FIRST AND 10 ARCHIVE

Aug. 27 - Trainer Excited About 2010 Season
Sept. 2 - Probst Gets Another Shot at Quarterback
Sept. 11 - All-CAA Wide Receiver Johnson-Farrell Returns
Sept. 18 - URI-UNH Matchup Fun To Watch
Sept. 24 - Rams Defense Comes Up Big
Oct. 9 - Rams Excited For Upcoming Tests
Oct. 15 - A Tackling Machine
Oct. 25 - Fighting Till The End
Nov. 5 - First-Year Players Make Their Mark
Nov. 16 - Rams Defense Continues to Shine
Nov. 19 - A Senior Class to Remember
Nov. 23 - Ferrer Closes URI Career With Career Day

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First and 10: Ferrer Closes URI Career With Career Day

Rhode Island native rushes for a career-high 125 yards on 17 carries

BY MATT SWISS
GoRhody.com - Staff Writer

In a way that only URI seemingly knows how, the Rhode Island football team kept its fans on the edge of their seats yet again in a thrilling, upset win over the nationally-ranked University of Massachusetts Minutemen.

Saturday's 37-34 win over UMass was Rhody's fifth of the year and though the drama down the stretch felt the same as in every other win, the way in which the Rams were able to pull off the upset was slightly different than in weeks past.

"We knew it was going to be a heavyweight fight," head Coach Joe Trainer said. "We knew that we were going to get their best game, and I just could not be happier for our seniors. I told the group last night, in 21 years, I haven't enjoyed coaching a group as much as I've enjoyed these guys."

Against New Hampshire and Villanova, two other nationally-ranked opponents that fell to the Rams prior to Rhody's Senior Day victory this past Saturday, Rhode Island leaned on its clutch defense to seal the deal. Against Umass, however, the Rams excelled on the other side of the ball, particularly in the running game.

Anthony Ferrer, one of the eleven seniors who were honored prior, came out and produced in a big way for the Rams. The West Greenwich native rushed for 125 yards on just 17 carries (7.4 yards per carry) and added a receiving touchdown to boot.

"Being here at URI, it's just been a roller coaster ride since I've been here," Ferrer said. "We worked so hard over the last few years and we haven't really seen much success on the field but we keep working and it's nice to see it finally pay off. It was good way to end my career, a good way to end our senior year and hopefully this program keeps going in the right direction."

At a crucial point in the ball game, with the Rams down 14-6 and just 1:35 remaining in the half, it was in fact Ferrer's touchdown grab that pulled the Rams to within a point, as Rhode Island entered the half not only with a bit of momentum, but perhaps more importantly, down just 14-13.

"This year, every game that we've played, we've competed so well," Ferrer said, "and if you look at the past three years, if one thing goes bad, everything goes bad. Now, we've just been working on handling that adversity, we just keep fighting, everybody keeps believing and that's what led us to victory and success this year."

Despite his big touchdown grab toward the end of the first quarter, Ferrer shined brightest midway through the fourth quarter, when it counted most, as he played a critical role in Rhody's longest drive of the year. With 10:48 left to play, the Rams began a drive at their own 10-yard line, trailing 28-23. Ferrer rushed for 34 of the 90 yards on just four carries en route to the score.

"Anthony [Ferrer] says the hard work paid off but it's so much more than that," Trainer said. "These guys, every one of these guys, upped the ante and invested more than he ever had. I think the greatest thing for me is every senior saved his best for last. Anthony Ferrer had an unbelievable senior year and finished a great senior year with the best game of his career."

Matt Swiss (matthew_swiss@mail.uri.edu) is a junior at the University of Rhode Island, majoring in journalism. Be sure to check out Matt's "First and 10" column on the URI football team, which appears exclusively on GoRhody.com throughout the 2010 season.