BY CHARLES COSTELLO

It is fair to say that things did not go well for the Fordham Rams in their 2009 college football season opener. In fact, the game’s first 31 minutes proved to be a nightmare. Trailing 34-7 at halftime, and down 41-7 after the first play of the third quarter, Fordham eventually fell to the host Rams, 41-28, Saturday afternoon at Meade Stadium in Kingston, RI.

“You just can’t give up 34 points in the first half and expect to get back in the game,” head coach Tom Masella told fordhamsports.com following the loss. “We simply didn’t play football in the first half but I thought the guys hung in there in the second half and showed a lot of fight.”

That fight included three straight touchdowns that cut the URI lead to 41-28 with 9:34 to play in the game. The scoring came too late, though, as the Fordham defense was eaten alive by Rhode Island in the first half. Down 34-7 at the half, the first 30 minutes of this new season did not go as Fordham had planned.

“Give Rhode Island credit. They made plays,” Masella told The Providence Journal. “We were awful and they were very good in the first half. In the second half I thought our kids hung in there and battled and almost made a game of it.”

What You Need to Know:

• John Skelton became Fordham’s all-time pass completions leader with his first completion of the game. Skelton was 28-of-42 for 302 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception. He scored twice on the ground, leading the team with 54 yards rushing on 13 attempts.
• Fordham did not score until Skelton’s three-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds left in the first half. It came after the Fordham defense had allowed six scores by URI on the their first six possessions.
• Fordham was outgained 455-424 for the game, but that doesn’t tell the real story. URI dominated the first half, moving the ball at will against the Fordham defense to take the 27-point halftime lead. URI rushed for 229 yards for the game, while Fordham had 122 yards on the ground.
• For Fordham, Jason Caldwell caught eight passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, Stephen Skelton finished with seven catches for 90 yards, and Asa Lucas had five catches for 53 yards. Xavier Martin rushed 12 times for 47 yards and a touchdown.
• Fordham turned the ball over five times, losing four fumbles in a sloppy game that saw URI capitalize on the Fordham mistakes. Rhode Island did not have a turnover.
• URI quarterback Chris Paul-Etienne passed for 164 yards and ran for 81 more. He had one rushing touchdown and threw two touchdown passes.