THE BASICS
No. 13 Rhode Island (6-2, 4-0 CAA) vs. UAlbany (2-5, 0-3 CAA)
Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 25 - 1 p.m. 
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RHODE ISLAND VS. BRYANT - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island and Bryant will meet for the sixth time on Saturday afternoon.
• The Rams own the series against the Bulldogs 5-0. Rhody is 3-0 in games played at Meade Stadium. 
• The first meeting between the programs was in 2002. The Rams won 28-0 in Kingston. 
• Despite having played each of the last four seasons, last year's meeting in Smithfield was the first time the programs met as conference foes. Bryant joined the CAA in 2024 after a one-year stint in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association. Prior to that, after spending 2008 as an FCS independent, the Bulldogs had been in the Northeast Conference. 
• The visiting Rams won last year's contest 35-21 on Nov. 23, 2024. With the win, Rhode Island clinched a share of the 2024 CAA Football title, securing its first conference championship since 1985. The Rams were then went onto their first FCS Playoff appearance in 39 years. 
• Rhode Island running back Malik Grant was the best player on the field against Bryant last season.   He finished the game with 204 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 16 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown.

FARRELL, PENA NAMED CAA FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

• Quarterback Devin Farrell and linebacker A.J. Pena were named CAA Football Players of the Week after last Saturday's performance at UAlbany. It's the first time in the CAA era, and second time in team history the Rams earned Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week nods in the same week. 
• Luther Green (offense) and Paul Picciotti (defense) both received the honors on Sept. 8, 2001. The Rams were then competing in the Atlantic 10. 
• Farrell's 333-yard, four-passing touchdown performance helped him secure the recognition. He also completed 19-of-20 passes, including 19 consecutive completions against the Great Danes. His 95 percent completion percentage is the best in the FCS this season and the best in a single game in program history. 
• Pena tallied four total sacks in upstate New York. He joins LaJhon Jones (vs. Brown, Oct. 18 1997) as the only Rams in program history to record four sacks in a single game.

PENA SETS PROGRAM RECORD FOR SACKS

• Linebacker A.J. Pena had four sacks in Rhode Island's win at UAlbany. 
• Pena's career sack total is now 34.5, the most in program history. 
• He passed Frank Ferrara who had 33 sacks from 1995-1998. 
• After taking home CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week, Pena also earned recognition as Stats Preform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week.
• Its just the second time in program history that a Ram earned National Player of the Week honors from Stats Preform. 
• Ahmere Dorsey was named Stats Preform Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 1, 2018.
• This is the second defensive category that Pena holds the top spot in in team history.
• After a 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sack performance against LIU earlier this season, Pena became URI's all-time leader in tackles for loss with 51, breaking the previous record of 49.0, also set by Ferrara.
• Following his time at URI, Ferrara played three seasons in the NFL with the New York Giants and Philadephia Eagles.
• After transferring to Memphis for the Spring 2025 semester, Pena decided to return home to Kingston for his final season.
• He was seventh nationally last year in tackles for loss (22.5) and 10th in sacks (12.5).
• Pena's effort helped the Rams to 38 sacks, setting a new program single-season record. 
• URI's previous mark of 32 single-season sacks was held by the 2017 squad. 
• A 2024 Associated Press First Team All-American, Pena has 26 straight starts. 
• One of the finalists for the Buck Buchanan award in 2024, he has already been named to the 2025 Preseason Watch List. 

FARRELL ON PACE FOR HISTORIC PERCENTAGES 

• High completion percentages have become a staple of Devin Farrell's game. Through eight games, Farrell has completed 156 of 242 passes (.664). If the season ended today, that mark would be second-best of any Rhode Island quarterback in a single season in program history, only behind JuJuan Lawson's 128-192 (.667) showing in 2018.
• Farrell is a career .614 passer which currently is second-best in program history behind Lawson's .633 from 2017-18. 
• Farrell completed five or more passes to four different receivers in the Oct. 3 loss at Brown.
• Tight end Connor Finer led all receivers with eight catches in the game. Marquis Buchanan finished with seven receptions. Greg Gaines III and Antwain Littleton each had five-catch performances.
• This was the first time in 41 games that a Rhode Island quarterback completed five or more passes to four or more receivers.
• The last time a Ram had done that was Nov. 20, 2021 when Kasim Hill connected with five receivers for five or more catches each. 
• Matt Pires (8), Paul Woods (6), Gabe Sloat (5), Ed Lee (5), and Ivory Frimpong (5) all caught five or more catches from Hill in Rhody's 43-28 loss at Elon.
• Farrell had 30 total completions against Brown, 25 of which went to Finer, Buchanan, Gaines III, and Littleton. He was 30 of 44 (.681) on passes.