URI and Brown Set for 100th Meeting on Saturday Night at Brown Stadium

Saturday, October 03, 2015

 

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URI's Jim Fleming & Brown's Phil Estes. Photo courtesy of brown bears.com

The Brown Bears (0-2) are set to host the (0-4) University of Rhode Island Rams on Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Brown Stadium. The game marks the 34th playing of the Governor's Cup, which began in 1981, and is the two programs 100th meeting all-time. 

Brown vs. URI

Brown and URI have played for 100 years, with more meetings to come. The two teams are scheduled to play each other through at least 2021 and it seems likely to go beyond that. 

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"Listen, 100 years is special, 100 years of anything is special, 100 years of this rivalry is pretty special and I've been a part of 22 of them, and I understand the rivalry, I understand what this means to our alumni, I understand what this means to our team," Brown football head coach Phil Estes said during the Governor's Cup press conference at the State House. 

The Bears lead the all time series 71-26-2 and lead the Governor's Cup series 17-16, having won the last four games.

No matter the records of each team, the Governor's Cup is always a big game. 

"I think its a critical game, one we are always attentive too, we know exactly how many days it is until we play Brown. I think that there is a great flavor for the state as far as getting involved and its a significant rivalry. Every team has a significant rival and certainly Brown is ours," said URI head coach Jim Fleming. 

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For URI to Win

Over the course of the season, the Rams have struggled to score points but look to carry momentum in from their game against Maine in which they went 3-for-3 in the redzone with two touchdowns. 

What URI needs to improve on is their running game after having a -8 yard performance against Maine and their run defense. Rams defense allowed 210 rushing yards against the Black Bears, allowing them to hold the ball for nearly 35 minutes.

Brown has three players that can run the ball including quarterback Marcus Fuller and senior running backs Andrew Coke and Seth Rosenbauer, and with the potential for questionable weather, the ground game could be a major factor. URI will need to focus in on stopping the run.

For Brown to Win

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The Brown Bears are looking for their fifth straight win over URI and to do that, they will have to put last week's 53-27 loss to Harvard behind them. Instead, they should look at the game against Bryant, even though they lost, the Bears played a solid game. 

Offensively, Brown should test URI's run defense early, either in the form of Rosenbauer, Coke or Marcus Fuller. Executing in the run game early could open up the passing game later. 

Defensively, Brown needs to take advantage of URI's turnover problem and force a few. coming into this game, the Rams have turned the ball over 12 times, seven of which have come in the form of fumbles. 

Ceremonies Surrounding the Game 

During halftime and pre game, Brown will bring back several alumni as honorary captains. Among the many former players coming back are former Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri, New York Giants long snapper and two time Super Bowl Champion Zak DeOssie and New England Patriots fullback and Super Bowl Champion James Develin. 

Post game, the winning team will be presented the Governor's Cup by Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo. 

Click here for tickets. 

 

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