close
close

Rhode Island Football hosts Brown in the Governor's Cup game

Posted on by Kennedy
Rhode Island Football hosts Brown in the Governor's Cup game

play

PROVIDENCE — Jim Fleming used the podium at the State House to give a speech of sorts.

The University of Rhode Island football coach touched on upcoming improvements to Meade Stadium, encouraged the passage of Question 2 in the November election, wished all Floridians well in the path of Hurricane Milton and distributed Rams gear to Gov. Dan McKee and his employees.

It was a reminder Wednesday afternoon that Governor's Cup week has arrived.

With all due respect to a Brown-Bryant thriller last week and URI's visit to the Bulldogs to end the regular season in November, this game – Brown vs. URI – still grabs the most headlines, and this season it will be in Kingston. The Rams are heading for a spot in the FCS playoffs and the Bears are hoping for their first win in the series since 2017.

“It’s about guys playing football the right way – clean, tight and athletic,” Fleming said. “At the end of the day you shake hands and move on. I’m sure that’s exactly what will happen.”

There is no guarantee that we would see something like this in other states. College sports are in what feels like a constant state of upheaval thanks to conference realignment, federal lawsuits, the transfer portal and the growing influence of name, image and image rights. There is no clear day in the future when the landscape can return to anything like normal.

“It’s extraordinarily unique,” ​​Brown coach James Perry said. “Given the national landscape and the changes in college football, it’s becoming more and more unique.

“Nobody knows if Washington and Washington State are going to play. Nobody knows what league Oklahoma plays in. But the Governor’s Cup is an incredible experience.”

URI came and left the capital with the trophy on that spectacular fall day. This is only the second time the Rams have won five straight in this series – they have never added a sixth. That and much more will be at stake on Saturday at the kick-off event at 1 p.m.

“Last year was my first time playing,” URI receiver Marquis Buchanan said. “You can really see the importance of it by how hard everyone plays on the field.”

Buchanan is one of 21 nationals currently on the roster at URI. By the time we get going this weekend, he might be able to make a friendly bet with his former Classic colleague and Brown receiver Samuel Baddoo. You can imagine the player on the losing team being stuck with the check for some late night hot wine in Olneyville or a strawberry shake at Haven Brothers.

“It's my last time playing in this series and we've been fortunate to win every game against them up to this point,” said URI running back Gabe Sloat, a North Kingstown native. “I just want to finish it.”

The Rams (4-1) escaped in a 46-44 double-overtime thriller at Hampton last week, erasing a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Fleming, in his 11th season, has significantly raised the program's ceiling, just a few wins shy of hitting .500 or better for the fifth straight year. From its founding in 1909 to 1952, URI won only once in this rivalry series, but things have quietened down significantly in recent years. This weekend marks the 42nd edition of the Governor's Cup – as it was renamed in the early 1980s.

“We feel like we really need to play here like it’s a championship game,” Buchanan said. “This trophy means a lot to us. We don’t want to lose it.”

The Bears (2-1) were defeated late by Bryant, a 42-35 loss that included three touchdowns between Jarrett Guest and Landon Ruggieri.

More: The football duel between Brown and Bryant sticks to the script. Who won this time?

Brown was on the rise with its first win over Harvard since 2010 and looked poised to go 3-0 for the first time since 1997. Perry was the starting quarterback during that strong era on the East Side, finishing his career 23-7 under center and winning an Ivy League title in 1999.

“We’re playing our best football,” Perry said. “I'm very proud of that. And that doesn’t mean I take the credit for it.”

Bears defenseman Isaiah Reed (left ankle) was not wearing walking boots and was in attendance on Wednesday. Brown declined to officially comment on his potential availability, but it appears he has a good chance of returning after missing the last two games. Last year, the Bears came close to a 34-30 home loss, but that was avoided by a late interception from Syeed Gibbs on a rainy afternoon.

More: Rhode Island and Brown are fighting for the Governor's Cup in football; which team took it home

“This game is about our state and the pride we have in our state and the pride we have in the young people who attend URI and Brown University,” McKee said. “We just think it’s so important that we recognize it.”

[email protected]

On X: @BillKoch25

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *