THE BASICS
No. 9 Rhode Island (10-2, 8-0 CAA) vs. Central Connecticut (8-4, 6-1 NEC)
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 29 - 12 p.m. 
Live Stats | Audio: Varsity Network | Video: FloCollege | Game Notes | Buy Tickets

RHODE ISLAND VS. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island and Central Connecticut meet for the sixth time on Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the 2025 FCS Championship at Meade Stadium in Kingston, R.I. 
• A trip to No. 8 UC Davis in the Second Round of the FCS Championship awaits for the winner.
• It is the second consecutive year the Rams and Blue Devils meet in the postseason. 
• Rhody owns the 4-1 advantage in the all time series. The first meeting between the programs was Sept. 11, 2004. Rhody defeated CCSU 39-7 on way to a 4-7 finish under then head coach Tim Stowers.
• Rhode Island earned the No. 9 overall seed to the FCS Championship field after winning the Coastal Athletic Association's automatic bid after winning the league's outright title.
• Central Connecticut is unseeded in the field. The Blue Devils earned the Northeast Conference's automatic bid to the FCS Championship field after winning its first outright league title since 2019. CCSU shared the league crown with Duquesne a season ago.

A DEEPER LOOK INTO LAST YEAR'S MEETING

• Last year's meeting took place on Saturday, Nov. 30. Rhode Island jumped out to a 14-0 lead with two first quarter touchdowns; a 38-yard pass from Hunter Helms to Tommy Smith and a 42-yard Emmanuel Gomes interception return for a touchdown.
• The Blue Devils then scored 14 unanswered points to tie the game at 14. Brady Olsen found Isaac Boston for a pair of touchdowns, one for an 11-yard score and the other from six yards out.
• With the game tied at 14 heading into the fourth, Smith rushed for a 6-yard score to give Rhody the 21-14 edge with under 10 minutes to play. CCSU added a field goal with 4:47 left but a Westley Neal, Jr. interception with under a minute to go secured the game for the home Rams.
• Rhode Island running back Malik Grant finished the game with 223 rushing yards. 
• The Rhode Island defense held the Blue Devils to 271 total yards of offense. 
• No. 10 Rhody advanced to play No. 7 Mercer in Macon, Georgia. The Rams fell to the Bears the following week 17-10 ending their historic 2024 campaign.

RAMS SECURE FIRST OUTRIGHT TITLE SINCE 1985

• With a win over Hampton on Saturday afternoon, the Rams clinched their first outright league championship since 1985 and their eighth league title in program history. 
• Rhode Island closed the regular season 8-0 in CAA Football. 
• The last time Rhode Island finished the season perfect in conference play was 1985. The Rams finished the season 5-0 against Yankee Conference competition.  
• Last year's 7-1 CAA record was previously Rhode Island's best conference record since 1985. 
• In 2024, the Rams earned a share of the CAA title with Richmond. 
• This year, Rhode Island earned the CAA's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA FCS playoffs.
• The Rams were one of three CAA teams to make the postseason bracket, and the highest seeded in the group.
• No. 12 Villanova hosts Harvard on Saturday.
• No. 14 South Dakota State hosts New Hampshire at 1 p.m.
• No. 9 Rhode Island was the first seed out of the top 8 that receive byes and host a second round match up on Dec. 6.