The lights of Meade Stadium illuminated the Coastal Athletic Association season debut for the University of Rhode Island football team, where they defeated Campbell University 21-9 on Saturday night.
Coming off of a crushing 48-0 loss to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sept. 7, the Rams entered the game with the mantra of proving that week two’s loss, which marked the largest game deficit since 2008 for URI, was simply the factor of the Football Bowl Subdivision skill gap.
In the beginning of the game, Rhode Island’s defensive play helped them heavily in terms of buoying their slow offensive start. The Rams forced the Camels to go scoreless on their first five offensive drives, resulting in four punts and a lost fumble, setting up Rhode Island with a 7-0 lead with 9:35 left in the second quarter.
The anchor of the defense was third-year linebacker A.J. Pena, who’s performance on Saturday named him the CAA Defensive Player of the Week. Pena’s 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks led the team along with a fumble recovery.
The two sacks moved Pena up the leaderboard in URI history for career sacks to eighth place, passing John Klumbach (‘91). Although performances like this are not too uncommon for Pena, who recorded 3.5 sacks in his second ever collegiate game against Bryant University in 2022, Pena felt there was something else backing his game Saturday night.
“On Thursday, I had to go down to [New] Jersey and bury my grandmother,” Pena said. “She passed away a week and a half ago and I was very emotional about that because [of] just how she raised me… I was an emotional wreck the last two days and just being around the team… it was just straight support and I just felt that she was on my side today.”
Pena and the rest of the Rams defense made several key plays throughout the game. One of the largest was a key stop on the goal line at the end of the first half. The Camels executed four plays from inside the three-yard line and the Rams stuffed all of them, keeping a 7-3 lead going into the half.
While the Rams defense held strong throughout, it was Rhode Island’s offense that struggled at times. Rhody only recorded 259 yards of total offense, a low dating back to last season when they moved the ball only 241 yards against Villanova University on Sept. 23, 2023. The only difference in the two contests is the Rams lost the game to the Wildcats in 2023, 35-9.
“I thought that we outplayed [Campbell], particularly on the defensive side,” URI Head Coach Jim Fleming said. “The defense was heroic… they played 39 minutes, and we have to fix that with more consistency on offense.”
While the total offensive production was not a cause for fireworks or celebration, according to Fleming, there were several highlights that came from the Rams’ main playmakers, most notably a 27-yard run from third-year quarterback Devin Farrell on a broken play to give the Rams a 14-3 lead with 10:50 left in the third quarter.
Third-year wide receivers Marquis Buchanan and Greg Gaines III also recorded touchdowns, collaborating with the rush from their quarterback to create the 21-9 final score.
The Rams are back in action this coming Saturday afternoon when they visit the Long Island University Sharks at noon. Coverage can be found on NEC Front Row.