The football team lost for the first time this season, falling to the University of Rhode Island, 27-24, in overtime. Quarterback Kyle
Newhall‑Caballero '11 threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in his first start of the season, but it was not enough to stop URI from taking home the Governor's Cup in front of a sellout crowd in Kingston, R.I.
On the first possession of overtime, Brown (2-1, 1-0 Ivy League) failed to put the ball in the end zone and was forced to settle for a 34-yard field goal by kicker Alex Norocea '14. Newhall-Caballero was hit hard on Brown's last play in the fourth quarter and was replaced by Joe Springer '11 for the overtime drive. The three-point lead gained by Bruno did not stand for long. On the Rams' first play of their overtime possession, quarterback Steve Probst took the ball on a quarterback keeper 25 yards for the winning touchdown. Probst did most of his damage on the ground, rushing for 84 yards and three touchdowns.
Things got off to a rocky start for the Bears. With 9:24 remaining in the first quarter, after a Brown three-and-out on the team's first possession, URI blocked the Brown punt and recovered the ball in the end zone to go up 7-0.
Bruno answered three plays later. Newhall-Caballero hit wide receiver Alex Tounkara '11 on a slant route over the middle. Tounkara then shed a tackle and outran the URI defense 61 yards for the touchdown, evening the score up at 7-7. A Probst rushing touchdown on URI's next drive gave the Rams a 14-7 lead that held going into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Bears again tied the game on another
Newhall-Caballero touchdown pass, this time on a 21-yard connection to tight end Alex Prestley '11, capping off a 69-yard drive.
The teams exchanged scores in the fourth quarter. After the Prestley touchdown, URI took advantage of good field position and moved the ball efficiently before Probst grabbed his second touchdown of the game, this one coming on a rush up the middle from the one-yard line.
The Bears struck back on the ensuing possession. Starting at its own 26-yard line, Brown wasted no time in tying up the game. The Bears moved the ball through the air to the URI 19-yard line before Newhall-Caballero hit wide receiver Jimmy Saros '12 for the touchdown to cap a seven-play, 74-yard drive.
Both teams had field goal chances late in the fourth quarter, but neither unit could convert to give its side the lead. Norocea pulled a 44-yard attempt left with 3:28 remaining in the game. Louis Feinstein missed a 42-yarder for URI as time expired, sending the game into overtime, where the Rams would triumph.
Bruno was unable to establish a consistent running attack, but a strong passing game with
Newhall‑Caballero at the helm paced the offense. The receiving corps saw strong games from Tounkara (seven receptions, 119 yards, one TD), Saros (six receptions, 61 yards, one TD) and wide receiver Tellef Lundevall '13 (eight receptions, 60 yards), but the efforts were not enough to get the win.
The defense that shut down Harvard was unable to recreate last week's performance. The Bruno "D" forced no turnovers and surrendered a whopping 230 yards on the ground to a strong and balanced Ram rushing attack, led by running back Ayo Isijola's 97 yards.
After digging itself an 0-2 hole to start the year, URI has rejuvenated its season. With Saturday's win and a victory over New Hampshire — No. 8 in the Football Championship Subdivision — last week, the Rams are back to .500 and riding high.
Brown must regroup and prepare itself for next week's game. Bruno will hit the road again to Worcester, Mass., to take on the Crusaders of Holy Cross (2-3), who are coming off a win over Fordham. The game will be the final non-conference matchup for the Bears before the squad faces six more Ivy League foes in their hunt for the league title.
