Despite 11 penalties, the Rams outgained Holy Cross 402–229 and stayed unbeaten behind three field goals and a five-sack defensive effort.
Special Teams Lead The Way!
Rhode Island edged out Holy Cross 9–7 in Worcester, maintaining their unbeaten start (3-0, 2-0 in conference) thanks mostly to three field goals by Garth White. Offensively, URI moved the ball much more efficiently — 402 total yards vs. 229 for Holy Cross. Their passing game was especially effective: QB Devin Farrell completed 22 of 37 for 271 yards. On the ground, Antwain Littleton Jr. carried 18 times for 94 net yards. Holy Cross, meanwhile, had success rushing with Jayden Clereveaux’s (8 rushes for 29 yards) solo touchdown run but couldn’t overcome URI’s steady offense and strong defense late in the game. HC QB Cal Swanson actually led HC with 39 net yards of running.
Defensively, Rhode Island held Holy Cross in check when it counted, especially in short yardage and turnover-situations. Holy Cross kept URI out of the endzone all day, but the Rams got all of the points they needed on the toe of Garth White who was 3-3, including the game winner of 42 yards with 3:34 to go in the game. URI’s defense also limited Holy Cross’s rushing effectiveness, holding them to just 72 net rushing yards on 31 attempts (about 2.3 yards per carry).
On penalties, Rhode Island was burned badly with 11 penalties for 92 yards. The penalties hurt the Rams’ field position, killed drives, and took points off of the board. This is something the Rams will have to work on this week before facing a very good Long Island University team at homecoming on Saturday 9/20/25. Holding, offsides, and false starts are preventable. Meanwhile HC got 2 first downs by virtue of the Rams’ penalties. And HC had only 3 penalties, but one was a costly holding call late 4th quarter made on the offensive lineman trying to stop the hard rushing AJ Pena in the open backfield.
Rhode Island’s defense spread the workload across the roster, with Rohan Davy and Moses Meus leading the way at seven total tackles each, both also recording key sacks that stalled Holy Cross drives. Ayinde Johnson added five stops and a pass breakup, while Case Mankins chipped in four tackles and another breakup. Up front, A.J. Pena was disruptive with three quarterback hurries and a sack, and Sam Ofurie made the most of his snaps with a sack for an eight-yard loss. Depth players also stepped up — Jordan Campbell registered a hurry and a pass breakup, while Mitchell Garner and Patrick Conserve each pressured the quarterback, with John Boyles registering a sack in the 4th qtr as well. In all, URI tallied five sacks from five different defenders, showing both balance and depth in a performance that kept Holy Cross’s offense in check.
Rhode Island’s offense controlled both the pace and field position battle against Holy Cross. The Rams put together three long, clock-eating scoring drives of 78, 69, and 60 yards, each capped by Garth White field goals, including a marathon 14-play, 6:02 possession in the first quarter. Holy Cross’s lone touchdown came on a 9-play, 54-yard march midway through the second quarter, but otherwise the Crusaders struggled to sustain drives, punting six times and twice turning it over on downs, including a missed FG. URI also had two critical defensive stands: forcing Holy Cross into a punt after a negative-yardage series in the third and sealing the game with a late stop on downs in the fourth. Overall URI dominated time of possession by 2 plus minutes, and consistently flipped the field, even when they didn’t find the end zone.
4th Qtr – Game On The Line
Holy Cross opened the 4th quarter looking dangerous, but Rhode Island’s defense dug in when it mattered. After a big 30-yard completion to move inside the URI 20, the Rams Rohan Davy brought pressure and forced a sack. Then the fans watched the Crusaders miss a 37-yard field goal. The momentum swung right back to the visitors.
Rhode Island tried to make the miss count, with Devin Farrell hitting Greg Gaines and Connor Finer for back-to-back chunk plays into Holy Cross territory. The Rams even looked to have a touchdown on a swing pass to Antwain Littleton, but a holding flag wiped it away. URI couldn’t recover, and the drive ended with a punt.
The defenses traded stops until Rhode Island finally broke through. Backed up at their own nine, Farrell found Finer on a 35-yard strike and then dropped another deep ball to Gaines to cross midfield. Littleton powered for 13 more, and Farrell kept the chains moving with his legs – picking up 10 critical yards to get into field goal range. The Crusaders stiffened inside the 25, but Garth White stepped up and drilled a clutch 41-yard field goal to put the Rams ahead 9-7 with just over two minutes left.
Holy Cross had one last chance, moving quickly into URI territory with a pair of completions. But the Rams’ pass rush turned up the heat, and a holding penalty pushed the Crusaders backward 10 yards to their own 45 yd line. The next play (2nd and 20) was a short pass completion to Max Mosley who was taken down by URI DB Jordan Campbell at the URI 48. On the following play, Patrick Conserve pressured Swanson forcing an errant throw. On 4th down, with the game on the line, the URI defense forced another incompletion with a QB hurry by A.J. Pena. This sealed the hard-fought win on the road.
FANS REACT!
URI Depth Chart in Motion
Rhode Island’s lineup against Holy Cross combined a deep rotation of contributors with a solid core of starters on both sides of the ball. On offense, quarterback Devin Farrell directed the attack with running back Antwain Littleton Jr. in the backfield, while targets included tight end Connor Finer and receivers Marquis Buchanan, Greg Gaines, and Aboraa Kwarteng. The offensive line was anchored by center Tre Alexander, guards Christian Smith and Damon McMillian Jr., and tackles Thomas Buxton and Brock Bethea. Defensively, URI started Trey Lubin, Jordan Campbell, and Ayinde Johnson in the secondary alongside Justin Carcel; the front was powered by linemen Patrick Conserve, Tosin Akinsulire, and Case Mankins, with linebackers A.J. Pena, Rohan Davy, and Moses Meus leading the charge. Beyond the starters, a broad group of players saw action, including special teams contributors Garth White (kicker), James Allen (punter), Dillon Keough (long snapper), and Angel Sanchez (returner), as well as depth defenders like John Boyles, Sam Ofurie, Ethan McCann-Carter, and Emmanuel Dankwa, underscoring the Rams’ balance of experienced starters and active rotational athletes.
