PROVIDENCE, R.I.--It could have been the showdown of the year. But it wasn't.

Forget the 17-10 Brown win. Forget the Brown penalties and the Harvard turnovers. Forget the fact that neither quarterback figured into the scoring.

What really made the difference Saturday at Brown Stadium was that Brown senior quarterback James Perry won, and Harvard senior quarterback Brad Wilford didn't.

Both players entered the game with strong seasons under their belts. Perry was enjoying a season of 215-of-333 passing for 2319 yards and 22 touchdowns. Before the game, Wilford was 118-of-201 for 1418 yards and seven touchdowns, respectable for a team that had been leading the league in rushing offense.

Perry boosted his Ivy passing records to 8551 yards, 720 completions and 69 touchdowns and is the league's all-time passer.

Wilford lived in the shadows of classmate Rich Linden for three years but has been making a name for himself in his only season as the starter.

Neither lived up to advanced billing on Saturday.

Perry threw for 193 yards on 25-of-44 passing with one interception.