Bryant football wins at Princeton; Villanova routs visiting Rhode Island
PRINCETON, N.J. — Ethan Gettman connected on a 38-yard field goal with less than two minutes left in regulation, then hit from 37-yards out in overtime to lift Bryant to a 16-13 win over Princeton in a non-conference contest Saturday afternoon.
Princeton took a 13-3 lead to start the fourth quarter after Dareion Murphy scored from 5 yards out, but the Tigers fumbled away their next possession. They got the ball back after Bryant tied the game at 13-13 but were held to a three-and-out and punted with 28 seconds left in regulation.
Zevi Eckhaus found Konor Lathrop from 11 yards out with 6:37 left. Gettman got Bryant on the board with 2:31 left in the third quarter.
Neither team had a big offensive day. Princeton had 277 yards of total offense while Bryant managed just 209. Bryant converted 4-of-17 third-down opportunities; Princeton was of 5-of-14. The Bulldogs, however, were 2-for-2 converting on fourth down while Princeton was 0-for-3.
Eckhaus was 19 of 27 passing for 126 yards to lead Bryant (2-2). Ryan Clark carried 21 times for 78 yards.
John Volker carried 18 times for 149 yards to lead Princeton, scoring the only points of the first half on a 49-yard dash with 1:34 left, sending Princeton into intermission with a 6-0 lead.
Bryant's defensive line stopped the Tigers on 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 in overtime to seal the victory.
URI loses at Villanova
PHILADELPHIA — Quarterback Connor Watkins ran for 113 yards and three touchdowns and Villanova defeated Rhode Island, 35-9, in a Coastal Athletic Association season opener for the Wildcats on Saturday.
Watkins ran for scores of 1 and 21 yards in a four-minute span to close the first quarter for a 14-0 advantage. His 5-yard run with 1:47 before halftime made it 21-3.
Halfway through the third, TD Ayo-Durojaive made it 28-3 with a 63-yard scoring run. He finished with 103 yards rushing on seven carries. Villanova (3-1, 1-0) finished with 459 total yards. The Rams (2-2, 2-1) had 241.
"This is an old-fashioned get taken out to the woodshed and get slapped around a little bit," Rhode Island coach Jim Fleming said after the lopsided loss. "Now we've got to go back and restructure and reset ourselves and get ready to go play the next week."
Villanova’s lone blemish occurred in the form of penalties, committing 12 for a total of 105 yards. Jaden Griffin provided Rhode Island's lone touchdown with a 14-yard run with 5:09 left.
URI hosts Bryant at 1 p.m. Saturday.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bryant University football beats Princeton; RI football loses at Villanova
