Long-suffering Brown fans have been waiting patiently for the turnaround since bringing prodigal son quarterback James Perry back as coach in 2019. After just three Ivy League wins in his first the seasons back, that patience, at least judging by anonymous voices on the internet, was starting to wear thin.
Perry bought himself some time with a 28-21 upset of No. 10 Rhode Island in Week 3 last year, and while a four-game losing streak took some of the luster off a 3-1 start, back-to-back wins at the end – including a 35-28 victory over Dartmouth in the finale – have Perry and Co. thinking maybe the program has finally turned the corner.
If Brown has been known for one thing over the years it is quarterbacks who put up big numbers and 6-foot-5 James Murphy, a second-team All-Ivy League pick last year when he completed 22-of-27 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns against Dartmouth, fits the bill. He led the Ivy League with 279.8 yards per game through the air last year, completing a league-best 67.4 percent of his attempts. The Bears will, however, be looking for him to cut down on his 14 interceptions.
Murphy has two of his most dangerous weapons returning, both second-team All-Ivy League selections. Tailback Matt Childs had 517 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground last year and caught 41 passes for another 341 yards and four touchdowns. Wideout Trevor Foley is back after catching 31 passes for 558 yards and two scores.
Now add in honorable-mention tight end Levi Linowes' 19 catches for 239 yards and an offensive front that will see Brown line up behind four returning starters and seven members of the two-deep and you can understand why there's optimism that Brown will be able to move the ball and score points this year.
The thumbtack in Brown's cleats over the years has been defense and that was the case again last year, when they surrendered a league-high 32.9 points per game in conference play, although Perry said he was pleased with how the program progressed during the season under defensive coordinator Dan Mulrooney.
Preseason All-America defensive end/outside linebacker Ike Odimegwu, whose brother is a linebacker at Dartmouth, anchors the defense. He was second in the Ivies with 9.0 sacks per game last year and third in tackles for loss while earning a spot on the second All-Ivy team. Defensive end Jack Middleton, an honorable-mention All-Ivy, is another piece of the puzzle.
The linebacker corps took a graduation hit with captain John Perdue moving on, but Tommy Dunn returns after posting three sacks, 12 quarterback hurries and 19 tackles a year ago.
The secondary loses talented defensive back Elias Archie but returns standout Miles Brophy, who had 78 tackles and five breakups last year while making the All-Ivy second team.
