URI Holds Off UNH 24-21 for 1st Winning Season in 17 Years

The University of Rhode Island football team clinched their first winning season in 17 years on Saturday, beating the New Hampshire Wildcats 24-21 at Meade Stadium.

Rhode Island finishes the season with a record of 6-5 overall.

URI Holds On

The Rams took a 17-0 lead when quarterback JaJuan Lawson connected with Marven Beauvais on a 16-yard touchdown pass to 11:20 to go in the third quarter.

Lawson finished the game completing 11 of 21 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown.

The touchdown was Beauvais’ only catch of the game.

From that point, New Hampshire rallied.

With 1:33 left in the third quarter, running back Carlos Washington ran in a touchdown from eight yards out to put the Wildcats on the board and cut Rhode Island’s lead to 17-7 after a Jason Hughes extra point.

In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Washington would score another touchdown, this time a one-yard run to cut URI’s lead to 17-14 after a Highest extra point.

On the ensuing kickoff, URI’s Ahmere Dorsey ran it back 95 yards for a touchdown to push URI’s lead back up to ten, 24-14 after a Carrick extra point.

With 3:15 to play in the game, Washington would score his third touchdown of the game, this time on a two-yard run to cut Rhode Island’s lead back to three, 24-21.

The Wildcats got one more possession, taking over on their own 33-yard line with 1:40 left.

However, the Rams defense came up big when captain D.J. Stewart picked off UNH quarterback Tommy Herion to seal the Rams win.

URI This Season

For Rhode Island, it has been almost a tale of two different seasons.

URI got off to a 4-1 start with wins over #15 Delaware, Albany, Harvard and Brown that launched them to #15 in the country.

However, since beating Brown 48-0 on October 6, URI won just one of their next five games giving them a .500 record heading into the season finale.

Rhode Island beat New Hampshire on Saturday to clinch their first winning record since 2001.

Related Slideshow: The Top Graduating High School Athletes in RI - August 2018

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