How It Happened
Rhode Island could not stop Elon's potent offense, as the Phoenix scored on seven of its first eight possessions on the way to a 43-28 win Saturday.

Rhode Island (7-4, 4-4 CAA Football) used the passing game to get on the board with its first possession. Kasim Hill completed 4-of-7 for 74 yards on the first drive of the day, capping it with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Matt Pires, who stretched for the grab.

However, Elon (6-5, 5-3 CAA Football) came right back with a score of its own. Davis Cheek drove the Phoenix 75 yards in eight plays before finding Kortez Weeks for the 5-yard touchdown to help tie the game. The Phoenix scored again on their next possession, driving 67 yards in six plays. Jaylan Thomas ran it in from 15 yards out as Elon took a 14-7 lead.

Five of the next six possessions resulted in Skyler Davis field goals. He hit from 44, 32, 36, 43 and 46 yards as Elon steadily increased its lead. The lone possession that didn't result in points came just before the half, when Elon got the ball with 29 seconds left and allowed the clock to expire.

Unable to mount a comeback, Rhode Island's postseason hopes took a hit. The Rams finished the regular season with their most wins since 2001, when they went 8-3.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Wide receiver Matt Pires caught eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, all career highs.
• He also rushed for a two-point conversion.
• Wide receiver Paul Woods gave the Rams a second 100-yard receiver, catching six passes for 102 yards. It was his second 100-yard game of the year.
• The last time Rhode Island had two 100-yard receivers in the same game was Sept. 21, 2019. Aaron Parker (144 yards) and Isaiah Coulter (105) did it against new Hampshire.
• Quarterback Kasim Hill threw for a career-high 394 yards on 31-of-55 passing.
• The 31 completions were the most by a URI quarterback since Derek Cassidy had 34 against New Hampshire on Sept. 13, 2008.
• The 394 yards were a career best for Hill. He also threw three touchdown passes, finishing the season with 18. It is just the 11th time a Rhode Island quarterback had 18 or more in a season.
• Wide receiver Ed Lee caught five passes for 48 yards and a touchdown, while running back Gabe Sloat had five catches for 54 yards. Wide receiver Ivory Frimpong had five catches for 46 yards.
• Defensive tackle Westley Neal, Jr., safety Henry Yianakopolos, cornerback Jordan Jones and safety Malik Gavek each had seven tackles.
• Outside linebacker L.B. Mack III had 1.5 tackles for loss, including a sack. He is second all time at URI with 38.0 TFLs and fourth with 22.0 sacks.
• Running back Jaylen Smith rushed nine times for 36 yards before leaving the game with an arm injury.
• Kicker C.J. Carrick had two field goals, one for 43 yards and another for 36. He now has program records for points (268), field goals (43) and extra points (139).
• The defense broke up four passes, giving Rhode Island 51 on the year. That is the second most all time, behind the 53 for the 1984 squad.
• Game captains were Dylan Brown and Joey Kenny, while the anchor bearer was Evan Lovell.

What's Next
Rhode Island will wait to see its fate. The FCS playoff field will be announced Sunday on ESPNU at 12:30 p.m.