Football Held off by No. 25 URI in Governor’s Cup, 34-30

Saturday, October 7

Providence, R.I.

12 p.m.

Brown University

2-2 , 0-1

Rhode Island

4-2 , 2-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Rhode Island

Brown

Photo by: Emma C. Marion

Football Held off by No. 25 URI in Governor’s Cup, 34-30

10/7/2023 6:19:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A late drive by the Brown football team came up short as the Bears dropped a hard-fought 34-30 final against No. 25 Rhode Island in the annual Governor's Cup clash on Saturday afternoon at Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium.

After a missed URI field goal, Brown got the ball back at their own 38-yard line with 58 seconds left for one last drive, but a URI interception sealed the game.

The Bears defense did not allow URI to run a single play in the red zone, but the Rams capitalized with big plays, scoring all of their touchdowns on plays of 27 yards or more, including three that went for 50-plus.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Brown outgained URI 444-389 on offense, including 272-222 through the air and with a season-high 172 yards rushing. Brown also controlled the time of possession by over 13 minutes.
Brown's offense came away with points on all five of their red zone trips.
Senior tailback Ian Franzoni led the way with 55 yards rushing and a touchdown, while juniors Jordan DeLucia and Stockton Owen finished with 45 yards apiece on the ground, with Owen adding a touchdown.
Senior Jake Willcox threw for 272 yards on 31-of-55 passing.
Senior Wes Rockett led all receivers with 90 yards on seven catches, and also rushed for 25-yards and a touchdown.
Senior Mark Mahoney had 76 yards receiving on six catches, both career-highs. Jordan McIntyre added 31 yards on four catches.
Seventeen different Bears had tackles in the game, with Aubrey Parker, Ethan Royer and Caleb Moorhead all registering five stops to lead the way.
Junior Christopher Maron was 3-for-3 on field goals, including one from 47 yards.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Brown converted three third downs on its opening possession before Maron kicked a 21-yard field goal to put Brown on top.
URI answered right back just over one minute later on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Kasim Hill to Kahtero Summers. The two-point conversion came up short, keeping it a 6-3 Rhody lead.
Brown came back with a touchdown drive of its own, marching 73 yards on 10 plays, capped by a one-yard run by Owen at the 2:07 mark to put Brown back on top, 10-6.
Rhody grabbed the lead 13-10 early in the second quarter when Hill scrambled to his right and found Marquis Buchannan for a 27-yard touchdown.
Brown retook the lead with 5:42 left in the second quarter on an electrifying play by Rockett, who took a reverse and went airborne, flipping just inside the right pylon for a three-yard touchdown that put Brown in front 17-13.
The lead was short-lived as URI's Randy Jordan took the ensuing kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown to push the Rams back ahead 20-17.
Maron evened the score with a 31-yard field goal with 18 seconds left to make it 20-20 headed into the locker room.
The Bears took the lead early in the third quarter on their second possession on a 25-yard rush up the middle by Franzoni.
Aided by a pair of pass interference calls and one third down conversion, URI drove 75 yards and tied the game on a 27-yard pass from Hill to Darius Savedge.
The Rams went back in front on a three-play, 73-yard drive, scoring on a 50-yard rush up the middle on the final play of the third quarter to take a 34-27 lead into the fourth.
The Bears ensuing drive into the red zone stalled, but Maron stepped up big with another field goal from 47-yards out to cut the deficit to 34-30 with 12:40 remaining.
URI took nearly three minutes off the clock before missing a 50-yard field goal with 58 seconds to go, giving the ball back to Brown with one timeout left. After picking up two first downs and moving to the URI 39, a big interception sealed the game for the Rams.

QUOTES FROM THE COACH: JAMES PERRY

"That was two really good football teams playing good football. That was a really good example of what Division I football should be like. It was a really good effort and hard-fought game. URI has as good of a defensive line as you'll see. We have tremendously hard running backs and for us to move the ball, it takes five guys working together and creating those seams. It's frustrating when you play well and still lose, but there's a lot to build off of."
"We're all going to want to do things differently…because you're so close to winning and beating a difficult team in a very important game, but you can't let that cloud the fact that we're playing well and we're going to keep getting better."
"To see us consistently get better is a lot of fun. These kids have a lot of confidence. We're practicing well and you know we have a lot of talent. It is a fun group to coach."

UP NEXT
With non-league play in the rearview mirror, Brown will play its final six games against Ivy League and conclude a stretch of three straight home games next Saturday, October 14 when it welcomes Princeton to Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon on ESPN+. Visit BrownBears.com/tickets to get your tickets today.

Gallery: (10-7-2023) 41st Governor's Cup vs. URI, 10/7/2023

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