PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Yale University Bulldogs played Brown for the 125^th time on Saturday and put forth the most points ever under head coach Tony Reno in the 63-38 victory. The win moves Yale into a first-place tie in the Ivy League standing with two games remaining on the 2021 schedule.
 
Sophomore quarterback Nolan Grooms improved to 3-0 as a starter and had a game-high 330 yards passing and three touchdowns. He completed passes to eight different receivers and added 31 yards rushing. Grooms' favorite target on the day was senior Melvin Rouse II who had a game-high 119 yards on five catches, including a game-opening 61-yard score.
 
The Bulldogs scored nine touchdowns, including two defensive scores, and totaled 63 points, the most since the 1930 season in which Yale defeated Alfred, 66-0. It is the first time since 1889 that the Elis have totaled exactly 63 points. Yale's record for points in a game is 136 in a win over Wesleyan in 1886. The most points against an Ivy opponent is 113 against Dartmouth in 1884.
 
"We knew coming into the game it was going to be an old-fashioned shootout. Every time we come up here, Coach Perry does a great job with Brown and EJ Perry is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. We knew we were going to have to score a lot of points," said Reno. "We had a lot of new guys step in on defense which was huge for us and on offense we were able to continue that momentum."
 
Yale and Brown battled to 21-all tie midway through the second quarter, but Yale used a rushing touchdown by junior running back Joshua McKenzie and then a 60-yard interception return score by first year defensive back Sean Guyton to take control, 35-21.
 
Brown ended the half with one of their five touchdowns, but senior wide receiver Darrion Carrington make a phenomenal grab at the start of the third quarter and went 65 yards to get it right back for the Bulldogs.
 
Brown was again able to answer on the next possession, but the Yale defense stood a drive later and made it two defensive touchdowns on the day. Junior cornerback Dathan Hickey came up with a blitz sack which forced a fumble with Brown against their own goal line and senior linebacker Noah Pope picked it up for the score and a 49-35 lead.
 
Brown connected on a field goal at the start of the fourth quarter, but Yale sealed the game with two rushing touchdowns from junior running back Spencer Alston.
 
Alston led the Bulldogs with 84 yards rushing and was one of four different Elis to score on the ground as Yale totaled 197 rushing yards.
 
Yale's first rushing score of the day came from an unlikely source as first-year wide receiver David Pantelis made a heady play after a fumble. He picked up the ball and ran 21 yards for his first career rushing touchdown.
 
The play came just four minutes after he scored on a 21-yard, defense-beating reception from Grooms. Pantelis finished the day with two touchdowns, 21 yards rushing, two catches and 32 receiving yards. Additionally, he gave Yale premier field position, returning four kickoffs for 152 yards and went for a long of 45 yards. He finished with a game-high 204 all-purpose yards.
 
Fellow first year Sean Guyton did not stop with just one interception as he also picked off a pass in the second half and finished the afternoon with 65 return yards. He also had four tackles, including a tackle for a seven-yard loss.
 
Senior captain John Dean led all players with 10 tackles and seven solo stops. Hickey had an impressive game as well, adding two forced fumbles, seven tackles, two for loss, a pass breakup and a sack.
 
Sophomore defensive lineman Clay Patterson, who entered the game fourth in the nation in sacks per game (1.36), added two more to his season total and finished with a forced fumble and five total tackles.
 
The Bulldogs control their own destiny in the Ivy League as the 4-1 Elis play at 4-1 Princeton next Saturday before The Game on Saturday, November 20.