Brown at Yale
Sat., Nov. 5 – Noon
Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field
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Yale Game Notes | Brown Game Notes
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Team 149 returns to the friendly confines of Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field on Saturday to host Brown in a noon kickoff. The Bulldogs, the Ivy League's top rushing offense, face the league's leading pass offense in the Bears.
 
With three weeks remaining, Yale, which also leads the league in total offense, is very much in the hunt for the Ivy title. Princeton currently sits in first place at 4-0, while the Bulldogs, Penn and Harvard are all 3-1. Yale and Princeton meet next Saturday at the Bowl, and the Bulldogs close the season at Harvard on Nov. 19.
 
Yale is 3-0 at home this season, outscoring its opponents 87-56 while averaging 288.3 rushing yards.
 
The Bulldogs enter the game ranked 15th in the nation in rushing offense at 210.3 yards per game. Yale also is among the national leaders in fewest sacks allowed (9th, 1.0 per game).
 
Defensively, the Bulldogs are 17th nationally in sacks (2.86 per game) and tackles for loss (7.1 per game).
 
It was the special team unit that played a key role in last Friday's 41-16 victory over Columbia in New York City. Yale blocked punts on back-to-back Columbia possessions in the second quarter that swung the momentum. The second block – by Ryan Belk – was followed one play later by a Jackson Hawes' 14-yard touchdown reception that gave the Bulldogs a 24-16 halftime lead. Yale then outscored the Lions 17-0 in the second half with all the points coming in the fourth quarter.
 
Facing the nation's leading rushing defense, the Bulldogs went to the air to take down Columbia. Quarterback Nolan Grooms threw for a career-high 346 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 16 passes to eight different receivers. Ryan Lindley caught six passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Chase Nenad, who was making his first appearance of the season after recovering from an injury, had three receptions for 117 yards, including a 19-yard TD reception.
 
On the season, Grooms has thrown for 1,246 yards and nine touchdowns. He also is a big part of Yale's potent ground attack with 499 rushing yards. Tre Peterson, who is 16th in the nation in yards per carry (6.47), leads the team with 505 rushing yards, while first year Joshua Pitsenberger has contributed 384 yards and five touchdowns.
 
Defensively, Yale limited Columbia to just 70 yards rushing. The Bulldogs had nine tackles for loss and two sacks – one each by Sean Guyton and Reid Nickerson. Joseph Vaughn finished with a team-high six tackles. The Bulldogs also held Columbia without a first down in the third quarter.
 
HISTORY LESSON
 
Yale has won four straight games and seven of the last eight matchups with the Bears, including a 63-38 shootout victory last year in Providence. The Bulldogs led 35-28 at halftime and then outscored Brown 28-10 in the second half. Yale scored two defensive touchdowns in the game, a 60-yard interception return by Sean Guyton and a 1-yard fumble recovery return by Noah Pope. Grooms, making his third career start at quarterback, threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns, including one to Pantelis. Defensively, Reid Nickerson and Clay Patterson both recorded sacks. The 63 points scored by Yale were the most in a game under Tony Reno, the Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. Overall, Yale leads the series 85-35-5. The Bulldogs have scored at least 34 points in each of the last four games. The 125 games against Brown are the third most against Yale opponent, behind only Princeton (143) and Harvard (137).
 
SCOUTING BROWN
 
The Bears (3-4, 1-3 Ivy) are coming off a thrilling 34-31 victory over previously unbeaten Penn last weekend. Brown raced out to a 24-7 lead in the second quarter but needed a 9-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Gilman to Allen Smith with 1:19 left in the fourth quarter to clinch the win. Gilman, who came on in relief, finished 22-of-38 for 245 yards and two touchdowns. He was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. The Bears average 290 yards per game passing. Sutton Hayes is the leading receiver with 39 receptions for 363 yards. Smith has rushed for seven touchdowns and has two scoring catches.