The University of Rhode Island football team traveled to Providence on Saturday to take on the Brown University Bears in the 41st installment of the annual Governor’s Cup.
On their first offensive drive, Brown drove all the way down to the Rhode Island three yard line before a red zone stand from the Rams, ended by an errant third down pass. Third-year Bears kicker Christopher Maron made the 20-yard field goal to put Brown up 3-0 with 9:08 remaining in the first quarter.
The Rams got the ball back and got back to their offensive ways. Rhody seventh-year quarterback Kasim Hill found fifth-year wideout Kahtero Summers wide open near the sideline for a 50 yard touchdown. Summers got behind the defense and Hill found him streaking down the sideline for the score. The Rams then attempted a two point conversion that failed, keeping the score at 6-3 with 8:04 remaining in the first period of play.
The home team attempted to respond quickly with a deep pass downfield, but Rams second-year defensive back Syeed Gibbs came down with the interception. Brown quarterback Jake Wilcox attempted to find his target over the middle, but Gibbs had the intended receiver blanketed and came away with possession for the Rams, marking the Bears’ first turnover of the season. After a Rams punt, the Bears ran a 10-play, 73-yard drive capped off by a one yard touchdown rush from third-year running back Stockton Owen. The score and point after touchdown gave the hosts a 10-6 lead with 2:03 remaining, a score that held as the first quarter ended.
After the Rams and Bears punted back and forth, the Rams eventually sustained a six play, 42-yard drive that ended with Hill’s second touchdown pass of the day. On the Bears 27 yard line, Hill rolled out to his right and found first-year wide receiver Marquis Buchanan for the score. After the PAT, the Rams had a 13-10 lead with 11:05 to play in the first half.
The Bears did not fall behind for long, putting together a 12 play, 80 yard drive in under 5:30. The drive was ended after a trick play, a toss behind the quarterback to the wide receiver for a three yard touchdown by fourth-year Wes Rockett. The touchdown made the score 17-13 in favor of the Bears.
Rhode Island came back with a heavyweight punch of their own, a 95-yard kick return touchdown from fourth-year Randy Jordan to put the Rams back on top 20-17 with 5:26 remaining in the half. Jordan found a hole up the middle, broke a tackle and only had the kicker to beat. Jordan exploded by him and had open space the rest of the way. The 95 yard score – the first of his career – earned Jordan CAA Special Teams Player of the Week.
The Bears responded with a drive just over five minutes, and ended with a 31 yard field goal by Maron to knot the game at 20 with 18 seconds remaining in the half, making 20-20 the end score of the third quarter.
The Bears and Rams traded punts to start the half, until the Bears started their second drive of the half with prime field position, on the Rhody 39 yard line. The home team took advantage of the short field and put together a touchdown drive in just two plays. Fourth-year running back Ian Franzoni scored on a 25-yard rush up the middle to give the Bears the lead back, 27-20, with 10:33 to play in the third period of play.
The Rams offense wouldn’t be held down for long, as they put together a 75-yard drive for the score. Hill found third-year wideout Darius Savedge over the middle for a 27-yard touchdown to knot the game at 27 points a piece with 7:28 remaining in the third quarter.
The Rhode Island defense came up with two defensive stops as the quarter winded down, leading to Rams’ fifth-year running back Ja’Den McKenzie getting the ball on three straight rushes for 22, one and then a 50 yard touchdown rush. The last gave the Rams a 34-27 lead as time expired in the third quarter.
The Bears put together a scoring drive following the Rams touchdown, capped off by a 46-yard field goal from Maron. Brown went down the field in 2:20 to set up the kick and cut the deficit to 34-30.
As the clock winded down, the Rams looked to end the game in Brown territory. They opted to attempt a 50-yard field goal, which was well short of the mark with 58 seconds remaining. The miss gave the Bears the ball back with a chance to win the game.
With the game on the line and such little time remaining, Wilcox looked to find a receiver down the field. Instead, Gibbs came up with the game sealing interception. The pass was inaccurate, short of its target heading toward the end zone. The interception was right near the Rhody sideline and fan section, creating an eruption of noise.
Gibbs’ second interception of the day earned him Coastal Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week.
“The QB tossed it up, and I was like…alright why not just take this,” Gibbs said. “I had the look in my eye, I was looking at my captain [Evan] Stew[art] and I said I’m definitely running this back, but he told me to get down. Veteran move.”
Head Coach Jim Fleming praised his team, and how they came together to get the victory.
“There were so many contributors,” he said. “Just really proud of these guys.”
The team returns home on Saturday in a return to conference play. The University of Richmond Spiders will come to Meade Stadium to face the Rams at 1 p.m. during URI’s alumni weekend, and the game is available for streaming on FloSports.