THE BASICS
No. 15/16 Rhode Island (6-1, 3-0 CAA Football) vs. RV Maine (4-3, 2-2 CAA Football)
Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 26, 1 p.m. 
Live Stats | Audio: Varsity Network | Video: FloFootball | Game Notes

RHODE ISLAND VS. MAINE - SERIES NOTES

• Saturday's game will be the 102nd in the long-standing history between the two programs, which dates back to 1911.
• The Black Bears have a 62-36-3 all-time advantage over the Rams, which includes a 23-16-1 edge at Meade Stadium. 
• Despite Maine leading in the teams' overall history, momentum has recently favored Rhody.
• A year ago, then-No. 21/20 URI pounded the Black Bears 34-17 in Orono. It was the Rams' first win at Maine in 25 years.
• The offense scored 21 of its points in an explosive second quarter while the defense held the Black Bears scoreless for the entire second half. 
• In 2022, the Rams snapped a 14-game losing streak to Maine by defeating its visitors 26-22 at Meade Stadium.
• That win was URI's first over its fellow New England state institution since 2006.
• Both teams are coming off top-25 wins, as Rhode Island knocked off No. 19/24 New Hampshire (26-9) and Maine upset No. 5 Villanova (35-7). 
• For their performance, the Black Bears received two votes in the Stats Perform Top 25 and were named the FCS National Team of the Week.

HOMECOMING

• Saturday's game between Rhode Island and Maine will serve as Homecoming for the Rams. 
• Homecoming has been an official event at the University of Rhode Island since 1924.
• Since that time, the Rams have posted an overall record of 40-54-1. There was no Homecoming from 1943-45 as Rhode Island had cancelled football due to World War II. There was also no Homecoming in the 2020-21 spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Rhode Island has attracted over 500,000 fans in its Homecoming games. The largest crowd in Meade Stadium history (13,052) witnessed Rhode Island's 22-7 win over Boston University in the 1984 Homecoming game. 
• Last year, URI lost on Homecoming weekend to Richmond (24-17). 
• Prior to that, the Rams had picked up back-to-back Homecoming wins over Stony Brook (27-20 OT; 2021) and No. 14/18 Elon (17-10; 2022). 

SMITH FINDING HIS FOOTING

• In six years suiting up for the Rams, Tommy Smith has been listed as a quarterback, a tight end and is now part of the wide receivers corps. 
• The Maynard, Mass. native had a breakout performance in his debut at wideout, catching five passes for 47 yards while adding a 2-yard receiving TD opposite Holy Cross (Aug. 31).
• In total, the 6-2 receiver has recorded 148 yards on 13 catches. 
• Recently, Smith also got involved in the ground game during the win at New Hampshire when he ran the ball in for a three-yard touchdown. 
• Prior to 2024, Smith had yet to record any points in his Rhody career as his impact had mostly been on special teams.
• This year, he leads URI with six special teams tackles.

BROCKWELL BREAKING OUT

• In his first year as a starter, inside linebacker Cole Brockwell is second in CAA Football and 12th in the country with 9.4 tackles per game.
• He is just behind Campbell's Jalen Brooks for the conference lead in total tackles with 66 (30 solo). That number is good for 12th in the country.
• He has made double-digit stops twice this year, recording 13 at Minnesota (Sept. 7) and 14 at LIU (Sept. 21). 
• The Westport, Conn. native recorded seven solo stops opposite the Golden Gophers and had six in the game at Hampton (Oct. 5).
• Last week he had nine tackles in the win over New Hampshire.
• He has appeared in 28 straight games for URI as a key member of both the defense and special teams units. 
• Brockwell's father, Mark, and his uncle, Kurt, both played for the Rams. Mark is a URI Hall of Famer who earned All-Yankee Conference honors as a linebacker in 1984.