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Senior running back Jimmy Hughes makes his way towards the end zone scoring a touchdown for the University of Rhode Island Rams during Saturday's game.

Rams defeated Saturday by UNH

By: Whitney Tallarico

Posted: 9/16/08

9/16/08 - The University of Rhode Island's football team faced the Sports Network's 10th ranked New Hampshire Wildcats on Saturday, Sept 13, at home in Meade Stadium. The Rams came into the game ready for vindication after being shut out by Fordham the Sunday before, and they certainly put up a good fight.

In the end, URI lost to UNH 51-43. Although the Rams did not win, head coach Darren Rizzi made it clear that he was proud of the team saying that the Rams "showed a ton of resiliency" and "took a step forward in many ways."

The Wildcats held the Rams scoreless in the first quarter., and after two quick touchdowns in the first five minutes of the second quarter, the Wildcats had a 17 - 0 lead. Faced with an early 17-point deficit, the Rams fought back.

Senior quarterback Derek Cassidy completed a pass to senior Jimmy Hughes for 48 yards, putting them one yard from the end zone, and sophomore Anthony Ferrer rushed it in for their first touchdown of the game. Shortly after the return of the ensueing kickoff, sophomore Rob Damon intercepted a pass from UNH quarterback RJ Toman that had been tipped by the intended receiver.

After a 24-yard gain by freshman Brandon Johnson-Ferrel, freshman Louis Feinstein was able to kick a field goal.

With less than two minutes before halftime, Cassidy was hit well outside of bounds and was relieved by junior DJ Stefkovich for the remainder of the first half. The score at halftime was UNH 24, URI 10.

The second half started with a bang. Within the first 20 seconds, the Wildcats scored a touchdown. Not shaken, Cassidy completed a short pass to Hughes, who proceeded to blow through three UNH defenders and even his own blockers for an 83-yard touchdown. Feinstein's point after touchdown made it 31-17.

The game remained intense until the end. Despite the constant pressure put on by the highly-ranked Wildcats, the Rams worked hard to make sure that UNH had to fight for its final 51-43 win.

The Rams offense had an outstanding 480 passing yards. The passing attack was led by Cassidy, who threw 61 passes throughout the course of the game and even rushed for a touchdown near the end of the third quarter.

Hughes rushed 13 yards and gained 153 receiving yards for the game. Johnson-Farrell returned nine kickoffs for a total of 196 yards, and racked up 83 receiving yards.

Junior Tolbert Evans gained 83 receiving yards, and junior Joe Bellini gained 80 receiving yards.

Sophomore Matt Hansen led the defense with five solo tackles and six assists. Freshman Terence Glenn and sophomore Matt Urban both made eight tackles, and while sophomore Joseph Harris and senior Jeff Ball each made 7seven.

Rizzi said some things need improvement, such as the lack of coverage and the performance of the special teams, but Rizzi said he is confident that the team will get broken in and improve from week to week.

Cassidy, Hughes and Bellini said that they were happy that the team persevered through all four quarters, and remarked that they all believed that they had a chance. Cassidy said, going up against good teams like UNH "will only make us better in the future."

The Rams face Hofstra University this Saturday in New York.