Henderson overwhelms Rhody defense, Rams lose 42-21
The stands were packed Saturday afternoon for the CAA Game of the Week between the 17th ranked Rams and 9th ranked Blue Hens PHOTO CREDIT: Eddie Melfi
The University of Rhode Island football team hosted Delaware for their first home game of the season in what was the CAA game of the week and a battle of two top twenty teams in the FCS.
The Rams, however, were overwhelmed by an offensive explosion in the first half from the Blue Hens and fell 42-21.
After the Rams were forced to punt on their first possession, Delaware quarterback Nolan Henderson and company marched straight down the field and scored on a 21-yard strike from Henderson to fifth-year tight end Braden Brose.
After another Rhody three-and-out, Henderson was able to evade the oncoming defensive lineman of the Rams and deliver a bullet down the sideline to senior wide receiver Jourdan Townsend who took the pass in stride for a 65-yard score that made the score 14-0 at the 14-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
The Rams were almost able to answer back, driving all the way down to the Delaware 10-yard line, but a Kasim Hill interception in the back of the endzone led to 75 and 80-yard touchdown drives for the Blue Hens, and it was 28-0 before the Rams could stop the bleeding.
It felt as though the tides could have shifted after sophomore running back Gabe Sloat took a run 65 yards to the house. It was Sloat’s first collegiate touchdown and put the Rams on the board with one minute left in the half. It was Sloat’s only rushing attempt of the day, and Rhody Head Coach Jim Fleming said he was proud to see the Rhode Island native take advantage of his opportunity.
“I’m really happy for him,” Fleming said. “Obviously, he is a Rhode Island native and is a hard-working kid, and it seems like every time he has the opportunity to do something, he shows up.”
However, another quick touchdown drive ending in another Henderson score would make it 35-7 heading into the break and take away all momentum for the Rams.
That final Henderson touchdown gave him a first-half stat line of 315 yards and four touchdowns, better than any quarterback in the school’s history.
However, Delaware Head Coach Ryan Carty was less surprised and said he knows his quarterback is capable of such spectacular performances.
“Maybe you guys were surprised; I wasn’t,” Carty said. “Everyone in our locker room knows he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and usually the best quarterback on the field.”
The Rams weren’t going to go down without a fight, however, as a huge stop from the Rhody defense on the opening drive of the second half gave Hill and his offense the ball on the Delaware 33-yard line.
The offense was able to drive down for another score as Hill lofted the ball over the defense to graduate receiver Kahtero Summers for a 19 yard score to breathe life into the home-opening crowd.
Once again though, Delaware was able to thwart the comeback by holding the Rams to just that one score in the third quarter and then striking first in the fourth on a Kyron Cumby rushing touchdown, making it 42-14 Hens with just 13 minutes to play.
It wasn’t until the 1:34 mark in the fourth quarter that Rhody was able to put their third touchdown on the board when Hill found Summers again in the back of the endzone to make it 42-21. It was too little, too late for the Rams though, and that is how things would finish.
Henderson, the star of the day, finished with a whopping 379 yards and four passing touchdowns, good enough to earn him both CAA and FCS Offensive Player of the Week awards. The standout for the Rams was Summers, who had 78 yards and two scores on five catches.
Fleming felt the team needed a much better performance in all facets of the game but also said the team will be focused on improving their weaknesses in the future.
“We need to play a lot better at all three levels if we want to beat them when they are playing like they did today,” Fleming said. “We have a lot of questions to answer, but we will get back to work.”
The team now faces one of the best teams in the FBS when they travel to Pitt on Saturday, with the game starting at 12 p.m.