Rhode Island football wins Governor's Cup in nail-biter against Brown

PAWTUCKET – Ty Groff had a feeling he might get one last chance, and the University of Rhode Island kicker made the most of it.

His second 43-yard field goal on this Saturday afternoon came with 11 seconds to play, and it returned the Governor's Cup to the Rams after a year-long absence.

Brown missed out on a golden opportunity to win consecutive games in this rivalry for the first time in a decade. It was URI celebrating under the sunshine at Centreville Bank Stadium thanks to this 13-10 squirmer.

The Rams punted with 1:19 left to pin the Bears inside their own 20 and used their defense to record a quick three-and-out. URI started in prime field position at the Brown 46 with 32 seconds left and benefited from a personal foul that brought the ball within Groff's range. His line-drive kick sailed through the uprights, and the Rams hoisted the silver trophy at midfield, courtesy of Gov. Dan McKee.

"I would say it's just trusting myself," Groff said. "I've had a lot of ups and downs in my life, whether it was high school or college. It's all about belief."

URI had possession in a 10-10 game earlier in the fourth quarter and moved the ball across midfield before facing a second fourth down on the drive. The Rams elected to kick it away, and Randy Leavitt dropped one softly to the Bears 12. Brown gained two yards on a Matt Childs rush and threw a pair of incomplete passes – Andre DePina-Gray deflected the second one in the backfield to force a Bears punt.

"I just couldn't be more proud of everybody," URI coach Jim Fleming said. "That's what every coach says, but our kids had a resolve today. They were not going to be denied."

Brown posted a 28-21 victory here last season to snap a six-game losing streak in the series and looked poised to do it again in front of 5,368 fans. The Bears generated three turnovers and used a 1-yard Qwentin Brown touchdown run with 13:29 left to take a 10-3 lead. Brown couldn't find a finishing touch down the stretch and followed a 14-10 defeat against Harvard here with another.

"It's a challenge, because you lose two close games in a row," Brown coach James Perry said. "They're mature kids. We'll be ready to go next week."

The Bears seemed to have all the momentum after Tommy Dunn's power rush off the defense's left edge forced URI quarterback Tyler Budge's second fumble of the afternoon. Dunn recovered himself at the Rams 13 and Childs picked up a fourth down before Brown slammed into the end zone. The Rams stopped their quarterback rotation at that point and went exclusively to former Barrington standout Alex McClelland, who authored each of the last two scoring drives.

"I told the guys pregame both my parents went to Brown, and it just kind of rubbed me the wrong way that they didn't want me," McClelland said. "More than happy to be with these guys right here and this coach."

URI's second play on the ensuing series saw McClelland look for a fellow All-State pick from seasons past. He found Marquis Buchanan running free down the middle, and the Classical alum – who came in nursing a right knee injury and left briefly in the first quarter – sped 68 yards to the Bears 12. McClelland took it himself the rest of the way at the game was knotted again with 12:05 left.

"[Buchanan is] so tough," Fleming said. "People don't know that. He's one of those pretty guys who catches a lot of touchdowns – no. That's a tough dude."

Brown had a chance to reclaim the lead on the ensuing drive. The Bears rattled off nine plays before facing a fourth and five at the Rams 23 and declined to give Drew Crabtree a chance at a 40-yard field goal. James Murphy rolled right and found Levi Linowes for nine yards, but two penalties on the play – the second for a chop block in the backfield – pushed Brown out of range and forced a punt.

"All those decisions are very tight," Perry said. "We have a very good kicker – that's a long one. At this level, anything over 40 is long."

Groff's first make with 18 seconds left in the first half gave URI (3-3) a 3-0 lead into halftime. The Rams staggered on offense with Buchanan, Terrence Campbell (right ankle) and Aboraa Kwarteng (left leg) all on the sidelines but leaned on their defense to remain in contact. The Bears finished the day with just 35 rushing yards on 26 carries and threw an interception to Ethan McCann-Carter in the third quarter.

"We've had this one circled for a long time," URI defensive lineman Case Mankins said. "We had to go get it for coach."

Brown (1-2) used a big hit on the perimeter from Brock Owen to force Budge's first fumble inside its own 10, and the Bears followed with their best drive to that point. EJ Perez's recovery set up a Murphy scramble out of jail for 13 yards and a pass down the middle to Childs for 27 yards. Crabtree's 33-yard field goal with 3:11 left in the third made it a 3-3 game, and Brown seemed a couple of possessions away from shaking a URI team looking to avoid three straight defeats for the first time since 2021.

"We played a very tight football game with a quality opponent, a rival, and found a way to beat them," Fleming said. "We've got the cup sitting in Kingston where it will stay."

RI – Alex McClelland 12 run (Groff kick)

Passing: B, 21-37-1 271 (James Murphy 21-37-1 271); RI, 16-26-1 157 (Alex McClelland 6-11-0 83, Tyler Budge 10-15-1 74).

Rushing: B, 26-35 (Matt Childs 13-37, Qwentin Brown 3-3); RI, 50-217 (Gabe Winowich 23-85, BJ Barrow 8-42).

Receiving: B, 21-271 (Childs 6-64, Pearson Hill 4-33, Jadon Garza-Pender 3-66); RI, 16-157 (Marquis Buchanan 5-90, Kevin Green Jr. 3-20, Sean Byrd 2-36).