LIU football can't hold on to late lead in loss to Rhode Island
LIU quarterback Luca Stanzani passes against Lehigh on Sept. 14 at LIU, Credit: Lee S. Weissman
Malik Grant ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns, the last coming with 1:08 to play, to lift Rhode Island to a 28-21 win over host LIU on Saturday.
Grant's 8-yard run over the left side capped a 67-yard drive in just over a minute and a half.
The Rams (3-1) trailed 21-14 after Luca Stanzani threw his second touchdown pass, a 42-yarder to Michael Love with 9:13 remaining.
Rhode Island then went 81 yards in 11 plays, only to fumble the ball away on the Sharks' 1. But after a false start, the Sharks fumbled the ball back on the 5. Quarterback Hunter Helms kept the ball twice, scoring on a 4-yard run to tie the game with 3:42 to play.
The Rams forced a three-and-out and got the ball back on their 33 with 2:45 remaining.
Helms finished 7-for-10 for 90 yards, his last completion covering 20 yards on the first play of the winning drive. Grant covered the last 43 yards on five carries for the win.
Stanzani was 16-for-27 for 176 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another touchdown for the Sharks (0-4) but was sacked three times. Stanzani scored on a 7-yard run just before halftime to give the Sharks a 14-7 lead. He also threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Ludovick Choquette with 9:16 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 7.
Choquette ran 16 times for 70 yards and Nasir Hennigan 13 times for 60 yards. Love caught six passes for 77 yards. Backup quarterback Ethan Greenwood went 3-for-4 for 21 yards.
LIU is at Villanova next Saturday at 6 p.m.
