The University of Rhode Island football team improved to 4-3 on the season with a 41-23 victory at Yale University on Saturday afternoon.
In Rhody’s second straight nonconference matchup, they competed against the No. 23/25 Bulldogs for the first time ever. It was their first ranked win since taking down the University of New Hampshire on Oct. 19, 2024.
While URI head coach Jim Fleming had played both third-year quarterbacks Tyler Budge and Alex McClelland in the previous two contests, he stuck exclusively with McClelland on Saturday.
McClelland led the Rams to their largest offensive performance this season and was named the Coastal Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Week.
“I’m just so thrilled for him, when you look at how it’s all come down,” Fleming said. “I think we’ve got talented quarterbacks and Alex has stepped up to the plate… He took advantage of an opportunity today and did it in a stellar way.”
Of Rhody’s 395 yards, McClelland produced 377, with 285 passing yards and 92 rushing yards. He threw four touchdown passes, including the longest pass of the season, on a 79-yard catch-and-run to fifth-year wide receiver Marquis Buchanan.
Buchanan’s career-high 193 receiving yards and two touchdown catches slotted him into fourth in URI career touchdowns with 26. His 79-yard score came just five minutes after McClelland first put the Rams on the board with a 58-yard pass to fifth-year wide receiver Jamall Mensah.
Rhody’s defense did their job to hand McClelland and the offense the ball, forcing two three-and-outs that led to Buchanan’s touchdown.
“Defensively, they did the things they needed to do,” Fleming said. “We’re going to take all of this, 2-0 in the Ivy League and see what we can give to the CAA.”
The Rams had no turnovers for the second time this season, instead capitalizing on a Yale interception caught by third-year linebacker Rohan Davy. As a result, fifth-year kicker Josh Hamel converted a 48-yard field goal to put Rhody up 17-0.
Despite the Bulldogs getting on the board with a touchdown late in the second quarter, URI’s defense prevented more damage by breaking up Yale’s final play of the half on the 1-yard line, keeping the score 20-7 at halftime.
A Bulldogs field goal to open the second half was answered by McClelland picking up 32 yards on the ground before throwing his second touchdown pass to Buchanan.
“It was a tough setting early, but when he needed to go, he went out there and ran,” Fleming said. “And then, he threw big bombs… I think we’ve got a healthy quarterback room.”
Rhody did not surrender their lead for the remainder of the contest, with the Bulldogs only getting as close as 10 points.
After a Bulldogs touchdown opened the fourth quarter, Rhody responded with a fourth-year wide receiver Sean Byrd touchdown grab and a 9-yard touchdown run by third-year running back Gabe Winowich.
Three weeks have passed since the Rams last faced a CAA opponent. Under the leadership of McClelland, the Rams will look to improve their 1-2 conference record when they take on the University at Albany on Saturday at noon from Centreville Bank Stadium.
