NEW YORK—Columbia rallied from a 14-point deficit with 23 unanswered points as quarterback Joe Green threw a career-high three touchdown passes and Mike Roussos and Ryan Young both totaled over 100 all-purpose yards as Columbia registered a 23-17 come-from-behind victory over Brown Saturday at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium.
 
With the win, Columbia improved to 6-3 overall and clinched a winning season for the third time in the last four years. The Lions also moved to 3-3 in the Ivy League with one game left to play at Cornell (Nov. 20). Columbia's 40-member senior class was honored in a pre-game ceremony and the senior group who began playing at Columbia in 2017 went out as the winningest senior class since Columbia joined the Ivy League in 1956.
 
Green finished the day with three touchdown passes and 176 yards while completing 12 of 22 passes, Young totaled 126 all-purpose yards including 60 receiving and 66 rushing, and Roussos completed the day with 120 all-purpose yards (85 on kickoff returns, 13 receiving and 22 in punt returns).
 
Defensively, Columbia held Brown to its fewest points of the season (17), held the Bears 14 points under their season average (30.9 points per game) and limited Brown quarterback EJ Perry to zero touchdowns and a season-low 224 passing yards. Perry's streak of 16 consecutive games with a touchdown pass came to an end.
 
Columbia forced three turnovers (two fumbles and an interception) and compiled its second-highest tackles for loss total on the year with 12.0 for 38 yards. The Lions also broke up four passes and finished with three sacks for 15 yards. Jordan Colbert led the Lions with seven tackles and a fumble recovery, Cam Dillon made six tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack, Will Allen recovered a fumble and broke up two passes, while Mitchell Shinskie and Scott Valentas each made five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
 
"It was a hard-fought win," Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football Al Bagnoli said. "With senior day, it becomes an emotional roller-coaster. It's very bittersweet and you don't know how you'll react. We certainly didn't start out as well as we're capable of, especially on offense. Our defense did a nice job of keeping us in the game against a high-powered offense. Eventually we found our footing a bit, made some big plays and made some critical first downs on fourth down opportunities. We played more like we're capable of playing."
 
"At the end of the day, it's a great win for the program. It ensures a winning record. It's something we're always striving to do, year-in, year-out. That was an awesome accomplishment. The seniors leave with some good memories in their last game at Robert K. Kraft Field. This is a good jump start for our final game."
 
Trailing 14-0 in the third quarter, Columbia scored 23 unanswered points on four consecutive possessions in a 12-minute span. Roussos gave Columbia the momentum on a weaving 57-yard kickoff return off a squib kick. The return gave Columbia possession at Brown's 38-yard line. After a running play, Green lofted a fade pass over the Brown defense to a streaking Bryson Canty for a 34-yard play down to the Brown 2-yard line. Following three straight runs, the Lions faced a fourth-and-goal at the 4-yardline and Green responded by scrambling to his left and finding Roussos near the sideline for a 4-yard touchdown pass. The Lions missed the extra point but had the momentum.
 
On the ensuing Brown possession, linebacker John Harris intercepted a deflected pass and Columbia had the ball back. After two short runs, Columbia tied the game at 14-14 when Green scrambled to his right and placed a pass into the waiting hands of Young who hauled in the catch and rambled down the sidelines and into the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown. Down two points, Columbia went for the tie and a 2-point conversion tied the game at 14-14 when it ran a double reverse and tight end Brandon Radice hit quarterback Gabriel Hollingsworth in the end zone.
 
On Brown's next possession, Columbia's defense stepped up again when a Paul Akere hit forced a fumble which Colbert recovered at the Columbia 49-yard line. Young started the drive with a 27-yard run down to the Brown 24-yard line. A pass interference call advanced the ball to the Brown 7-yard line. Then Green found Canty in the back of the end zone for his first career touchdown reception and 7-yard score. The Lions led 20-14 with 14:49 to play.
 
Columbia extended its lead to 23-14 on a season-long 42-yard field goal by Alex Felkins with 10:51 to play. A 28-yard punt return set up Columbia at the Brown 41-yard line.
 
Brown (2-7, 1-5 Ivy League) wasn't finished as it drove 55 yards in eight plays where Christopher Maron converted a 37-yard field goal to cut Columbia's lead to 23-17. During the drive, Perry completed a 27-yard pass to Christopher Boyle and a 25-yard pass to Graham Walker.
 
The game was delayed for a full 60 minutes due to inclement weather. Lightning was spotted near the Hudson River and the delay began at 2:05 p.m. with 4:30 left in the second quarter. At the time of the weather delay, Brown had outgained Columbia 159-74 in total yardage, maintained possession of the ball for nearly 16 of the first 25 minutes, and registered nine first downs to Columbia's three. After the delay, Columbia outscored Brown 23-10, outgained the Bears by one yard (236-235) and the first down totals were equal.
 
Brown took a 7-0 lead with 14:29 to play in the second quarter when Perry ran three yards and recovered his own fumble in the end zone for a touchdown following a 14-play, 87-yard drive that elapsed 5:56 of time. The Bears used a pass interference penalty, a 17-yard run by Perry, and Perry passes to Wes Rockett (10 yards), and Graham Walker (10 yards) to set up the score.
 
Columbia took the ensuing possession and drove 50 yards down the field until Brown's Isaiah Gamble forced a fumble on a Lions completion. The Lions were seemingly driving to score as Green hit Robertson for a 16-yard pass, Ertz for nine yards, then Libman for a first down and 18 yards. On the following play, Green completed a pass but then Gamble knocked it out of the receiver's hands and fell on it.
 
After Columbia took a 10-yard loss on a punt return which pushed the Lions all the way back to its own 2-yard line, Green threw a pass down the field that Brown's Shane Prevot intercepted. Brown took over at the Columbia 30-yard line, but the Lions' defense held as it limited the Bears to a 44-yard field goal, which it missed.
 
In the third quarter after the rain delay, Perry ran for a 3-yard touchdown to give Brown a 14-0 lead with 9:50 to go in the period. The Bears drove 59 yards in 11 plays with key plays coming on a 15-yard end-around by Allen Smith, 9-yard run by Jordan DeLucia, and 8-yard pass from Perry to Rockett.
 
Columbia closes out its season with its annual Empire State Bowl game at Cornell (2-7, 1-5 Ivy League) next Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y. Kickoff for the contest is at 1 p.m. ET at Schoellkopf Field.