Sept. 1, 2007
Box Score
KINGSTON, R.I. - Jason Caldwell hauled in a nine-yard touchdown reception with 15 seconds remaining as the Fordham Rams spoiled the University of Rhode Island's comeback bid with a 27-23 win Saturday afternoon in non-conference football action at Meade Stadium.
The Rams trailed 20-10 entering the fourth quarter, but a six-yard touchdown run by junior Jimmy Hughes (Westport, CT) and a 27-yard field goal by senior Bryan Giannecchini (Cranford, NJ) evened the score at 20 with 10:28 remaining. Rhode Island grabbed its first lead of the game at 23-20 following a 24-yard field goal by with 2:17 remaining before Fordham quarterback John Skelton led the Rams down the field for the winning score.
Skelton - who finished the afternoon 23-for-38 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions - and the Rams were helped by a pass interference call on a critical fourth and 10, keeping their final drive alive. The biggest play of the drive was a 23-yard completion from Skelton to Richar Rayborn that put the Rams in field goal range at the URI 35. Skelton followed with an 11-yard completion to Rayborn and a nine-yard strike to Jason Caldwell, putting the ball at the URI 15. Four plays later, Caldwell hauled in the game-winning touchdown.
"This is a disappointing loss for us, but I'm proud of the way our guys came back in the second half," said Rhode Island head coach Tim Stowers. "My hats off to Fordham - they made one more play than we did. We made a lot of mistakes and had some critical turnovers inside the red zone. We have to make better decisions."
Caldwell hauled in five passes for 40 yards and a score while Rayborn finished the day with three catches for 43 yards. Jonte Coven tallied a game-high 119 rushing yards for Fordham while Skelton gained 75 yards on the ground, including a 61-yard scamper.
Rhode Island opened the scoring with a 41-yard field goal by Giannecchini, capping a nine-play, 33-yard drive that took 3:00 off the clock. The Rams of Fordham scored on their first possession of the second quarter to grab a 7-3 lead. Starting at their own 41, the Rams covered 59 yards in five plays, capped by a 31-yard touchdown pass from Skelton to Mike Shorter.
URI went three-and-out on their next possession, and the Rams offense used the momentum from the defensive stop to build on their lead. Skelton hit David Moore for 15 yards to move Fordham into URI territory, and six plays later Jonte Coven took the ball 17 yards for the rushing touchdown. The extra point was missed, giving Fordham a 13-3 lead that held up into halftime.
Having won the opening toss and deferred to the second half, URI opened the third quarter with a scoring drive that covered 66 yards in five plays and resulted in a five-yard touchdown run by junior Joe Casey (Syracuse, NY). Hughes ripped off a 29-run to spark the drive and help out the Rams back within three points.
The teams traded the next four possessions, the last of which ended on a fumble by Casey that gave Fordham possession at its own 46 yard line. Coven began the drive with a five-yard run before Skelton dashed 32 yards to the URI 32. Coven's 17-yard touchdown run on the next play put Fordham back in front 20-10, a lead it carried into the fourth quarter.
URI took possession to start the fourth quarter and wasted little time getting into the endzone. Junior quarterback Derek Cassidy (Winter Haven, FL) broke off a 31-yard drive to begin the drive and later ran for 20 yards, putting the Rams inside the Fordham 20. Two plays later, Hughes scored from six yards out to bring the Rams back to within three points at 20-17.
On the ensuring Fordham possession, Skelton threw a pass that was intercepted by URI senior Ki'Ameer Johnson (Jersey City, NJ) and returned 20 yards to the Fordham 13. Giannecchini booted his third field goal of the afternoon three plays later to tie the game at 20 with 10:28 remaining.
Each school went three-and-out on the next three possessions before the URI Rams began their final scoring drive. Taking over at their own 27, Cassidy hooked up with sophomore Shawn Leonard (Stoughton, MA) for 33 yards, moving the ball into Fordham territory. Following the completion, Casey and Cassidy combined for 34 rushing yards, which set up Giannecchini's field goal with under three minutes to play that gave URI its first lead at 23-20.
Hughes finished the afternoon with 104 rushing yards and one score while Cassidy tallied 94 yards on the ground and 68 through the air. Hughes also caught three passes for 23 yards. The Fordham defense sacked Cassidy five times.
The Rams return to action next Saturday when they travel to West Point, NY to face Army. Game time is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN Classic.
