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University of Rhode Island’s true freshman starting quarterback Jayson Davis rushed for two touchdowns, the second giving the Rams an early 14-10 advantage. However, it wasn’t enough for Rhode Island to topple the No. 3-ranked Black Bears as UMaine stopped the Rams 31-14 at Morse Field on Saturday.
“When you’re on the road against the number three team in the country as a freshman quarterback, you’re going to have to learn some tough lessons,” Rhode Island head coach Tim Stowers said after the game.
Senior linebacker Steven Cooper and senior quarterback Jake Eaton were happy to help Davis learn those lessons.
“I’ve got a guy on defense with an ‘S’ on his chest and a guy on offense that’s just about the same,” UMaine head coach Jack Cosgrove said of his standout seniors Eaton and Cooper. “A lot of [Division] I-AA programs don’t have that. When times get tough, these two guys have a magical way about them of leading their teammates and showing them the way. I think today that surfaced and that is why we’re 5-0.”
Senior quarterback Jake Eaton was outstanding again, combining passing efficiency (16-21 for 183 yards with 2 touchdown passes) with another unexpected rushing performance. The Vermont native carried the ball 14 times for 68 yards, mostly on set plays.
When asked whether the passing game looked shaky, URI coach Stowers said, “The catalyst of that Black Bear offense is their senior quarterback. Eaton is a senior and he made plays. The [suspended] receivers [juniors Stefan Gomes and Paris Minor] are good players, but I bet if you’d ask their coach he wouldn’t trade two good receivers for his senior quarterback.”
With the exception of their first series, the Black Bear passing game looked fine even without wide receivers Gomes and Minor. The juniors were suspended by the University of Maine and are no longer members of the football team.
In their place, sophomore Christian Pereira and freshman Ryan Waller stepped up. Pereira hauled in 6 passes for 61 yards; Waller matched his yardage total, adding 4 catches.
Stowers was also impressed with Steven Cooper.
“He is a great athlete, just one heck of a football player. He gets my vote for the defensive player of the year,” Stowers said.
Cooper had another dominant performance, nine tackles and three and a half sacks, to lead the Atlantic 10 Conference’s third-ranked defense, but he wasn’t alone. Sophomore strong safety Brandon McGowan had nine tackles, senior linebacker Rob Kierstead had eight and senior free safety David Cusano had seven. The defensive line also was active; Marcus Walton totaled five tackles and registered one and a half sacks while Pat Pa’u added four tackles.
Sophomore running back Marcus Williams also had an outstanding day, racking up 198 yards on 25 carries for an average of 7.9 yards a carry. In addition, he broke for a 39-yard touchdown run to close out the scoring in the fourth quarter.
