Box Score Sept. 11, 2010
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Bronx, N.Y. -
The 2010 Fordham University football seniors opened their final season last week with a disappointing loss at Bryant. Those same seniors weren't about to see the same results for their home opener as seniors Jason Caldwell, Nick Magiera and Bryson Wilson, among others, led Fordham to a 27-25 come from behind win over Rhode Island on Jack Coffey Field.
With the win, Fordham evens its record at 1-1 while Rhode Island falls to 0-2.
Caldwell contributed to the win with a game-high eleven catches for 140 yards, including a big 43-yard reception that set up what proved to be the winning touchdown, while Magiera picked off a pass that led to a score and Wilson saved the best for last, knocking down a Rhode Island pass on fourth down and two from the Fordham four with one second left on the clock.
"This was a great win today and something we can definitely build on," said Fordham head coach Tom Masella. "The seniors came up big today. We had a lot of seniors make big plays for us. That's the type of people they are, a group that never gives up."
After scoring 14 points over the first three quarters, Fordham mounted a comeback, scoring 13 in the final ten minutes, the winner coming with 2:02 remaining. Trailing 23-14 after a Rhode Island safety on a blocked punt early in the third, it appeared that Fordham would go down by even more as Rhode Island took over at midfield following the Fordham free kick. Two plays didn't net any yards for Rhode Island and on third down, quarterback Steve Probst attempted a pass down to the Fordham 27 but it was intercepted by Magiera.
Quarterback Blake Wayne moved Fordham down to the Rhode Island one where Xavier Martin burst through the line for the score, cutting the Fordham deficit to two, 23-21, with 9:52 left. Wayne completed three of four passes on the drive for 47 yards while also rushing for 26 yards.
Rhode Island misplayed the ensuring kickoff as Fordham's Jamir Livingston pounced on a loose ball on the Rhode Island 21, giving Fordham excellent field position. Two Darryl Whiting rushes gained eleven yards but Fordham couldn't get much closer and Patrick Murray came on to attempt a 24-yard field goal but it sailed wide right.
Rhode Island took over on its own 20 and managed to pick up a first down but the drive stalled on the Rhode Island 34 and the ball was punted back to Fordham. Fordham took over on its own 29 and was facing a third-and-12 from the 27 when Rhode Island was called for pass interference, giving Fordham a first down on the Fordham 34. Wayne then found Caldwell with a short completion and Caldwell turned it into a 43-yard gain, putting the ball on the Rhode Island 23. Martin took over on the ground, running the ball three straight times to get it to the Rhode Island eight. On second and goal from the eight, Wayne took the ball around the right side, getting a block from Caldwell, to get to the pylon for the go ahead score with 2:02 remaining. The two-point conversion failed as Fordham led 27-23.
Rhode Island had one last chance to win and almost took the lead on the ensuing kickoff as Brandon Johnson-Farrell returned the ball 30 yards to the Fordham 48. Six plays later, Johnson-Farrell again came up big, hauling in a 23-yard pass from Probst on fourth-and-ten from the Fordham 35 to get the ball down to the 12. Three plays later, Rhode Island faced a fourth-and-two from the Fordham four when a Probst pass intended for Johnson-Farrell was knocked down by Wilson, giving Fordham the ball back with one second on the clock. Fordham elected to snap the ball out of the end zone on the final play of the game, giving Rhode Island its second safety of the night, making the final score, 27-25.
Unlike last week's game, tonight's game opened as a defensive battle, with the two teams combining for just nine first downs in the first quarter. Fordham struck first, taking over on its own 31 following a missed 47-yard field goal attempt by Rhode Island's Louis Feinstein. Wayne and Martin went to work, moving Fordham down to the Rhode Island 35 where the drive seemed to have ended as Wayne gained three yards on a third-and-eight play but Rhode Island was called for a face mask penalty, giving Fordham the ball on the 20. Four plays later, Wayne connected with Caldwell on an 18-yard scoring strike to give Fordham a 7-0 lead with 10:35 left in the half.
Rhode Island struck back quickly, covering 60 yards on six plays with Probst finding Anthony Baskerville with a nine-yard scoring pass to knot the game at seven with 8:17 remaining.
On the third play of Fordham's next possession Wayne was intercepted by David Zocco, giving Rhode Island the ball on the Fordham 31. It took just one play to cover the 31 yards as Probst hit Ty Bynum with a scoring pass to put Rhode Island up, 14-7, with 6:47 remaining in the half.
Fordham had a chance to cut the deficit to four but Murray's 49-yard field goal with six seconds left hit the upright.
After holding Rhode Island to a three-and-out to open the second half, Fordham took over on its own ten following a punt and Fordham covered the 90 yards on just six plays with Wayne taking care of the final eleven yards to tie the game at 14 with 11:52 left in the third. The big play of the drive was a 48-yard run from Martin which put the ball on the Rhode Island eleven.
Rhode Island again came right back, taking a 21-14 lead on the following possession on a three-yard pass from Probst to Bynum to cap an eleven-play, 73-yard drive.
Early in the fourth, Fordham lined up to punt from its own 19 but Jarrod Williams broke through the line and blocked Murray's punt which rolled out of the end zone for a Rhode Island safety 36 seconds into the quarter.
Wayne completed 23 of 37 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown while he also rushed 17 times for 64 net yards (two of the rushes were sacks that went of a loss of eleven yards) and two scores.
Martin led all rushers in the game with 16 carries for 95 yards while Whiting added 56 yards on 14 rushes.
David Moore added six receptions for 47 yards for Fordham.
Defensively, Brendan Melanophy led Fordham with a career-high ten total tackles, eight solo, while Michael Martin added nine stops, six solo, and Jamal Haruna finished with eight tackles, five solo, including one for loss.
Fordham will next be in action next Saturday, September 18th, as the Rams travel into Manhattan to face the Columbia University Lions in the annual Liberty Cup game at 12:30 PM.
Notes
The Rams had a moment of silence before the game to honor those lost in the attacks of 9/11 as well as for the memory of Rich Marrin FCRH '67, LAW '70, a Fordham Athletic Hall of Famer and football supporter, who passed away last night... Fordham now leads the all-time series, 6-4, and has won three of the past four meetings... Fordham is now 17-24 in home openers since 1970, 8-14 on the NCAA FCS level... The Rams are also now 9-13 all-time in night games (games started at 6:0 PM or later)... Caldwell's 140 yards brings his career total to 1,963, good for fifth on the Fordham all-time list while his eleven catches brings his career total to 135, good for fourth on the career list and his touchdown catch gives him 16 over his career, tied for fifth best at the school... The game was the eighth 100-yard receiving game of Caldwell's career... Murray, who entered the game averaging 51.0 yards/punt, kicked five times for 225 yards, an average of 45.0 yards/punt... Fordham featured a well balanced offensive attack, gaining 212 rushing yards and 222 passing yards... The game featured five Hofstra transfers (the school dropped the sport following the 2009 season), two on Fordham (Carlton Koonce and Nick Talbert) and three on Rhode Island (Probst, Billy Morgan and Chris Edmond).
