DURHAM, N.H. (Interstat) — New Hampshire scored a touchdown with seven seconds remaining and beat Rhode Island 24-21 on Saturday in an NCAA Football Championship Division game at Wildcat Stadium. The Wildcats improved to 3-7, while the Rams dropped to 5-5. New Hampshire entered at 2-7 and snapped a three-game losing streak after dropping a 24-17 decision at Merrimack in its previous game. Rhode Island entered at 5-4 after a 14-13 overtime win over Maine in its previous game and could not hold a late lead.

Rhode Island’s other results this season included a 34-7 win at Merrimack, a 38-14 loss at Temple, a 31-10 win over Elon, a 56-24 loss at Stony Brook, a 22-18 loss at North Carolina A&T, a 13-10 win over Brown, a 41-23 win at Yale and a 38-21 loss to Albany. New Hampshire opened with a 28-14 loss at Albany, a 66-3 loss at Syracuse, a 42-35 win over Stonehill, a 31-7 loss to Harvard, a 20-13 loss at Sacred Heart, a 30-23 win over Elon, a 30-27 overtime loss at North Carolina A&T, a 42-21 loss to Monmouth and a 24-17 loss at Merrimack.

Rhode Island had taken a 21-17 lead with 3:47 left in the fourth quarter when Alex McClelland scored on a 1-yard run. Ty Groff’s extra point gave the Rams the advantage. New Hampshire then moved downfield and reclaimed the lead on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Colby Ramshaw with seven seconds remaining. The Wildcats added the extra point to complete the scoring.

Brayden Richardson opened the scoring for Rhode Island with a 64-yard run at 9:41 of the first quarter. New Hampshire answered when Logan Perez caught a 52-yard touchdown pass at 7:38. Rhode Island regained the lead on McClelland’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Sean Byrd at the 4:00 mark of the first quarter. New Hampshire tied the game in the second quarter on a 7-yard touchdown pass and took a 17-14 halftime lead on Lucas Glassburn’s 23-yard field goal with two seconds remaining before the break. Glassburn missed a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter, keeping Rhode Island within three points.

The Rams then put together their go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter, with McClelland finishing it on the ground. McClelland, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound quarterback from Barrington, R.I., completed 10 of 24 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown and rushed 17 times for 50 yards and a score for Rhode Island. Richardson finished with 16 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown, including the 64-yard burst that opened the scoring. Sean Byrd had two receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Jamall Mensah caught two passes for 40 yards, and Eddie Combs III had three catches for 42 yards. Marvin Landy added one reception for 7 yards, while Kevin Green Jr. had two receptions for 5 yards, two kickoff returns for 40 yards and a punt return. Terrence Campbell ran once for 1 yard. Randy Leavitt punted six times for 289 yards, and Rhode Island also recorded a 19-yard punt as a team. Ty Groff made all three extra-point attempts for the Rams.

Defensively for Rhode Island, Tyson Grimm made five tackles, Andre DePina-Gray had four and D.J. Cureton recorded six. Moses Meus had seven tackles and two quarterback hurries, Trey Lubin and Dane Picariello each made seven stops, and Case Mankins had eight tackles and a sack. Rohan Davy made four stops, Mitchell Garner and Jermel Bynum each had three, and Gage Hinkley and Sam Ofurie each added two. Marquese Avery and Tosin Akinsulire also contributed stops, with Avery adding a sack and Akinsulire recording a quarterback hurry. Elijah Rich had a kickoff return for no yards and one tackle, while Chaas McCoy, Kareem Wilson Jr., Tremel States-Jones, Patrick Conserve and Ethan McCann-Carter each made one tackle for the Rams.

For New Hampshire, Trevor Barry made 10 tackles and had a quarterback hurry, and Jackson Stone recorded nine tackles. Cohen Cook added five tackles, Blake Holmes four and Ty Carlson three to go with three receptions for 32 yards. Matthew Sopp made three tackles and half a sack, while Micah Wing, Phillip Harris and Cameron Garner-Young each made three stops. Ja’Carree Kelly caught five passes for 91 yards, Logan Perez had four receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown, and Colby Ramshaw caught two passes for 13 yards and the winning touchdown. Myles Thomason rushed 16 times for 84 yards and caught two passes for 10 yards. Joquez Smith ran six times for 32 yards, Denzell Gibson had four carries for 9 yards and a tackle, and Drew Danson ran once for 2 yards. Matt Guidebeck punted seven times for 330 yards.

New Hampshire’s defense came up with enough stops in the second half to keep the game within reach. The Wildcats forced Rhode Island to punt seven times, including six punts from Leavitt and one team punt. Rhode Island’s defense also produced pressure, with Meus and Akinsulire each recording a quarterback hurry and Mankins and Avery each registering a sack. The Rams recorded two sacks and three quarterback hurries.

Rhode Island is scheduled to host Towson before visiting Bryant. New Hampshire will host Stony Brook and then visit Maine. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 39-30 Rhode Island victory, and Interstat’s ELO system gave Rhode Island a 58 percent probability to win.