{shortcode-79ffbd8dec0cdc4c553f8fc44ec78522e0e56826}Rhode Island sophomore backup quarterback Vito Priore took his drop and telegraphed his target, a sprinting receiver down the visiting sideline. His defender, senior defensive back Wes Ogsbury, had his back to the ball so it didn’t matter. Then he didn't.

The senior peeked over his shoulder, highpointed the pass, and tumbled into the end zone with possession of the ball.

Down seven, 80 yards stood between the Crimson and sending the game into overtime. On the first play, sophomore quarterback Jake Smith escaped the pocket, bounced off his own lineman and rocketed an off-balance pass to Adam Scott for 23 yards. Smith dropped back again, but this time his pass found a different target — Rams linebacker Justin Hogan.

The interception silenced the hollering Harvard home crowd. Rhode Island wasted what little remained of the fourth quarter, leaving 30 seconds for the Crimson to toss a few deep passes and attempt a hook-and-ladder. The ball fell to the turf and the Rams celebrated the 23-16 victory under the lights of Harvard Stadium.

Smith’s final interception marked a three-drive skid in which the two teams tossed interceptions on each drive. First Smith, then Priore, then Smith again — a fitting conclusion to a contest that featured so little offensive production by both squads.

“In that situation there’s a sense of desperation,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “The defense is going to crowd a bunch of guys and it’s challenging to make big plays when they know you have to throw the football.”

Entering the fifth-ever match between Rhode Island (3-1, 2-0 CAA) and the Crimson, the latter’s defense had allowed 15.5 points per game this season. The Rams’ offense, on the other hand, had been lights out, scoring 38.3 per game, including dropping 49 points on Connecticut in a close loss. Tonight’s game was expected to be a battle between these two fronts. Instead, the special teams units hoarded the spotlight. Rhode Island’s Ahmere Dorsey shined brightest.

Harvard (2-1, 1-0 Ivy) won the opening toss and decided to defer. Dorsey took the kick and sprinted down his own sideline for 51 yards before being forced back into the defense by freshman kicker Jonah Lipel.

The Crimson defense shuttered the drive but the return pushed Harvard against its own end zone. Three plays later, out came the Crimson special teams unit. Freshman punter Jon Sot muffed the snap and sent the punt into the back of his blocker. The ball wobbled out the back of the end zone, handing two points to the Rams for the first points of the night and the squad’s first safety in 91 games. It was the first time all season that Harvard had allowed an opponent to light up the scoreboard first.

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“We’ve got some young guys in there because of injuries,” Murphy said. “We have a freshman kickoff guy, freshman punter. They’re both good kids. They both have a lot of ability. Obviously, those were a couple of tough ones, but those kids will get better. They’ll learn from it. They’ll get a little more hardened through this experience.”

Dorsey struck again to begin the second half. After putting up three, the Crimson sent the ball back to returner again. This time even Lipel couldn’t stop him. The junior wideout made a move in the middle and straddled the Harvard bench as he took the kick 97 yards to put Rhode Island up, 23-6. It was the first time the Crimson had allowed a a kickoff return for a touchdown since 2005, and it would be the last time the Rams scored.

“When I get back there, I tell myself no one will tackle me,” Dorsey said. “I trust my teammates to make a block for me and I just do my thing.”

Harvard’s offense didn’t score until the fourth quarter, and until that point it was place kicker Jake McIntyre that kept the Crimson in the game. Hitting all three kicks — one from 37 and two from 34 yards out — McIntyre accounted for all nine of Harvard’s points up to the fourth quarter.

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With the Crimson down 17, it was sophomore running back Devin Darrington that breathed life into the seemingly lifeless offense. Taking the field at the Rhode Island 49-yard line, Darrington scrambled for eight yards. Smith then found junior Jack Cook for five yards before Darrington sprinted through the defensive line for career-long 36 yard run, scoring the Crimson’s only offensive touchdown of the night. Suddenly the gap was just seven.

The crowd was louder and the Harvard defense more energetic, but the seven points from Darrington’s run would be the last of the night for either team.

Through the first two games, the Crimson had averaged 251.5 rushing yards. Tonight, it earned 101. Third downs were a particular strong point for Smith against Brown. Tonight, the sophomore was just 2-of-14.

Throughout the contest, both offenses were held relatively mute. In the first 15 minutes of play, the teams netted 36 yards of offense. By the end of the first half, Harvard had one rushing yard.

It wasn’t until three minutes into the second quarter that a touchdown was finally scored. One pass earlier, Rams quarterback JaJuan Lawson missed a wide open Joey Kenny in the flat as he sent his pass to a receiver closer to the sideline. The next time he didn’t.

Lawson dropped into the pocket, looked right before firing the pass left into the hands of a wide open Kenny. The tight end let his momentum carry him into the endzone for his longest career reception and touchdown pass. 9-3, Rhode Island.

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The Crimson ran three plays and returned the ball to the visitors, allowing Lawson to the take the field yet again. The captain did his duty, carrying the squad back down the field. Though he had gone three-for-six with one interception in the first quarter, he hit three consecutive passes on this nine-play, 89-yard drive.

Sophomore wideout Isaiah Coulter broke on a seam route, creating distance between him and junior Emmanuel Kelly, taking the pass in stride for 45 yards. Two plays later, Coulter lost his corner and Lawson went back to him this time for 15.

Lawson handed the ball for no gain before finding redshirt senior Marvin Beauvais for 10 yards. From the Crimson nine-yard line, Lawson felt pressure on his left and escaped right. Seeing no one open, the dual threat quarterback took it himself, earning the visitors another six points and taking a healthy hit on the thigh. Lawson never returned to the field and the Rhode Island offense did not again return to the end zone.

“They’re going to make some plays, but we’re going to make some plays too,” Harvard captain Zach Miller said. “Our guys are athletic, we’ve worked hard every week, so we were ready for them.”

In Lawson’s stead, Priore — a play caller with three career passes to his name — took the offensive reins. The quarterback earned two first downs during his 35 minute tenure.

Lawson wasn’t the only quarterback taking heavy hits. One play after Lawson limped off the field, Smith escaped the pocket and netted 14 yards on the scramble from pressure. As he was trying to make a move prior to sliding, a Rams linebacker smothered him. Smith rose slowly, so the official called a timeout and forced him off the field. In came senior quarterback Tom Stewart. The senior immediately went to work, dishing the ball off to Aaron Shampklin for six yards before nailing senior Justice Shelton-Mosley on the edge for 17. The three subsequent incomplete passes, one dropped and one prompted by a quarterback hurry, returned Sot to the turf. Smith took back the offensive reins on the next drive.

The one offensive bright spot for Harvard was Justice Shelton-Mosley, who caught 10 passes on the night for 80 yards. With the effort, the senior is now third place in program history for passes pulled in.

Kelly and senior Richie Ryan headlined the defense with the former breaking up two passes, notching an interception and adding five tackles to stat line. Ryan earned six tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Prior to last season, the Crimson boasted a 14-0 record under the colosseum lights. The last two games under darkness here at Harvard Stadium have ended in a Crimson defeat.  

—Staff writer Cade Palmer can be reached at cade.palmer@thecrimson.com.