URI Takes Down #9 Ranked Delaware in Instant Classic

Fourth Quarter Fireworks by the URI Runnin’ Rams kept their unbeaten streak alive today as they topped #9 Delaware from Meade Stadium 22-15 in was one of the best fourth quarters of football you’ll see at any level.

Rhody dominated the first half of play taking a 12-0 lead into halftime behind a solid defensive effort forcing Delaware’s offense to struggle.

In the second stanza the Blue Hen’s found some momentum.
With Delaware driving deep in Rhody territory in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Cornerback Jordan Jones thwarted the drive and secured the win when he intercepted Zach Gwynn’s pass for Brett Buckman in the end zone with 23 seconds remaining.

The Rams had taken the lead earlier in the fourth. With the Blue Hens crossing into URI territory following a 21-yard run by Dejoun Lee, the defense buckled down and forced a punt. Rhody’s Andre Bibealt burst through the middle and blocked the punt, sending the ball to the Delaware 28-yard line, where L.B. Mack III scooped the ball and returned it for a touchdown, giving Rhody the 22-15 lead.

It was Jones who got the momentum started early for the Rams. His interception on the first possession of the game with 14:23 on the clock set up a C.J. Carrick 22-yard field goal.

That was the start of 12 unanswered points for URI. A 1-yard touchdown run by Kasim Hill gave Rhody a 9-0 lead, and a Henry Yianakopolis interception later set up a 25-yard Carrick field goal, helping the Rams take a 12-0 lead into the break.

Delaware got into the end zone on its first possession of the second half when Gwynn hit Thyrick Pitts for a 42-yard touchdown strike. The Blue Hens then blocked a 33-yard field goal attempt by Carrick to set up another touchdown drive. An 8-yard scoring run by Quincy Watson followed by a Watson burst for a 2-point conversion gave Delaware its first lead, 15-12.

Rhode Island responded with a field goal drive. The big play on the drive was a 39-yard pass from Hill to Caleb Warren to help get Carrick in position for a 32-yard field goal to tie the score with 6:39 to go, setting up the late-game heroics by the defense and special teams

Bibeault’s blocked punt and Mack’s 28-yard return for a score kept the Rams on track for an FCS playoff berth. It might seem an improbable success story for a program with URI’s history, but the possibility is now very much real after this 22-15 victory over No. 9 Delaware.