Before every game, I ask a reporter who covers the Gophers upcoming opponent to give us a view from the opponent’s perspective.
I asked Ellis Santoro from The Independent five questions about the Rhode Island Rams.
The Rams travel to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers on September 7th. The Gophers look to get their first win of the season after dropping their home opener against North Carolina.
Huge thanks to Ellis for giving us his thoughts!
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1. The Rhode Island Rams finished the 2023 campaign with an overall record of 6-5, which was good enough to finish 7th in the CAA. What expectations do the Rams have entering the 2024 season? What were the biggest question marks heading into 2024?
Last season, the Rams had big expectations and were ranked inside the FCS Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll, so the result of missing the playoffs and going just 6-5 was slightly disappointing. Entering 2024, their three-year starting quarterback Kasim Hill graduated along with their star running back and three starting offensive linemen. There were a lot of unknowns on offense, which led to less optimism compared to last year. Still, the defense looks improved and the roster is good enough to be in the mix to reach the FCS playoffs, which they haven’t accomplished since 1985.
The biggest question entering the season was who will step up at QB? Last year’s backup Devin Farrell and Clemson transfer Hunter Helms were in a QB battle all throughout training camp, and that lasted into Week 1 where there was no announced starter. They were expected to have around a 50-50 snap share against Holy Cross, but Helms only ended up playing five snaps, and Farrell looks to have won the full-time starting job after leading a two-minute comeback drive to win the game. Head coach Jim Fleming said that the reason Farrell got most of the snaps is that their inexperienced offensive line necessitates a mobile quarterback, which Farrell is. He essentially saved the game on the final drive with a 13-yard scramble up the middle on 4th-and-10. By comparison, Helms is more of a traditional pocket passer. Both QBs may still play against Minnesota, however, as Fleming hasn’t announced a starter.
2. Rhode Island is coming off a victory against Holy Cross, the Rams scored with 19 seconds remaining to survive a wild fourth quarter. What impressed you the most with the Rams last week? Was there anything that concerned you?
The most impressive moment is undoubtedly how Farrell handled himself to make the late comeback. The Rams led 13-3 entering the fourth quarter and nearly blew it when Holy Cross took a 17-13 lead with 1:47 left. Farrell made a few bad underthrows on the next drive to bring up 4th-and-10 at their own 25, but he scrambled for 13 yards to extend the drive, made a fantastic throw into a tight window to convert a 3rd-and-20, and then hit his receiver in stride over the middle for the game-winning 31-yard TD. It was the redshirt sophomore’s first game since high school and he maintained his composure in the biggest moment.
The biggest concern was that the Rams somewhat struggled to stop the run, which was a notable issue on defense last year as well. Holy Cross RB Jordan Fuller ran for 144 yards in the opener, and the Rams were able to key in on him due to an ineffective passing game by the Crusaders. Against a team that requires more focus on defending the pass, the Rams could struggle to stop the run.
The other concern was about ball security. The Rams fumbled six times and lost three of them. Farrell fumbled four times on his own and lost it once. They’ll need to make sure that doesn’t become a trend, especially with Farrell taking lots of hits on read-options.
3. For the first time in three years, the Rams have a starting quarterback not named Kasim Hill. Now enters sophomore Devin Farrell. What should the Gophers expect out of Devin? What other names should Minnesota fans know when the Rams have the ball?
The Rams will run a lot of read-option plays and shorter passes with Devin Farrell on the field. It worked with great success against Holy Cross, although they struggled to finish drives in the red zone when there was less space, stalling out three separate times and another time requiring a fourth-and-goal conversion. They’ll likely try some new things in the red zone in Week 2.
Marquis Buchanan is the team’s top receiver. He’s a tall and speedy deep threat, so when Farrell throws it long, it’ll usually be to Buchanan.
The Rams are still figuring out the running back position. Gabe Sloat is a good pass catcher and was expected to be the top rusher this year, but he only received four carries in Week 1. Malik Grant is a smaller speedy back who ended up with 11 carries for 41 yards in the opener, but he got blown up in the backfield multiple times. With the offensive line still a work in progress, I’d expect even less designed runs against a larger team in Minnesota.
4. The Rams defense held Holy Cross to 271 total yards last week and held them in check on third down. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Rams defense? What impact players should Minnesota look out for when the Gophers have the ball?
The secondary carried the defense against Holy Cross, as the Rams only gave up 101 passing yards. Still, it was a little bit sketchy as they committed three separate defensive pass interference penalties on Holy Cross’s last touchdown drive.
If the secondary is for real, DB Fredrick Mallay will be the biggest name. He’s a good tackler and had a few huge hits in Week 1, including one where he blew up a screen pass in the backfield.
A.J. Pena is a star-level player as an edge rusher. Now as a junior, he had the chance to transfer to an FBS school and make a bigger name for himself, but he chose to stick around in Rhode Island. He had nine sacks last year. He didn’t get one in the opener against Holy Cross, but he forced an errant pass on the final Hail Mary attempt to seal the win.
5. The Rams travel to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers for the first time in program history. The Gophers have won six straight against FCS opponents. Minnesota is coming off a season opening loss to North Carolina and look to bounce back. What do the Rams need to do to pull off an upset in Minnesota? What is your prediction for the game this Saturday?
For the Rams to win just their second FBS game in the last 10 years, they’ll need to turn it into a low-scoring defensive game. That was the formula for them in Week 1.
Devin Farrell looks good at quarterback, but the run game is so uncertain, and they likely won’t be able to go touchdown-for-touchdown against a better opponent. URI has played some shootouts with FBS teams in past years, including a 42-35 loss to Georgia State last year, but their defense will need to step up on Saturday. That will be a difficult task, so my prediction is 35-20 Gophers.