The University of Rhode Island football program was one of the founding members of the Yankee Conference.  Along with Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, the six institutions formed the football conference in 1946.  Through several iterations between 1946 and 2007, the former Yankee Conference eventually became the CAA Football Conference.  But through it all, the Rams have remained part of the conference every step of the way. 

After finishing the 2010 season with two wins in the last three weeks over top 25 FCS teams, URI has struggled to carry that success into the 2011 season despite quality performances.  In the season opener, the Rams were tied with the Big East’s Syracuse University at 14-14 into the fourth quarter, but eventually lost 21-14.  The following week they had UMass on the ropes on the road, but gave up 20 consecutive fourth quarter points and lost 36-27. 

Undeterred from losing its first two games, Rhode Island battled back to defeat Fordham at home, 21-17.  Three different Rams had more than 100 yards rushing and Travis Hurd scored the decisive touchdown with 73 second left.  The Rams could not use that momentum to overcome five turnovers in last week’s 35-21 loss to Brown University.

Rams QB Steve Probst has been a bright spot in what has turned out to be a tough season for Rhode Island.

Despite the three losses, there have been several bright spots.  Quarterback Steve Probst has lived up to his Preseason All-CAA selection, accounting for 233 of URI’s 369 offensive yards per game.  The senior from North Massapequa, NY, was the only CAA player in 2010 with 1,800 and 600 yards rushing – and in fact was the Rams’ leading rusher. 

Probst’s favorite passing target has been Anthony Baskerville, a senior from Newark, NJ.  Through four games Baskerville has 18 receptions and is third in the CAA with 77 receiving yards per game.  Hurd joins Probst to complete the Rams’ backfield.  The sophomore was named First-Team All-CAA kick returner as a freshman last year, so opposing coaches are aware of his play-making ability.

Rhode Island’s defense has been led by a pair of linebackers.  Sophomore Dave Zocco leads the team with 33 total tackles and is second with six tackles-for-loss along with two sacks.  Zocco’s performance has been matched by Doug Johnson.  The junior is second with 28 tackles, leads the team with eight TFL’s and is tied for fourth in the conference with three sacks.  The team is averaging an astounding 8.5 tackles-for-loss per game with four individuals with at least four.

This Saturday the Rams host the upstart Old Dominion University Monarchs.  In addition to defending against ODU’s special teams (the Monarchs have five kicks blocked this season, tied for best in the FCS), the following three areas will be key for the Rams to defeat ODU.

Get Probst into the Open Field

The Monarchs had difficulty against Hampton University mainly because of their quarterback, David Legree.  The Hampton QB escaped numerous sacks throughout the game to make plays with both his arm and his feet, single-handedly keeping Hampton in the game.  Steve Probst is similar in build to Legree at 6-4 and 230 pounds, and is clearly a similar dual-threat as discussed above.  In last week’s loss to Brown, Probst scored on touchdown runs of 71-and-61 yards in addition to 179 passing yards.  The Rams need to design their game plan to exploit ODU’s defense in the same fashion as Hampton – letting its quarterback make plays.

Attack the ODU Backfield

Because of injuries, Old Dominion may be without its starting quarterback and its top two running backs.  (Thomas DeMarco suffered an ankle injury last week rather than a stress-fracture as initially thought; his status for the game will not be known until Thursday.)  Next up on their depth chart is a true freshman at QB and RB each.  As discussed above, the Rams have excelled at penetrating at the point of attack, recording 10 sacks and 24 other TFL’s in four games.  Quarterback Taylor Heinicke and running back Tyree Lee played well in their debuts at home last week, but they have yet to play a full collegiate game or play on the road.  Zocco and Johnson must lead the Rams’ front seven into the backfield and force the young players into making mistakes.

Play of the Offensive Line

The Rams returned seven offensive linemen who had starting experience in 2010.  The starting five this season includes three seniors and two juniors.  The unit is not just a collection of experienced players, though – Probst has been sacked only five times and the Rams’ average rush attempt has gained 4.9 yards.  While URI is third in the conference with 190 rushing yards per game, ODU’s defense allows less than 90 rushing yards per game.  The Monarchs defense averages 3.4 sacks per game but the Rams allow a conference-best 1.3 per game.  This game sets up the proverbial “unstoppable force against the immovable object” cliche, but in this case it is an accurate assessment.

The 2011 Rams are playing better than their 1-3 record represents.  The play of quarterback, offensive line and linebackers has been better than average.  If the Rams succeed in dominating the three areas listed above, they should be able to claim their first conference victory of 2011.