Henry Yianakopolos led the way with nine tackles for Rhody to go along with this acrobatic interception. PHOTO CREDIT: gorhody.com
After a thrilling overtime victory over Monmouth, the University of Rhode Island Football team had an opportunity to take a second straight game past regulation when they visited number ten-ranked William and Mary this past weekend. However, in a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Rams dropped the contest 31-30.
Early in the first quarter, the Rams took over on downs around midfield and quickly drove down into William and Mary’s territory. This drive set up Kasim Hill to take it into the end zone on his own, putting URI up 7-0.
Following the touchdown, the Tribe drove all the way into the red zone, catapulted by a 30-yard reception from Tyler Rose.
However, a fumble at the URI ten-yard line negated any momentum. Rhode Island turned this mistake into a touchdown reception for Kahtero Summers, placing Rhody up by two scores at 14-0.
However, the Tribe was quick to respond to this mistake. A 46-yard rush from Hollis Mathis set up William and Mary inside the URI ten yard line, setting up a touchdown run for Bronson Yoder, cutting the Rhody lead in half, 14-7.
The Tribe kept the pressure on the Rams, forcing a Rhode Island punt on the next drive. William and Mary then proceeded to methodically march downfield, which resulted in a Donavyn Lester touchdown run, tying the game at 14.
Early in the third, Malachi Imoh capped off a William and Mary drive of 70 rushing yards with a touchdown. This stellar drive from the running back put the Tribe up 21-14.
Later in the quarter, the third William and Mary fumble of the day placed Rhode Island in prime red zone position, allowing Marques DeShields to tack on another rushing touchdown to his already impressive season tally. Rhode Island tied the game at 21.
The fourth quarter housed a massive amount of drama on both sides of the ball. An early field goal and another rushing touchdown from Lester put William and Mary up 31-21.
However, Rhode Island was not prepared to go home without a fight. Harrison Leonard connected on a field goal after missing his first two, trimming the William and Mary lead to 31-24.
Finally, Rhode Island orchestrated a dramatic 16-play final drive, finishing with a Caleb Warren touchdown reception with zeros on the clock.
Rhode Island, however, did not want to leave the game to overtime for a second straight week. A two-point conversion attempt failed, with Hill getting brought down before the end zone. The Tribe escaped with a 31-30 win in dramatic fashion. Rhode Island dropped its overall record to 5-3, while William and Mary took a step up to 7-1.
Postgame, head coach Jim Fleming was disappointed in the loss, but stressed that the decision to go for the two-point conversion was one that he does not regret.
“I thought that it was the right decision, I’d still do it again,” Fleming said. “There was some really good stuff on the football field and nothing for us to hang our heads on. We’ve just got to understand that we just got beat by number nine in the nation on the road, and we had a chance to win it.”
William and Mary head coach Mike London also commended Rhode Island’s efforts during the game, and was overly satisfied with his team’s perseverance.
“Rhode Island is a very good team, tough team, physical team, athletic team,” London said. “But that’s what it’s about sometimes, and we still created opportunities to win at the end and then executed them. Again that’s what it’s all about.”
Rhode Island will host a struggling University of Maine team this upcoming Saturday. The Black Bears currently have an overall record of 2-6. Kickoff will take place at Meade Stadium at 1 p.m.