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Pawtucket, R.I. — Eleven seconds on the clock. The Governor’s Cup on the line. A tied scoreboard and a rivalry crowd at Centreville Bank Stadium holding its breath. Ty Groff walked out, lined up a 43-yard field goal, and did what champions do.

He made it.

Ty Goff gets his kick away against a leaping Brown defense with 15 seconds remaining, sending the game-winning field goal through the uprights to give URI a victory over the Bears. The partially tipped ball had enough on it for another 10 yards.

Ty Groff splits the uprights with 15 seconds remaining as the Bristol Train of Artillery’s cannon smoke fills the air, sealing a URI victory over Brown. Number 45 and his teammates celebrate what would prove to be the game-winning field goal at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket

Rhode Island 13, Brown 10. In the 110th meeting between the schools, the defending CAA champions brought the Governor’s Cup back to Kingston, and they did it the hard way: with a suffocating defense that has been the hallmark of URI football under Head Coach Jim Fleming and Defensive Coordinator Chris Lorenti, a first-time starting quarterback who stayed cool when the afternoon got loud, and a team that simply would not quit after falling behind in the fourth quarter.

Afterward, Groff was quick to pass the credit around. He stressed that the success of his kicks is a collective effort, built by the entire operation, and he praised his teammates for their unwavering trust and support. Their confidence in him, Groff said, makes it easy to stay focused and execute when his number is called.

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee presents the Governor’s Cup to the URI Rams following their dramatic last-second victory over Brown University

A Defensive Grind, Then a Fourth-Quarter Fight

For three quarters, this was a street fight. Rhody led 3-0 on an earlier 43-yarder from Groff, and every yard felt like it cost something. Then the game blew wide open. Seventeen of the game’s 23 points came in the final quarter.

Brown pounced on a URI turnover deep in Rhody territory and cashed in, taking a 10-3 lead on a 1-yard direct-snap touchdown by Qwentin Brown with 13:29 to play, the Bears’ first lead of the game. The kind of moment that tests a team. The kind of moment that tells you who a team really is.

The Rams answered immediately.

All-American receiver Marquis Buchanan caught a pass over the middle from Alex McClelland and turned it into a 68-yard explosion down to the Brown 12. On the very next snap, McClelland scrambled up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown, and just like that it was tied at 10. Down on the scoreboard, but never down in spirit. That’s championship DNA.

4th Qtr Pass From Alex McClelland to Marquis Buchanan sets Rhody Offense into High Gear-PHOTOSPORTS.COM

And Buchanan did it while playing hurt. Coach Fleming praised his star receiver’s toughness at the postgame press conference, calling him a “tough kid” who has been battling through a nagging injury. Despite being “banged up,” Fleming said, Buchanan keeps competing hard and contributing to the team, a resilience that showed on every one of his five catches, including the 68-yard play that changed the game.

Marquis Buchanan showed why he leads with yards after a catch.

The Defense Slammed the Door

Make no mistake about who set the table for the finish. Rhody’s defense held Brown to just 35 rushing yards, and when the Rams needed one more stop, they got it. After both teams traded punts, URI pinned Brown at its own 12-yard line with 1:19 to play. A quick three-and-out handed the offense the ball at the Brown 46 with 32 seconds left.

McClelland went to work: 3 yards to Jamall Mensah, 5 yards to Buchanan, and then a roughing-the-passer flag on Brown pushed the ball to the Brown 23, right inside Groff’s range. Three snaps later, Groff’s 43-yarder split the uprights, dead center.

Ice in his veins. And when Brown’s last-ditch lateral play went nowhere, the Cup was Rhody’s.

The New Starting QB Delivered

Alex McClelland made the first start of his college career and gave the defending CAA champs a spark, playing clean football and delivering in the clutch when he was needed most. He ran six times for 25 yards, none bigger than the 12-yard touchdown scramble that tied the game. Behind him, Gabe Winowich carried 23 times for 85 yards and a ground game that piled up 217 rushing yards and controlled the clock for 33:39.

Alex gets high praise after his 12 yard TD scramble capping the previous Buchanan 65 pass play.

The game carried extra meaning for McClelland. Both of his parents are Brown alumni, which added a personal layer to the matchup, and Brown did not recruit him. Asked about it at the postgame press conference, he held no resentment. “I’m just grateful to be here at Rhody,” McClelland said. He kept the focus on his current team and the win, viewing the game as a chance to prove himself while staying humble about his journey.

A Hometown Kid Steals the Show

And then there’s the story within the story. Fourth-year player Ethan McCann-Carter made his first career start at cornerback, and he did it in his hometown of Pawtucket, just down the road from where he grew up, in front of the people who watched him become a Ram.

Rhode Island native Ethan McCan-Carter #19 punctuates his fourth quarter interception with a slam dunk celebration as teammates look on during the Rams’ come-from-behind victory over Brown University in the Governor’s Cup game.

He didn’t just show up. He delivered. McCann-Carter came down with the first interception of his career, added 3 tackles including a tackle for loss, and broke up another pass, making a Brown offense that couldn’t run the ball think twice about throwing it his way. A first start. A first pick. In his own backyard, in the biggest rivalry game on the schedule. You couldn’t script it any better.

And it was one more win for the books. With the victory, Rhode Island extends the longest home winning streak in the nation to 17 straight, all of it in front of a home crowd that has made this place impossible to beat.

The Defensive Standouts

URI’s Trey Lubin #3 and Andre DePina-Gray combine to break up a pass intended for Brown wide receiver Saphir Miller #80 during the Rams’ Governor’s Cup victory over the Bears at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket

This unit was a wall all game. Linebacker Rohan Davy and safety Andre DePina-Gray each led the team with 8 tackles. Trey Lubin added 7 tackles and 3 pass breakups, living in Brown’s passing lanes. Defensive lineman Case Mankins was a constant disruptor up front with 6 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss (13 yards), and his team-leading fifth sack of the season, a 10-yard takedown. Davy also got into the backfield with a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry.

URI captain Case Mankins brings down Brown quarterback James Murphy as Dane Picariello #16 closes in during a first quarter sack — one of several pressures URI’s defense applied to the FCS’s third-ranked passer, who averaged 279.8 yards per game in 2025, during the Rams’ Governor’s Cup victory at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket

The dominant defensive efforts also had significant contributions from:

Moses Meus: 4 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a half-sack
Tyson Grimm, Dane Picariello, and Jermel Bynum: 4 tackles each, with Bynum adding a pass breakup
DJ Cureton and fifth-year senior Sam Ofurie: 3 tackles each, with Cureton adding a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry

Eleven different Rams made their mark on the stat sheet. And punter Randy Leavitt did his part too, pinning three of his six punts inside the Brown 20 to win the field-position battle and keep the defense pointed the right direction.

Resolve on the Podium

Head coach Jim Fleming opened the postgame press conference praising how the Rams executed, how they kept fighting after falling behind, and how electric the rivalry crowd was.

“That’s what every coach says,” Fleming said, “but our kids had a resolve today.”

The Cup is coming back to Kingston!

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