How It Happened 
FCS No. 20/21 Rhode Island battled, but a relentless ground attack by FBS No. 24 Pitt overpowered the Rams' defense as Rhody fell, 45-24, Saturday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium.

The Panthers - coached by Rhode Island alumnus Pat Narduzzi - rushed for 271 yards, 161 of which came in the first half alone. Running back Israel Abanikanda finished the day with 177 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. By halftime, he had 104 yards and two touchdowns, helping Pitt maintain a steady lead throughout.

No. 24 Pitt (3-1) struck first when M.J. Devonshire broke off an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown after the Panthers forced a three-and-out. After Rhode Island's second possession ended in another three-and-out, Pitt hit quick again, as Abanikanda ran 67 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0.

Rhode Island responded less than a minute later when Marques DeShields hit for a 63-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit in half with 5:09 left in the first quarter. The score stayed that way until Abanikanda scored from 12 yards out with 12:28 left in the half. A Ben Sauls field goal extended the lead to 24-7 as Pitt threatened to break the game open.

However, the Rams executed a five-play, 75-yard drive just before the half. A 45-yard pass from Kasim Hill to Paul Woods set up an eventual 1-yard touchdown run for DeShields, his second of the day. The teams went into halftime with Pitt ahead, 24-14.

The Panthers took their opening possession of the third quarter for a touchdown, again extending to a 17-point advantage. It was Abanikanda again, this time scoring on a 24-yard run. Harrison Leonard's 34-yard field goal made it a two-score game in the final minute of the third, but Abanikanda essentially sealed the game with a 13-yard touchdown run with 8:32 to go, making the score 38-17.

Both teams scored in the final minutes, but the end result was not in doubt.

Inside the Box Score

• Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi is a Rhode Island alum and started at linebacker for the Rams from 1987-89. He also was an assistant coach for URI for seven years, coaching linebackers from 1993-97 and serving as defensive coordinator from 1998-99.
• The game was Rhode Island's first against an FBS Top 25 school.
• Pitt running back Israel Abanikanda was the first Panther to rush for four touchdowns in a game since Darren Hall did so against North Carolina on Nov. 9, 2017. He is the first opponent with four touchdowns against URI since Fordham's Chase Edmunds did so on Sept. 13, 2004.
• Running back Marques DeShields led the Rams with 82 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. He has 267 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground in his first four games as a Ram.
• Quarterback Kasim Hill was 17-of-30 for 223 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
• Wide receiver Paul Woods had two catches for 50 yards including a 45-yard grab in the second quarter.
• Wide receiver Kahtero Summers led the Rams with four catches for 55 yards.
• Linebacker Jake Fire set a new career high with 13 tackles. He also forced a fumble and had a quarterback hurry.
• Fire has 23 tackles over his last two games and leads the team with 38 for the season.
• Safety Malik Gavek added nine stops, while linebacker Evan Stewart and cornerback Jones each had six.
• Kicker Harrison Leonard had the team's first field goal of the season and was 3-for-3 on extra points.
• The anchor bearer for URI was running back Marques DeShields, and the game captain was safety A.J. Rogers.

What's Next
Rhode Island hosts in-state rival Brown in the annual Governor's Cup game Saturday, Oct. 1. The game will kickoff at 6:05 p.m. on FloFootball.com and Cox/YurView.