The sun shone over Meade Stadium during the annual Governor’s Cup matchup between the Brown Bears (2–2, 1–0 Ivy League) and the University of Rhode Island Rams (5–1, 2–0 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference) on Saturday afternoon.
Facing the No. 16 team in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision and with a five-year series losing streak on their backs, the Bears entered the matchup as the clear underdog. Bruno did its best to rewrite the narrative, including a 21-point performance by the offense and a two-interception effort by the defense, but ultimately, the Rams prevailed, winning the game 31-21.
“I take a lot of pride in the fact that these kids are playing as hard as they are,” Head Coach James Perry ’00 said in an interview via Brown Athletics. “We’ve built the program to the point where, two years in a row, we’ve competed well for the Governor’s Cup. While it’s painful to lose, there are a lot of things we did very well.”
From the opening kickoff, the Bears attacked URI on all fronts. Just over a minute into the first quarter, the Rams’ quarterback, Devin Farrell, loaded up to go deep. Searching for a crossing receiver, he found Noble Cooper III ’25 instead. After securing his first career interception, Cooper returned the ball 41 yards downfield before getting tackled at the four-yard line. Cooper, a former receiver, only started playing defensive back this season.
“Three years at receiver, and that was my first college catch,” Cooper said. “I was just happy to help the team.”
Just shy of the end zone, the Bears’ offense pounced. On the very next play, Jordan DeLucia ’25 took matters into his own hands, breaking past the goal line to claim an early lead. Though the stat sheet may not show it, DeLucia’s touchdown rush was a team effort. At the one-yard line, he was almost held up by the Rams’ defense before a late push by the offensive line propelled him into the end zone.
“We ran the ball pretty well against an exceptional front all day long,” Perry said. “We had some guys up front who were working really hard, that’s for sure. And we took good care of the football. That was a step in the right direction.”
Unfortunately, the Bears’ offense was unable to convert their early success into momentum. Though the defense stopped the Rams on their next possession, Bruno handed the ball right back, and this time, URI was determined to score. Exploiting a hole in the defense, Farrell took a quarterback keeper 44 yards down the field before being tackled by Tim Malo ’25. An unnecessary roughness penalty added 15 yards to the gain, and just like that, the Rams had flipped the field in only one play.
Now in the red zone, URI searched for pay dirt, and after a completed pass deep in the end zone, the Rams equalized the score. Only minutes later, they went on another methodical 57-yard drive, closing the first quarter off with a one-yard touchdown to claim a 14-7 lead.
The Bears opened the second quarter seeking vengence. Having exhausted the standard playbook, Bruno got crafty, employing a series of screens to slot receiver Samuel Baddoo ’25 and jet sweeps to Solomon Miller ’26. Yet once they reached the red zone, the Bears slowed down until a fourth-and-two situation threatened to end the drive. Instead of going for a field goal, the offense opted for aggression, and Jake Willcox ’24.5 connected with Mark Mahoney ’24.5 to keep Bruno’s touchdown hopes alive.
Precisely one play later, those hopes were realized. Faking a handoff, Willcox pulled the ball out of his running back’s hands only to stare straight into the eyes of a Rams edge rusher. Spinning to the right, Willcox left the D-lineman tackling dust, and burst forward into the end zone to tie the game at 14.
On the other end, the defense kept the scoreboard clean. Though the Rams drew threateningly close to scoring, an interception from Malo with 1:12 left on the clock ensured close was all they would get. The ended the first half tied.
Coming out of the locker room primed, Brown’s offense marched down the field in a 14-play, 75-yard long drive. Willcox spread the love, completing passes to three different receivers. Distribution among the backs was equally varied, with DeLucia, Stockton Owen ’25 and Matt Childs ’28 all getting touches before Qwentin Brown ’26 sealed the deal with a one-yard touchdown run. For the second time in the game, the Bears took a seven-point lead.
But, after this, the Bears’ offense petered out, and the Rams launched a counterattack which would result in 17 points and yield victory. Over the next four possessions, Bruno’s offense was unable to secure any points, turning the ball over on downs, a blocked field goal, an interception and a fumble. URI, on the other hand, scored a field goal and two touchdowns on consecutive drives.
When the game ended, the score had flipped, with URI winning 31-21.
“Turning the ball over” held the offense back, Willcox said. “I had back-to-back turnovers. It’s impossible to win a game if your quarterback is doing that. I take full responsibility. The defense played great all day. We have to do a better job of getting the ball into the end zone.”
Now, the team faces one of its hardest challenges of the season: a six-day turnaround leading into Friday night’s primetime matchup against Princeton, which will be televised on ESPNU.
“If it usually takes you 20 hours to get over a loss, you now have three,” Perry joked. “We don’t have any time to rest. My challenge to the team will be to turn the page.”
“I know we’re going to come back and be ready to go,” Willcox concluded. “You’re going to see the best version of Brown football. That’s a promise.”
Lydell Dyer is a Senior Staff Writer for the sports section. A sophomore hailing from Bonn, Germany, Lydell is studying nonfiction English and political science, and if he's not off "making words sound pretty," you can find him lifting heavy circles at the Nelson.
