Rhode Island Rams at Merrimack Warriors
· NCAA - Football
McClelland scores 2 touchdowns and Rhode Island beats Merrimack 34-7 in season opener
Rhode Island came in ranked No. 7 in Stats Perform poll.
McClelland scored from 5 and 4 yards to cap a pair of long drives for a 21-7 halftime lead. Those came after Budge, a transfer from Georgia Southern, threw a 16-yard TD pass to Marquis Buchanan less than two minutes into the game after the Warriors muffed a punt at their 18.
McClelland had only five carries last season with one TD. Budge started in place of Devin Farrell, who is still recovering from offseason surgery.
Merrimack's lone score came on Matthias Latham's 2-yard TD run.
Budge threw for 128 yards and ran for 51. Buchanan caught six passes for 72 yards.
A.J. Hairston threw for 145 yards with an interception for the Warriors.
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How To Watch
How can I watch Rhode Island Rams vs. Merrimack Warriors?
- TV Channel: Rams at Warriors 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
TD | 1st Period 13:11 | Marquis Buchanan 16 Yd pass from Tyler Budge (Ty Groff Kick) |
 |
TD | 1st Period 5:15 | Matthias Latham 2 Yd Run (Guytano Bartolomeo Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 7:59 | Alex McClelland 5 Yd Run (Ty Groff Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 0:50 | Alex McClelland 4 Yd Run (Ty Groff Kick) |
|
FG | 3rd Period 9:18 | Ty Groff 26 Yd Field Goal |
|
FG | 3rd Period 7:48 | Ty Groff 33 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 4th Period 0:45 | Moses Meus 49 Yd Interception Return (Ty Groff Kick) |
Statistics
 URI |
 MRMK |
|
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1st Downs | 20 |
| 5-13 | 3rd down efficiency | 4-14 |
| 0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 1-3 |
| 297 | Total Yards | 355 |
| 128 | Passing | 261 |
| 13/31 | Comp/Att | 24/40 |
| 4.1 | Yards per pass | 6.5 |
| 169 | Rushing | 94 |
| 30 | Rushing Attempts | 34 |
| 5.6 | Yards per rush | 2.8 |
| 7-55 | Penalties | 5-41 |
| 0 | Turnovers | 4 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 2 |
| 0 | Interceptions thrown | 2 |
| 23:59 | Possession | 36:01 |
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