Nico Brown
34
Winner Yale YAL 6-2 , 4-1
22
Brown BWN 3-5 , 0-5
Winner
Yale YAL
6-2 , 4-1
34
Final
22
Brown BWN
3-5 , 0-5
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
YAL Yale 14 7 7 6 34
BWN Brown 0 9 7 6 22

Game Recap: Football | | Michael LaRocca

Bulldogs Dismantle Brown In Road Victory

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Kicking off a crucial stretch of Ivy League play, Yale dominated Brown 34-22 on Saturday afternoon at Brown Stadium. With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Ivy League play, while the Bears fell to 3-5 and 0-5 in the conference.

Notable Performances
  • Quarterback Dante Reno led an efficient Bulldog passing attack, completing 71.4% of his passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns, with no turnovers.
  • Running back Josh Pitsenberger recorded his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season, finishing with a career-high 173 yards and two touchdowns—his fourth multi-touchdown performance of 2025.
  • Defensively, Phoenix Grant had a career day, posting nine solo tackles (11 total), three tackles for loss, one sack, and his first career interception.
Key Moments
  • On Yale's first play from scrimmage, Pitsenberger broke free up the middle for a 62-yard touchdown run—his longest of the season.
  • Late in the first half, with the Bulldogs up 14–3, Reno connected with Nico Brown in the end zone for the second time, extending Yale's lead to 21–3.
  • In the fourth quarter, with Yale leading 31–16, Grant intercepted Brown quarterback James Murphy over the middle, sealing the win by cutting off the Bears' final scoring opportunity.
Game Notes
  • The Bulldogs continue to control their own destiny in the Ivy League, sitting ahead of Dartmouth in the standings and holding tiebreakers over Penn and Cornell, with only Princeton and Harvard remaining on the schedule.
  • Pitsenberger's performance pushed his career total to 33 rushing touchdowns, placing him third all-time among Yale running backs—just one behind John Pagliaro, who ranks second with 34.
  • Reno has now thrown 99 consecutive passes without an interception, a streak dating back to Yale's Oct. 11 matchup with Dartmouth.
  • After his two-touchdown performance, Brown now has nine receiving touchdowns on the season, surpassing 2024 team leader David Pantelis.
  • Ezekiel Larry leads the team with eight sacks, including three multi-sack games this season.
  • Joshua Tarver recorded his second interception of the season, tying for the team lead.
  • The victory marked the 80th career win for Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of Football Tony Reno in his 13th season with the program.
  • Yale football is now one win away from 950 all-time victories, dating back to the program's beginning 1872.
Quotable
  • "I'm proud of how our team stayed focused and got the job done today," said Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach. "We know there are areas we need to tighten up and execute with greater consistency. Tomorrow, we'll get back to work and stay committed to continued improvement as we move forward to Week 9."
     
  • "I think our guys did a great job at understanding the significance of going on the road and winning. It was really good to see us go about our business and do that. We found ourselves from an identity standpoint in all three phases," said offensive coordinator Chris Ostrowsky.
     
  • "Our defense played great. We knew we had to come out, start fast on the road. We haven't really done that yet," said quarterback Dante Reno. "Over the past four weeks, we've been clicking as an offense. When the defense gets a stop, we go out there and we play our best, go and score, and feed off of each other's energy."
Around the Ivy League
  • Harvard 31, Columbia 14 (Friday)
  • Cornell 39, Penn 17
  • Dartmouth 20, Princeton 17
Looking Ahead
Yale will travel to the Garden State for its penultimate game of the regular season, taking on the Princeton Tigers at noon on Nov. 15.

 
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