The University of Rhode Island football team showed glimpses of promise, but fell into some old habits as they were routed, 37-12 by no. 13 University of Richmond in their Homecoming game.
The loss closed the door yet again on the possibility of a winning season.
The Rams were certainly outmatched, but the scoreboard did not tell the whole story. They ran the ball effectively, but not often. Their defense played fairly well in the first half, but were unable to make the big plays they did in last week’s win. URI also made some key mistakes that allowed Richmond to pull away early, and build an insurmountable lead.
Beating the Spiders was going to be a tough task from the get-go as the team was without starting quarterback Paul Mroz, after tearing a ligament in his thumb last week, which required season-ending surgery. The news is crippling, considering that the junior transfer had shown some promise in his first six games.
“Paul went through the week and he actually practiced on Thursday,†head coach Jim Fleming said. “He’s a tough dude. There were some conversations to make the decision best for him, so he had surgery Friday morning. “
Fleming instead looked to a committee at the quarterback position to lead the offense, consisting of redshirt sophomore James Caparell and freshmen Wesley McKoy. McKoy threw for 71 yards and a touchdown in his debut. The team was forced to play from behind right from the opening drive after the Spiders marched down the field from their own 10-yard line and found the end zone on a 6-yard run. The Rams then saw the game already start to get away from them on their first drive when Caparell threw an interception that went off the hands of his intended target Charlie McKeeman, and led to another Richmond score.
Despite splitting the uprights for a couple of field goals, the Rams continued to make it harder on themselves. Late in the first half, freshman linebacker Tez Wilson ran into the Richmond kicker as he attempted a 50-yard field goal. The Spiders capitalized on the penalty and put six on the board to take a 20-6 lead at half.
“There were opportunities on the field,†Fleming said. “We kick it off and it drops, but we don’t get it. We give up a completion on a third down and we get the ball out, but we don’t get it. You need to come up with those plays to be able to win this kind of football game versus that kind of team.â€
URI may have been able to close the gap if they moved the chains more in the second half. Unproductive three-and out drives forced the defense back on the field without much rest. Richmond held possession 11 minutes longer than the Rams, preventing any real offensive rhythm. The duo of Caparell and McKoy, both of whom are expected to share the work in the next game, were not very effective, as the Spiders’ secondary surrendered only 139 total passing yards.
With a limited passing attack, the responsibility to generate offense was placed on the bulky shoulders of running back Harold Cooper, whose do-it-all style of play gave the home crowd some solace in the defeat. The elusive back broke tackles throughout the game on his way to another productive day that included 94 rushing yards on 13 carries, 89 kick-return yards and a receiving touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Fleming recognized that in order to give his team a better chance of winning, Cooper needs more touches.
“I can say without a doubt 13 touches is not enough,†Fleming said. “He’s a good player. We’ve got him a screen. He wiggles, he shakes. He becomes a very remarkable guy you have to take a look at all the time. We weren’t able to pound the rock the way we need to.â€
URI (1-6) will take the week to work out their offensive kinks and deficiencies, before their road matchup with the University of New Hampshire (3-3) on Saturday at 1 p.m.