Rhode Island football comes back to beat Monmouth, 37-28

November 3, 2024 Vaseline blog 0

Rhode Island football comes back to beat Monmouth, 37-28

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – There appears to be no stopping the University of Rhode Island during what has developed into a special football season.

Not even the Rams themselves could halt the train Saturday with a handful of self-inflicted wounds. What has become trademark resilience guided them to the finish yet again at Meade Stadium.

Devin Farrell’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Marquis Buchanan with 1:17 to play finally gave No. 14 URI the lead for keeps. The Rams brushed aside three turnovers and did enough to limit a Monmouth offense that’s among the most potent in the college ranks, pulling out a 37-28 victory in front of another sellout crowd.

More: URI football shows no signs of slowing down. Here’s what the team did against Maine.

URI trailed for the majority until the deciding drive, starting at its own 31 with 3:09 left. The Rams zipped down the field and Farrell found Buchanan down the middle running toward the goalpost. His catch and lunge into the end zone were part of a career day for the former Classical star, and URI put its 28-24 deficit in the rearview mirror.

“It’s all about resilience,” URI coach Jim Fleming said. “It’s all about no flinching when you get down. “It’s all about really good play.”

AJ Peña’s fumble recovery with 0:33 to play snuffed out what was Monmouth’s last real chance. Case Mankins applied pressure from the left side and Hawks quarterback Derek Robertson put the ball on the ground at the Rams 48. Monmouth used all three of its timeouts and forced a punt, but a series of laterals in the dying seconds led to a fumble that URI defensive back Fredrick Mallay ran into the end zone after time expired.

“There’s a lot of words for that,” Peña said. “I couldn’t be more happy.”

The URI football has a winning season and new life in the program

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Journal Staff

Peña made another key defensive play late in the third quarter that helped turn the momentum. The Hawks went on fourth down across the Rams 40 and Peña swallowed up Sone Ntoh in the backfield for a turnover on downs. URI went from potentially trailing by three scores to cutting into its 28-17 deficit, as Malik Grant broke 16 yards up the middle for a touchdown with 1:44 left.

“That’s make or break right there,” Peña said. “We saw them take risks the whole game. There was a fourth and eight they went for on the first series, so we knew that was coming.”

Monmouth (4-5, 2-3 CAA) was willing to roll the dice inside the opening seven minutes. Farrell threw an interception on his own half of the field and the Hawks went on fourth down inside the Rams 30.

Robertson’s pass to Jack Neri was good for the conversion and Ntoh banged 7 yards up the middle to start a string of three straight touchdown drives.

“We have so much faith in each other,” Farrell said. “That was whatever. “It was just whatever.”

URI faced a 21-17 deficit into halftime and won while trailing in the fourth quarter for the fifth time this season. Grant rushed for 126 yards and Buchanan collected 171 receiving yards on 12 catches. He caught all but two of his 14 targets, including a 28-yard touchdown in the first quarter and six other receptions that resulted in first downs.

“When you’re getting targeted a lot you’ve got to make plays when they come to you,” Buchanan said. “I knew we were losing, and I knew every time the ball came to me I had to make a play.”

The Rams (8-1, 5-0 CAA) are 5-0 in conference play for the first time since winning their first five Atlantic 10 games in 2001. It’s the first time they’ve opened with five straight Coastal Athletic Association wins and just the second time they’ve captured that many games in their current league. URI is on a seven-game winning streak for the first time since 1985, the last year it reached the FCS playoffs.

“We still have a lot to accomplish,” Fleming said. “There is no guarantee. An 11-game season, I always said eight was the magic number – I don’t know if that’s true anymore. Don’t really care.

“I know we have an opportunity.”

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