Junior WR Chason Barber (6’5”, 215 lbs.) is Tiki Barber’s son and gives the Bears another large target to exploit smaller defensive backs. The Bears’ offensive line averages 294.0 lbs. across the board and is led by senior Jack Connolly (6’4”, 315 lbs.), a 1^st Team All-Ivy Leaguer a year ago. Offensive line play has been up and down for the Bears as Brown averages 3.6 yards per carry and has allowed 14 sacks. Coach James Perry has a very aggressive offensive philosophy and is seldom shy of fourth down attempts even at midfield. The Bears have converted on 61.9% of their fourth down attempts this season but have not been as efficient on third down attempts with just a 44.1% conversion rate. Success on defense this week will rely on limiting the mental errors as Brown’s varied attack will stress all levels of the defense and Perry will not be afraid to dig deep into his playbook for trick plays.

Brown’s defense hasn’t matched the offense’s performance surrendering an average of 401.1 yards per game. Senior DB Tim Malo (6’1”, 200 lbs.) has been the top defender for the Bears with 51 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2 interceptions. Senior DB Isaiah Reed (6’0”, 185 lbs.) was a 1^st Team All-Ivy selection in 2023 and is a potential NFL prospect, although injuries have limited him to just 4 games this season. Brown has a solid corps of linebackers in Sam Smith (6’0”, 230 lbs.), Caleb Moorhead (6’4”, 245 lbs.) and John Perdue (6’0”, 240 lbs.). Moorhead earned an Honorable Mention All-Ivy nod in 2023 and has made a living in the backfield with 8 tackles for loss. Senior DL Kyle Philbin (6’4”, 295 lbs.) was another Honorable Mention All-Ivy performer in 2023 and has 18 tackles with a sack on the season. Senior Quincy Eutsay (6’2”, 240 lbs.) and junior Owen Clarke (6’3”, 245 lbs.) are tied for the team lead in sacks with 2 apiece. Penn was able to lean heavily on the rushing attack with 4.1 yards per carry while keeping the Bears’ secondary off-balance with 247 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns. Yale will need long, sustained drives that result in touchdowns to keep pace with the Bears in this matchup. The offensive line needs to bounce back with a stellar performance to spring Pitsenberger and Peterson loose in the ground game. Jordan will have opportunities against Brown’s secondary, but the offensive staff cannot rely on low probability deep shots to keep the chains moving.

Senior K Christopher Maron (5’10”, 180 lbs.) is 7 of 12 on field goal attempts with a long of 44 yards this season. Senior P Austin Alley (5’10”, 180 lbs.) has played well with a punting average of 39.7 yards and 10 punts placed inside the redzone. Both punt and kickoff coverage teams will need to have a strong showing as giving the Bears great field advantage will be a recipe for disaster.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Bears!