Football drops fourth straight

The University of Rhode Island football team lost its fourth straight game to start the season, falling 27-17 to the University of Maine on Saturday.

The game started well for the Rams. Near the end of the first quarter, junior quarterback Paul Mroz connected with freshman wide receiver Khayri Denny for a 33 yard pass. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Maine brought Rhode Island to Maine’s 18 yard line. The drive ended with a 30-yard field goal from freshman Justin Rohrwasser to put the Rams up 3-0.

However the next four scores would belong to the Black Bears as sophomore quarterback Drew Belcher connected on a 51-yard touchdown pass, sophomore running back Nigel Beckford scampered in for a 21-yard touchdown, and to close out the first half, senior kicker Sean Decloux blasted a 47-yard field goal to give the Bears the 17-3 halftime lead.

“The first half was really subpar offensively,” head coach Jim Fleming said. “Our protection was awful at times. We have to continue to get better at fundamentals.”

Maine’s fourth consecutive score would come about halfway through the third quarter when Beckford ran for a 28-yard touchdown to give Maine a 24-3 lead.

On the very next drive, Mroz found a rhythm.  He completed three-of-five passes for 69 yards, including a 38-yard strike to senior wide receiver Phadrae White. Sophomore running back T.J. Anderson punched in the one-yard touchdown to make the score 24-10.

After alternating punts by each team, Maine would get three more points on the board after sustaining an eight play, 66-yard drive.

Again, the Rams would answer back. Mroz led a 10 play, 74-yard drive that culminated with a three-yard touchdown run by Mroz, slashing the deficit to just 10 points.

Unfortunately for Rhode Island, those would be the last points for either team as both defenses stood tall. The final five possessions ended with a combined four punts and a turnover-on-downs.

“I am always impressed with the fight, not always the execution” Fleming said. “I think we hung in there and we kind of shifted gears after being down 27-10. When we got into a rhythm and Paul got into a groove it shows what we can do.”

Although the final score was close, the Rams had a tough day on the ground. They rushed for -8 yards on 29 attempts, good for -.3 yards per carry. The lack of success on the ground left Rhode Island one dimensional, allowing the Black Bears to sit back and collect their two interceptions on the day.

“The mistakes [Mroz] made were really just poor decisions” Fleming said. “He is making improvements and he is getting control of what we are doing, and our inability to run the football restricted Paul and made us one dimensional.”

The Rams next travel to Brown Stadium on Saturday night to take on Brown University, looking to snap their season-opening four game losing streak.