The University of Rhode Island football team found itself on the losing side for the first time this season, falling 47-14 to Western Michigan University on Saturday in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Entering the weekend ranked No. 6/7 in the Football Championship Subdivision, Rhode Island was outmatched trying to upset its Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. The Rams are now 2-21 against FBS teams all-time, with their last win coming in 2021 against the University of Massachusetts.
Despite the lopsided result, Rhode Island opened the action with a quick scoring drive. Rams fourth-year quarterback Devin Farrell found fourth-year receiver Marquis Buchanan for 56 yards at the start of the drive. A defensive pass interference penalty put the Rams on the two-yard line, allowing fifth-year running back Antwain Littleton Jr. to punch in the score.
Buchanan still managed to raise his receiving yard average in the blowout, finishing with seven catches for 141 yards. His 113.2 receiving yards per game puts him fifth in the FCS.
After the exciting start, the Rams fell silent. Western Michigan proved to be unstoppable in the first half, scoring on all five of its drives. The Broncos racked up 44 unanswered points following the Rams’ opening touchdown.
“A number of things happened that went the wrong way,” Rhode Island Head Coach Jim Fleming said. “We couldn’t get any rhythm going, but at the same time, I felt that at halftime, we were moving the ball pretty good; just couldn’t get in the end zone, and we were making mistakes to keep us out of there.”
The Broncos dominated time of possession throughout the whole game, holding the ball for nearly 40 minutes.
Rhode Island was only able to force one punt the whole night, stopping Western Michigan to open the third quarter with Rams third-year linebacker Moses Meus picking up a sack on third down. Mues finished the game with a career-high 19 tackles.
Following a fair catch on the punt return, the Rams turned the ball over on the first play of the drive with Littleton Jr. fumbling. Rhode Island finished the game with three fumbles, two coming from Farrell in the second and fourth quarters.
Farrell also turned the ball over through the air, ending the Rams’ longest drive of the first half with a batted-up interception in the end zone.
“We’ve got plenty to correct off of this tape, but we can’t spend a bunch of time on it,” Fleming said. “We’ve got to move on.”
The Rams returned to the scoring column just one more time following the opening drive, taking a seven-play drive into the first play of the fourth quarter when Farrell found Littleton Jr. for a five-yard touchdown pass.
“Credit to Western Michigan, they were a better football team than us,” Fleming said. “We’ve got a short week; we’ve got to turn around pretty quick and go get ready to play the Governor’s Cup.”
URI returns to the gridiron a day ahead of schedule, kicking off the 43rd Governor’s Cup against its in-state rival Brown University on Friday at 7 p.m.
It will be the first football game hosted at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, something Rhody fans will have to get used to ahead of it becoming the Rams’ temporary home in 2026. The rivalry will be broadcast on ESPN+ and available on the radio on The Varsity Network.
