With QB EJ Perry now in NFL, Brown University football looks to take the next step
Let’s offer something of a mathematical simulation to explain how Brown could be a better football team in 2022.
The Bears graduated the top offensive player in the Ivy League, with quarterback EJ Perry taking home the Bushnell Cup. He’s currently at training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brown will almost certainly be less dynamic at that critical position.
How much can the program improve elsewhere? Muster something approaching 80% of Perry’s production from last season — more than 3,400 total yards, a combined 30 touchdowns passing and rushing — while making significant gains in the running game, scoring defense and total yards allowed. That could add up to something better than a 2-8 overall mark and a 1-6 record in conference play.
“He came and injected some life when we really needed it a couple of years ago,” Brown coach James Perry said of his nephew. “The program was in a bad position — we're in a very different position now.”
More on EJ Perry: Former Brown University quarterback, signs $230K deal with Jacksonville Jaguars
Perry was under center in 1999 when the Bears captured the second of their four conference titles. Brown was deep and experienced across the board in that special season — 27 seniors are expected to report for Thursday’s start of training camp. There will be competition at virtually every position on the field, including at quarterback, for the Sept. 17 opener against in-state rival Bryant.
“For me, we’re leaning on seniors — the Ivy League is a junior-senior league,” Perry said. “Leaning on those guys will make it much easier.
“We have a big class. I’m really proud of the fact those guys stuck together.”
Offensive lineman Lucas Ferraro and outside linebacker Junior Gafa enjoyed a relatively normal stretch of spring practices for the first time in their respective careers. April saw the COVID-19 pandemic abating on campus and players able to gather in large numbers both on the field and in the locker room. They’re banking on that togetherness paying off despite being picked seventh in the league’s preseason poll, which was released last week.
“A lot of it starts with accountability,” Ferraro said. “I think we’ve done a great job this summer of making sure everyone is there on time — showing up, doing it right and doing it well.”
Other Rhode Island college football news:
University of Rhode Island football picked 3rd in league's preseason poll
Bryant Bulldogs picked to finish fifth in Big South football
Aidan Gilman and Jake Willcox exited the spring locked in a tight battle at quarterback and remain there entering this week. Perry said elevating one of them to starter status “will not be a fast decision.” Prime targets should include Hayes Sutton, Wes Rockett and Graham Walker.
“We’re always going to put six or seven wide receivers on the field no matter what,” Perry said. “We need that depth. That’s where we wanted to be three years ago as a program.”
The Bears were shredded on defense last season to the tune of 42.4 points per game and 4,480 total yards. Featuring a quick-strike offense has its drawbacks — exposing the other side of the ball is generally one of them. Holding opponents to something reasonable each week would represent real progress and more chances to win games.
“Defensively, it’s going to come down to how we play with each other,” Gafa said. “Get that chemistry down and understand our roles on the defense individually and as a group.”
Listen to Brown football on the radio: Kevin McNamara will host "The Score," which returns to local radio
Brown’s only league victory last year came in a 49-45 thriller at Cornell. The Big Red were picked behind the Bears in the conference poll — they're both considerably down the pecking order from expected contenders Harvard, Dartmouth and Princeton. Brown will scrimmage Yale in the coming weeks while gearing up for its home opener with a different pack of Bulldogs.
“I want them to be just as excited about Brown University and Brown football as I am,” Perry said. “I love the place. I know its history. I know what a Brown degree can do for you and for your life.
“I know how much fun it is to play football here. I think these guys felt it. That's why they’re here. Each successive class we get a little deeper and a little stronger.”
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Brown football will need to replace the numbers EJ Perry put up
