Football Game 8 10/25: Maine at URI 12pm Homecoming

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

I have a general admission ticket in the East stands that I would probably be willing to unload for this one. If I'm going to travel an hour each way to head down to URI this weekend I'd probably be better off going to see the men's soccer team's final home game then the football game. If you're interested, let me know.

Now time for the hard sell. This season we've lost 7 games by the score of 278-82. So our average loss this season is by 28 points. Going back to last season we have an 11 game losing streak where we've been outscored 465-109, or an average loss by just over 32 points. In those 11 losses we have only one game that we've lost by less than 17 points, and that's the Brown game where both offenses set the sport of football back 40 years.

Maine has had a down year for them, they're 2-5. Their 2 wins were 10-6 against Norfolk State and 27-24 at Towson. They lost at Bryant 13-10 and they've lost 3 in a row including a 41-20 loss against Villanova and a 20-7 loss against Albany. That said, they've had our number in recent years. If my math is right, they've beaten us 7 times in a row now, by a combined score of 264-74. Last year they beat us 41-0 and the year before it was 55-6.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

Earlier this season we thought the stretch of Albany, at Central Connecticut, and Brown represented the best chance of getting a win this season. Albany might be better than expected, they're 2-2 in conference and 5-2 overall. Central Connecticut is who we thought they were, a mid pack at best NEC team. They're 0-2 in their conference and 2-5 overall. Interestingly their only 2 wins came against CAA teams. They opened up with a win @ Towson then beat us. And Brown isn't a whole lot better. They're 0-2 in the Ivy, and 2-3 overall.

So where is this going? If we're resetting things, Saturday against Maine and the last game of the season against Towson represent the new best chance for a win. I went over Maine's struggles in the previous post. Next week we go on the road to Delaware, who is 2-1 and 4-3 overall, and we've always struggled there. Then we're home against UNH, who is 3-0, and 5-1, they should smack us. Then it's at Stony Brook who is 3-1, 4-4. Finally it's Towson who is 1-3, 3-5. They've lost to Central Connecticut, Maine, and got Smacked with a capital S by James Madison, but then won last week on the road at Delaware.

RoadyJay · Unread post by **RoadyJay** » 9 years ago

I will be tailgating in the Ellery Pond lot. I'll be there very early so should be able to get a spot close to the gate.

Silver 4Runner with white tent. Please come by and say hello.

Say "KeaneyBlue" and I'll give you a free beer

Taylor Swift · Unread post by **Taylor Swift** » 9 years ago

I hear RoadyJay has quite the tent for this year.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 9 years ago

Damn, wish I could come this year!

KEANEYBLUE! (rain check?!) haha

Jay, you've spotted me many drinks in the past. Thanks bud!

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

RoadyJay wrote:I will be tailgating in the Ellery Pond lot. I'll be there very early so should be able to get a spot close to the gate.

Silver 4Runner with white tent. Please come by and say hello.

Say "KeaneyBlue" and I'll give you a free beer

I have some stuff to take care of up North before I can head to the game, hopefully I'll be down at URI early enough to take you up on the offer. Thank you very much.

RoadyJay · Unread post by **RoadyJay** » 9 years ago

Look forward to it RhowdyRam02 !

OBRAM · Unread post by **OBRAM** » 9 years ago

Weather should be good, glad the game was not today.

neil · Unread post by **neil** » 9 years ago

For those interested in ram football trivia - Has there ever been a season when we did not have at least one field goal? After seven games...

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

neil wrote:For those interested in ram football trivia - Has there ever been a season when we did not have at least one field goal? After seven games...

I might look at the record book more closely at lunch, but it happened in at least 1906. We tied the Brown Seconds at 0, lost to Springfield 33-0, lost to New Hampshire 20-0, and beat Bryant & Stratton 14-0.

JFrech21 · Unread post by **JFrech21** » 9 years ago

I'll be there Sat, I'll come say hello.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 9 years ago

1906 was a bad year for Rhody Football, eh? Shutout for the season?!

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

No, we had that big 14-0 win against the Bryant & Stratton powerhouse!

Rhodysk · Unread post by **Rhodysk** » 9 years ago

Weather is suppose to be nice for late October, going to be a fun day of tailgating and football! Let's just hope the team keeps it so what close.

The Dude · Unread post by **The Dude** » 9 years ago

Looking forward to Homecoming tomorrow! RhodyJay...you da man! It's times like these I wish I could actually drink beer.
Let's hope URI pulls out a miracle upset!

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

Not only will I be missing the tailgating, but I won't be able to make it to Kingston at all, though I'll be watching on NESN. Have a great Homecoming

bressler3south · Unread post by **bressler3south** » 9 years ago

As soon as I said, "GREAT!" as Rhody got a first down in 3rd Quarter -- BOOM -- INTERCEPTION...

Rhody74 · Unread post by **Rhody74** » 9 years ago

Sorry guys ..... they were winning when I turned it on. I jinxed it.

STC · Unread post by **STC** » 9 years ago

Tough loss.

Was Lowrie benched for Passerell?

bressler3south · Unread post by **bressler3south** » 9 years ago

Wowwwwwwwwwww.

Or, more aptly:

WOE………...

Bos8 · Unread post by **Bos8** » 9 years ago

Lowrie is still hurt. They were debating if they want to rehab or go with surgery.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 9 years ago

They put up a fight but they are just a bad football team. It is is looking like a win-less season. I feel bad for the players and coaching staff. Insufficient support from the school and losing just about every game has to be hard on them. URI should probably schedule a D2 or D3 team every season so there is always a least one chance for a win.

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 9 years ago

So I was at the game today with my family. All whom are alumni like myself or currently attending URI. I know this team is bad, but let me tell you that with that amount of people and excitement from an 0-7 team, nothing could ever replace football at URI. The atmosphere was fantastic with the band and tailgating and people were cheering on rhody. It was a great game and I say no matter how bad the season is, no sport can replace football.

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 9 years ago

I agree college football is a great atmosphere. But I think this program needs to self fund itself from here on out. In total. Donors stepped up and built the Ryan Center. Don't complain about facilities if no donors are funding a rehab. It's not getting done any way else. I'm pretty sure the SADC was built on basketball, with all athletes benefitting. When has football done anything that helps basketball or any other sport at RI?

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

Correction on the funding of the Ryan Center. Only a third was raised by donors. A third was given by the state and the final third came from raising student fees and in return for the raised fees students were to have courtside seats

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

Also the SADC came from donors, not basketball money

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 9 years ago

I'll restate then. SADC was built on basketball donors. Exactly how much do we make on football? Media? Conference? Must be in the millions based on reports that football drives college sports. And what do you think will happen to this football team when the word that Texas is paying all athletes 10,000 a year plus scholarship? I would say if we have to pay the players in excess of half a million a year in cash plus schollies this program is done.

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 9 years ago

I don't think uri and Texas are recruiting the same caliber player.
Serious note: has uri football become the Cubs? Do they have to field a competitive team; or are alumni just psyched to tailgate in the fall and hang out?

bressler3south · Unread post by **bressler3south** » 9 years ago

seanmc-d, can't you see that wherever you go you're not wanted -- GET LOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5yHhsVveVk

Rhodysk · Unread post by **Rhodysk** » 9 years ago

Today was a great day for football. Good crowd and the smell of grills filled the air. As far as the game, it was good for 3 quarters then what I like to say " uri happens" and they lose. Crowd was really behind this team today and it was a good sign to see but you do have to feel bad for the players and coaches. Weather you agree with players,game plans, etc they do work very hard. There is no quit in this team.

We all talked about upgrading Meade stadium and if it takes private funding then they need to put it out there. I'm sure no one really thought the stands on the ryan center side would ever be built but if I'm correct wasn't that by private funding? I know this Bc I gave to the cause. All in all it does seem like the team gets support, I think people would be surprise to see people would give to help out. There just has to be a plan some kind of direction. I just think there is no plan or direction in place.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 9 years ago

theblueram wrote:I think this program needs to self fund itself from here on out.

What sport at URI currently entirely funds itself? I don't think there is a single program that does. Men's basketball may have the potential to do so and actually might on occasion but I believe it runs in the red most seasons.

Should ALL sports at URI then be dropped because they don't fund themselves?

Also, what FCS football programs pay for themselves? I do not think that is the case at peer institutions like UNH, UMaine, Albany, and Stony Brook. I do not think private schools at the FCS level such as Brown or Bryant fund themselves.

Your way of thinking that football should fund itself is similar to that of the URI administration and is the reason the program is in such a mess as shown in its poor support. You do not have success if you do not invest. People also ordinarily do not contribute to woeful programs. This stance that URI will invest once they have success is ass backwards. Football will never have success until URI invests and gives it a level playing field versus its competition and shows everyone (especially future recruits) that it is committed to the program.

Rhody gets what it pays for and that does not translate into many wins. URI's occasional success with some of its programs is typically always the result of great coaching. It is not because of the school. URI does not make a full commitment to winning and success. It regularly spends the least it can to field teams and get by. It has substandard facilities for most all its sports save hoops.

Status of some URI Athletic Facilities
Outdoor Track - condemned
Tennis Courts - ruled un-safe before money is finally spent to rehab
Meade Stadium - no lights/worst facility in the league, east stands regularly ruled unsafe until band-aid fix.
Baseball - nice playing field but no real permanent seating. Little league quality temp bleachers.
Soccer - does have lighting but is really nothing special.

Hal Kopp · Unread post by **Hal Kopp** » 9 years ago

RF1-thank you!!
It is not the attendance or grass roots support re. football !!
It is an overall malaise.

Ramblinrose · Unread post by **Ramblinrose** » 9 years ago

When I was at URI the most successful sport was wrestling. So they dropped it. Granted it generated little revenue. But football can't be bringing in much these days. It can't competexatcthis level. Sad.

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 9 years ago

I think basketball funds itself. Between the NCAA credits, the media money and ticket sales they probably do ok. My beef is I busted my ass working 3 jobs to get my degree. With student loans to boot. We pay in excess of 100,000 for a 4 year schollie for football. I expect a competitive team. Or else give the scholorships to students who deserve them. Shit we could randomly grab 50 kids off campus and through pads on them and tell them if they play school is free. Worse case is they lose every game. Oh, wait.....

rhodyrudder · Unread post by **rhodyrudder** » 9 years ago

RF1 wrote:
theblueram wrote:I think this program needs to self fund itself from here on out.

Soccer - does have lighting but is really nothing special.

Nit-picking, because the rest of your post is great...the soccer facilities, including world-class practice fields, are terrific. The only major improvement here that's needed would be a press box, but I bet Gareth could come up with a few other items, including offices for his staff.

Like I said, though, the rest of the post is spot-on.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

theblueram wrote:And what do you think will happen to this football team when the word that Texas is paying all athletes 10,000 a year plus scholarship? I would say if we have to pay the players in excess of half a million a year in cash plus schollies this program is done.

Literally nothing will happen. We're not competing for the same players now and FCS isn't going to a model where we pay athletes in addition to their scholarship money.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 9 years ago

What Texas pays their players is a problem for Texas Tech but not for us.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

theblueram wrote:My beef is I busted my ass working 3 jobs to get my degree. With student loans to boot. We pay in excess of 100,000 for a 4 year schollie for football. I expect a competitive team. Or else give the scholorships to students who deserve them. Shit we could randomly grab 50 kids off campus and through pads on them and tell them if they play school is free. Worse case is they lose every game. Oh, wait.....

I despise this line of thinking when it comes to pro athletes, and I think it's even worse when applied to college kids. If it was such a sweet gig and anyone could do it, why didn't you go out for the football team instead of working 3 jobs?

OBRAM · Unread post by **OBRAM** » 9 years ago

I missed the kickoff return for TD to start the 2nd half. I was still in the tailgate area heading back to Meade. The roar of the crowd was amazingly loud. I thought they were piping sound from the speakers until the cannon went off , then I knew we scored, and it was the fans in the stands making the roar. Later in the 2nd half, I sat in the East Stands, and it was packed with students who were into the game having a great time. It was a competitive game, and Maine made the plays they needed to make to win. It was great atmosphere, I want to be a student again. Great day , only would have been made better with a Win.

Ramblinrose · Unread post by **Ramblinrose** » 9 years ago

I've enjoyed many Saturday afternoons at games through the years. But I can no longer justify this waste of money year after year. BU, Vermont, Hofstra and Northeastern are doing just fine minus football. Nostalgia is not a reason to keep this going.

ramster · Unread post by **ramster** » 9 years ago

OBRAM wrote:I missed the kickoff return for TD to start the 2nd half. I was still in the tailgate area heading back to Meade. The roar of the crowd was amazingly loud. I thought they were piping sound from the speakers until the cannon went off , then I knew we scored, and it was the fans in the stands making the roar. Later in the 2nd half, I sat in the East Stands, and it was packed with students who were into the game having a great time. It was a competitive game, and Maine made the plays they needed to make to win. It was great atmosphere, I want to be a student again. Great day , only would have been made better with a Win.

Agree that the students had a great time and I too am jealous. I wish I was a student again and these kids are making memories just like we did in those days. In my years we did not win many games but to be honest I could not remotely come close to guessing the teams record in my years in school. It really is not about the record so much in football but in basketball it is.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 9 years ago

Ramblinrose wrote:I've enjoyed many Saturday afternoons at games through the years. But I can no longer justify this waste of money year after year. BU, Vermont, Hofstra and Northeastern are doing just fine minus football. Nostalgia is not a reason to keep this going.

BU, Vermont, Hofstra and Northeastern...now there are some athletic departments you want model yourself after. Those are like the four worst schools at sports in the country.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

TruePoint wrote:BU, Vermont, Hofstra and Northeastern...now there are some athletic departments you want model yourself after. Those are like the four worst schools at sports in the country.

Not only are they not the four worst schools at sports in the country, outside of Northeastern they're all better than us. BU won a hockey national championship in 2009 and has been to the men's basketball tournament twice since the last time we went. Vermont has been 5 times since the last time we went and Hofstra has been twice since the last time we went. But they don't have the worst division two football program in the country like we do, so they must be miserable...

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

Ramblinrose wrote:I've enjoyed many Saturday afternoons at games through the years. But I can no longer justify this waste of money year after year. BU, Vermont, Hofstra and Northeastern are doing just fine minus football. Nostalgia is not a reason to keep this going.

This is where I'm at, I won't be renewing my season tickets next year. There's no reason I should be more committed to URI football then the URI athletic department is. I won't get season tickets again until they have a concrete plan to fix Meade Stadium. Not drawings, not hopes and dreams. Money in place and shovels in dirt. I feel duped by my ticket purchase and I wish I had saved my money to have better seats for basketball.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

ramster wrote: In my years we did not win many games but to be honest I could not remotely come close to guessing the teams record in my years in school. It really is not about the record so much in football but in basketball it is.

It ABSOLUTELY IS about the record. It ABSOLUTELY IS about the score. As decrepit as Meade Stadium is, as many features as it lacks, it still has this big board behind the end zone. That board keeps track of how many points you score. These aren't exhibition games. This attitude right here is everything that's wrong with the football program. This line of thinking is the direct descendant of the Baron apologists who said it didn't matter that we weren't going to the tournament because Baron was cleaning up a mess, and he was graduating all his players, and he was doing things "the right way". And everytime we lose and I come here and see people peddling this garbage it makes me sick. The score matters. The record matters. If it doesn't, then we don't belong in the CAA. We don't belong in the NEC. We don't even belong as a club team. If the score and the record don't matter, we're an intramural sport.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 9 years ago

RhowdyRam02 wrote:
TruePoint wrote:BU, Vermont, Hofstra and Northeastern...now there are some athletic departments you want model yourself after. Those are like the four worst schools at sports in the country.
Not only are they not the four worst schools at sports in the country, outside of Northeastern they're all better than us. BU won a hockey national championship in 2009 and has been to the men's basketball tournament twice since the last time we went. Vermont has been 5 times since the last time we went and Hofstra has been twice since the last time we went. But they don't have the worst division two football program in the country like we do, so they must be miserable...

Hockey doesn't count for anything so I don't care about that. But BU and Vermont going to the tournament is good for them, but in any year that they went to the tournament we would have beat them easily on a neutral court (except the Vermont team with TJ Sorrentine and Taylor Coppenwrath that beat Syracuse). Winning in a bad conference is nice but it isn't anything to hang your hat on. Those schools don't have a nationally relevant program between them.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

Division One hockey in general counts for a lot more than Division Two football. Division One hockey championships are infinitely more important than Division Two football historic losing streaks.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 9 years ago

It does confuse me that for all the heat the hoops program got over the last 10 years or so that nobody seems to care whether or not football wins. Just as long as they "play hard" or whatever. How can it not be about wins or losses? That's the whole point.

Being mediocre in basketball was appalling, but being the worst and most embarrassing football team in the country is no big deal as long as everybody has fun on Saturday?

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 9 years ago

Being a bad football program is mortifying. But the answer is to fix it not shut it down.

The average sports viewer in America is much more likely to stumble upon and stick with a FCS playoff game than a NCAA tournament hockey game. Hockey just isn't a relevant sport. Sometimes I think people in this region lose sight of that because it is 3000% more popular here than it is anywhere else, but even here it is a niche sport.

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 9 years ago

RhowdyRam02 wrote:Division One hockey in general counts for a lot more than Division Two football. Division One hockey championships are infinitely more important than Division Two football historic losing streaks.

You know URI isn't Division II, right?

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