Brown beats Penn, 6-0, to halt Quakers' Ivy win streak

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Brown has not scored an offensive touchdown against Penn since 2008. They failed to do so again on Saturday, yet they did enough to stop the Quakers' Ivy League win streak at 18.

On a rainy, sloppy day in which the two teams combined for more turnovers than points, Penn (4-3, 3-1 Ivy League) failed to sustain any drive deep into Brown territory and fell, 6-0, to the scrappy Bears (6-1, 3-0).

The 2011 Quakers' bid to own the longest Ivy win streak in history was halted just two games short of tying the record.

"Eventually it was going to have to end," coach Al Bagnoli said of the streak. "You've got to be proud of our team and proud of the program. These things aren't easy. There's a lot of pressure on you to maintain that, and people who tell you otherwise are lying."

Both teams struggled mightily to move the ball, but the Bears managed to get into field-goal range twice. Brown kicker Alexander Norcea scored the game's only points, converting from 39 and 42 yards.

With 2 minutes, 29 seconds left in the game, the Quakers offense took possession near midfield in hopes of executing yet another fourth-quarter comeback. But quarterback Billy Ragone threw his third interception of the day on the first play of the drive to effectively ice the game for the Bears. It was the first time Penn had been shut out since Nov. 15, 1997, at Harvard.

With moderate to heavy rain coming down steadily throughout the game, field conditions went from poor to abysmal.

"They did a much better job of handling the weather and the field than we did," Bagnoli said.

Of the three phases of the game, Penn struggled most on offense. The closest the Quakers came to scoring was in the first quarter, when kicker Conor Loftus missed a 28-yard field-goal attempt.

"We didn't execute on offense," Bagnoli said. "It's really hard to go on the road against a real good team and play in these conditions and have the volume of mistakes and turnovers and penalties that we had."

A week after his best performance in a Penn uniform, Ragone suffered one of his worst, completing 6 of 15 passes for just 32 yards to go with the three interceptions.

"It starts with me," the quarterback said. "You can't turn the ball over as much as I did today."

The Quakers were slightly more successful on the ground than through the air, with tailback Brandon Colavita leading the way with 69 yards on 14 carries.

As for the end of the 18-game steak, Bagnoli said: "I think that streak is one for the record books, to be honest with you."