URI Football Set to Open 2017 Season Against Central Michigan, Play on ESPN3
GoLocalProv Sports Team
URI Football Set to Open 2017 Season Against Central Michigan, Play on ESPN3
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This is the first ever meeting between the two teams.
The Rams will look to open the season with a win for the first time since 2009.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTKick off for the game is set for 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3.
Last Season
In 2016, URI went 2-9 overall with wins coming against Brown University and Elon.
The season included URI's worst loss in program history, an 84-7 defeat on the road at James Madison.
URI Offense
Last season, the URI offense averaged 17 points per game.
This season, junior Tyler Harris was named the starting quarterback for the Rams this season after transferring to URI from UCF over the summer.
Harris won the job in camp after going 10 of 15 with three touchdown passes in the final scrimmage.
“We made the decision to go with Tyler as the starter, with JaJuan very close behind him. We had unbelievable competition at quarterback during camp, with three players who performed very well,” said URI head coach Jim Fleming.
Out of the back field, URI will be led by Senior running back Harold Cooper.
Last season, Cooper averaged 42 yards per game and four yards per carry.
For his career, Cooper has 1,626 rushing yards and 534 receiving yards. This season, he has a chance to become the second player in program history with 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving.
"All of the things we are doing are designed to give Cooper and all of our running backs chances to make big plays out of the backfield. Establishing the ability to get the ball on the perimeter to some of our big receivers was the intent of our coaching staff, and they are achieving that,” said Fleming.
At wide receiver, Khayri Denny will lead the way for the Rams.
Last season, Denny hauled in 25 passes for 356 yards on the year.
Sophomore Aaron Parker is also expected to be a big factor in the offense. He hauled in 23 passes for 441 yards and four touchdowns last season.
Freshman Ivory Frimpong, Junior Marven Beauvais, and freshman Matt Pires are also expected to be factors this season.
URI Defense
Last season, URI's defense struggled, giving up 36 points and 424 total yards per game.
A key for the Rams defense this season is the return of linebacker Justin Hogan.
Hogan contributed 35 tackles and one interception in four games for the Rams last season before being injured in back-to-back games, ending his season.
URI will also look for leadership from senior defensive end Jose Duncan, who recorded four sacks and 44 tackles last season.
"Our success on defense starts up front. That's the first line of defense. If we tighten up the coverage a little bit, we probably have the opportunity for a few more sacks,” said Fleming.
In the secondary, junior safeties D.J. Stewart and Nas Jones both return after starting all 11 games last season.
RI Teams To Win National Championships
PC Basketball 1960-61 NIT
The Providence College Friars won the National Invitation Tournament(NIT) in 1961, defeating St. Louis 62-59 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
At this time, the NIT was considered to be the National Championship of College Basketball.
The Friars were led by Vinny Ernst and James Hadnot that season.
PC 1962-63 NIT Champions
The Friars won their second NIT Championship two years after the first one. Led by Ray Flynn, John Thompson Jr. and Vinnie Ernst, the Friars won 15 straight games to claim the title.
Providence finished the season with a 24-4 record.
URI Men's Sailing 1965
The URI Rams won their first small boat National Championship in 1965.
The Rams were led by Art Payne and Peter Greene, both of whom were from Rhode Island.
Photo courtesy of urisailing.org
URI Men's Sailing 1975
The URI Rams won their second small boat National Championship and also won the National team race that season.
Photo courtesy of urisailing.org
URI Men's Sailing 1977
The URI men's sailing team won the National Championship in small boat sailing in 1977.
The team was led by two time all Americans Gary Knapp and Ed Adams.
Photo Courtesy of urisailing.org
Brown Men's Crew '93
The Brown Bears won the triple-crown, winning the Eastern Sprints, the IRA and the National Championship.
Brown Men's Crew '94
The Bears repeated their triple-crown performance from the season before, once again winning the Eastern Sprints, the IRA and the National Championship.
The Bears went undefeated on the season.
Photo Courtesy of brownbears.com
Brown Men's Crew '95
Coach Scott Roop leads the Bears to a third straight IRA and National Championship.
Photo courtesy of Brownbears.com
PC Women's Cross Country
The 1995 Providence Friars won the programs first NCAA title. On the way, PC won their first BIG EAST and ECAC Championships.
Head Coach Ray Treacy was named NCAA Division I Women's National Coach of the Year, BIG EAST Men's and Women's Coach of the Year, Rhode Island Words Unlimited Women's Coach of the Year and NCAA District I Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
Brown Women's Crew '96
Under head coach John Murphy, the Brown women's crew team won the 1996 eastern Sprints, the IRA's and the Collegiate National Championship.
The team became the first women's crew to win the "Triple Crown" of collegiate racing.
Photo courtesy of Brownbears.com
Brown Women's Crew '97
Brown's varsity four team wins the first NCAA Championship by defeating the University of Washington on Lake Natoma in California.
The Bears finished third as a team overall.
Brown Women's Sailing '98
The Brown Women's Sailing Team won the College Sailing Women's National Championship in 1998.
The championships were held at Tulane University in New Orleans Louisiana.
Brown Women's Crew '99
Brown women's crew won the first NCAA Division I Championship in Brown University History by defeating the University of Virginia by a three-second margin at lake Natoma in California.
Brown also won the Eastern Sprint Championship and the Ivy Championship, setting a new course record in the process.
Photo courtesy of Brownbears.com
Brown Women's Crew 2000
Brown repeated as national Champions in 2000, beating the University of Washington by 3.9 seconds four points.
In addition, Brown's varsity and second varsity won the Eastern Sprint Championship and the IVY league Championship.
Both teams went undefeated on the season.
Brown Women's Crew '02
The Bears won their third National title in four years defeating the defending champion Washington by four points in Indianapolis.
Brown was the only school to qualify all of it's crew for the grand finals.
The Bears went undefeated during the regular season.
Brown Women's Crew '04
Brown won thier fourth title in six years on Lake Natoma in California.
The win made Brown the winningest program in NCAA Championship history.
Brown Women's Crew '07
Brown won their fifth National Championship in 2007 at Melton Hill Lake in Tennessee.
The Bears beat Ohio State and Yale who came in second and third place respectively.
Photo courtesy of taxref/flickr
Brown Women's Crew '08
The Bears won their sixth National Championship on Lake Natoma in California.
The Bears beat Washington by eight points and third place Cal by 14 points to repeat as champions for the first time since 1999-2000.
URI Women's Sailing 2011
The URI Women won the programs first National Championship in small boat sailing in the 79 year history of the program and hoisted the Gerald C. Miller Memorial Trophy at the Sperry Top-Sider/Intercollegiate Sailing Association Women’s National Championship.
The Rams won the title as a club team and were one of two club teams competing for the title. The other club team was Western Washington, who finished 17.
Photo courtesy of uri.edu
Brown Women's Crew 2011
The Bears won their seventh NCAA National Championship in 15 years under head coach John Murphy.
The Bears racked up 45 points in the final race and beat Stanford by five seconds.
The title was their first since 2008.
Photo courtesy of brownbears.com
PC Women's Cross Country
The Providence College Women's Cross Country team won the 2013 National Championship with 141 points.
Emily Sisson was the Friars top finisher as she finished in seventh place at Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.
This was Providence's first title win since 1995.
PC Hockey 2015
The Providence College Friars won the 2015 NCAA Ice Hockey National Championship, defeating Boston University 4-3 at the TD Garden.
The Championship is the first in the program's history and only the third NCAA National Title in Providence College History.
PC goatender Jon Gillies was named Most Outstanding Player.
