Offense Leads Football in Season Opener

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Despite the fact that there were over 4,000 people in attendance at the Fordham University football season opener with the University of Rhode Island on Thursday night, concession sales were probably down as fans were afraid to leave their seats, lest they miss another Ram score. Fordham scored early, often and quickly en route to a 51-26 victory on Jack Coffey Field.
 
The game started out with a special ceremony as Fordham honored our nation's wounded heroes. In collaboration with Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Fordham's athletics department invited three local Wounded Warrior Project Alumni; Peter Brasile, Christian LaureanoDeJesus and Rafael Rodriguez, to present the game ball to the officials and to participate in the pregame coin flip.
 
When the Wounded Warriors presented the game ball to the officials it was one of the few times that the ball remained in the same position for more than 30 seconds. Fordham moved the ball quickly, as the team's first seven scoring drives averaged less than a minute each, including a 17-second drive, a 54-second drive and a drive that took no time at all, thanks to a 61-yard interception return for a score.
 
The 51 points is the most scored by a Fordham team against an NCAA Division I team in a home opener on the NCAA FCS level and the win marks the second straight season-opening victory for Fordham. Fordham also scored more than 50 points in a season-opener for the second straight year (Fordham defeated Lock Haven, 55-0, last August).
 
 
Nebrich's favorite receiver was junior Sam Ajala who caught four passes for a career-high 112 yards and two touchdowns while junior Brian Wetzel hauled in a team-high seven passes for 90 and two touchdowns.
 
Fordham got on the board first, taking over on its own 35 following a short Rhode Island punt. Nebrich hit Dan Light for a 40-yard gain on second down and, two plays later, found Ajala in the back of the end zone as Ajala outjumped his defended for the six points with 10:08 left in the first.
 
Three plays later, Fordham's Jake Dixon stepped in front of a Bob Bentsen pass on the URI 32 and, two plays later, Nebrich covered the 32 yards on the ground for a 14-0 Fordham lead just under two minutes later.
 
Rhode Island got on the board later in the first, settling for a 42-yard Dylan Smith field goal when a 65-yard drive stalled on the Fordham 25.
 
The game remained 14-3 until Fordham's first possession of the second quarter when a 51-yard run by Carlton Koonce gave the team a first down on the Rhode Island three. A false start penalty moved Fordham back to the eight, but a four-yard Nebrich rush was followed by a four-yard scoring strike from Nebrich to Wetzel as Fordham took a 21-3 advantage 3:06 into the quarter.
 
On its next possession,, Fordham took advantage of a roughing the passer penalty on Rhode Island to move the ball down to the URI 17 where Michael Marando came on to boot a 33-yard field goal, making it a 24-3 game with 10:07 left in the half.
 
Late in the half, Rhode Island moved from its own 29 to the Fordham 14 where Smith kicked a 31-yard field goal with 1:22 on the clock.
 
Rhode Island took the second half kickoff and moved 75 yards on ten plays, capping the drive with a Jordan Sebastian 13-yard scoring run as the visitors pulled to within 12, 24-12,  just over four minutes into the half.
 
After the Fordham offense went three-and-out, URI took over in its own 31 following a 44-yard Joseph Pavlik punt. After Robbie Delgado gained nine yards on the first play from scrimmage, Bentsen tried to go deep, but Fordham's JQ Bowers picked off the pass and returned it 61 yards, making some nifty moves, for a touchdown and a 31-12 Fordham lead with 8:15 left in the third.
 
Later in the third, Fordham lined up to punt but Pavlik was pressured and dropped for an eight-yard loss, giving Rhode Island the ball on the Fordham 43. Four plays later, Delgado found the end zone from the 28 to make it a 31-19 game at the 2:33 mark.
 
Once again Fordham quickly responded when Nebrich found a wide open Ajala over the middle and Ajala outraced his defender to the right corner of the end zone for a 49-yard scoring play as Fordham took a 38-19 lead with just over a minute left in the third.
 
Rhode Island answered with a seven-play, 83-yard drive, which Bentsen finished off with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Matos as the visitors moved to within 12 points once again, 38-26, 57 seconds into the fourth.
 
And what did Fordham do? The Rams responded with another quick scoring drive, covering 74 yards on just three plays, the big play a 64-yard touchdown pass from Nebrich to Ajala as Fordham stretched the lead to 19, 45-26, with 12:56 left in the contest.
 
The offenses settled down over the next six minutes before Fordham went on its longest scoring drive of the night, a 62-yard, nine-play, 5:07 drive that was capped when Kendall Pearcey took it to the end zone from the 16 with 1:27 remaining for the 51-26 final.
 
Koonce finished with 90 yards on 14 carries while Tebucky Jones caught three passes for 19 yards and Light added two receptions for 50 yards.
 
Defensively, Austin Hancock led the Rams with ten tackles, nine solo, while Levon Williams and Jake Dixon each added nine stops, seven solo, with Dixon recording one for a loss and Williams having a pass break up.
 
Fordham will next be in action when the Rams host Villanova University on Jack Coffey Field on Saturday, September 7, at 6:00 p.m.
 
Notes
Fordham won its season opener for the second straight year and its home opener for the sixth consecutive season… The game was the earliest opener in school history for Fordham (the previous earliest opener was on August 30 which occurred last year and in 2003)… Fordham is now 7-5 all-time against Rhode Island… The previous record for most points scored by Fordham against an NCAA Division I opponent in the home opener on the NCAA FCS level was 48 against Georgetown in 2001… Fordham won despite being outgained 433-416 in total offense… Former Fordham All-American kicker Patrick Murray and former All-American defensive back Tad Kornegay were on the sidelines… Fordham did not commit a turnover.