By Tony Catalina
NEFJ Correspondent
KINGSTON – In what started off as a grueling defensive struggle, turned into an instant classic that saw Rhode Island make a statement en route to a 20-17 win over the new-look Holy Cross Crusaders in the season opener for both teams on Saturday night.
After losing the lead for the first time with 1:58 left in the game, the Rams were able to pull together a methodical drive, capped off by a 31-yard go-ahead touchdown from Devin Farrell to wide receiver Shawn Harris.
The big-time strike put the Rams up for good with just 19 seconds remaining and sent the sold out crowd home quite happy – except for those wearing purple.
“Just a great victory for our program,” started Rams head coach Jim Fleming. “A real tribute to what these kids are all about.”
URI put up 396 yards of offense while Holy Cross had 271. Each team ran the ball well too, with Holy Cross rushing for 170 yards and the Rams putting up 106 on the ground. The URI defense held Holy Cross to just 3-11 on third down while the Rams’ offense was 8-16.
Saturday’s matchup was a showcase of tough defensive will in the first half, followed by timely offense and explosive plays in the second half. Both teams delivered memorable moments, each taking the lead with under two minutes to go, before Rhody was able to deliver the knockout blow with seconds left.
The first half was just an appetizer that looked like a table setter for what was going to be a defensive struggle between two well-coached teams. The first half ended with the Rams holding a slim 6-3 lead. Ty Groff opened the scoring with a 27 yard field goal to put Rhody up and he added another in the opening seconds of the second quarter for a 6-0 lead. Holy Cross got a 39 yard field goal from Daniel Porto in the final six minutes of the half to cut it to three.
The first touchdown of the night came when Farrell (20-33/287/2 TD) found wide receiver Tommy Smith from two yards out to extend the lead to 13-3 with 3:43 left in the third quarter. From there, it took until there was 12:58 left in the game before the Crusaders scored a touchdown of their own. Quarterback Joe Pesansky found wide receiver Charly Mullaly for a 43-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to three.
Holy Cross followed its first touchdown of the season with their first lead soon thereafter. With 1:58 left in the game Jordan Fuller punched in from four yards out. Fuller was his usual self on Saturday night, putting up 139 yards on 28 carries.
However, that lead would be short-lived as the Rams offense hit a few big plays, timely conversions, and ultimately connected on the dagger that put them up for good.
“Obviously a heart-breaker,” said Crusaders head coach Dan Curran. “At the end of the day, we need to be cleaner for four quarters.”
While the new era for Holy Cross starts 0-1, there is a lot to feel good about the program as they look to continue their run of dominance over the rest of the Patriot League. As for Rhode Island, it’s a quality win to start the year, proving they should be a team worthy of watching in the CAA this season.
It doesn’t get any easier for Curran and the Crusaders with a home date against New Hampshire up next. The Rams will head out for a heavy-weight FBS clash with the Big 10’s Minnesota Golden Gophers.
