Football team heads to Philadelphia to face Villanova

10/23/09 - Searching for their first CAA Conference win of the year, the University of Rhode Island football team heads south to Villanova, Pa. for a Saturday afternoon conference clash with nationally ranked Villanova University. The Rams are looking to end their five-game losing streak that includes three conference losses. However, this will not be an easy task as Rhode Island will not only be up against a tough 6-1 number four nationally ranked team in Villanova, but a hostile homecoming environment.

"Our focus going down there this week is that this is a business trip," head coach Joe Trainer said. "We're going to go down there to compete and play as well as we can to win the game. That's our goal."

Last season the Wildcats spoiled the Rams' homecoming with a 44-7 blowout victory. Overall, Villanova holds a 13-2 advantage in the schools' 15 meetings. Rhody's last win against the Wildcats came in October of 2005.

Coach Trainer will also be making a homecoming trip: he was an assistant coach at Villanova for eight seasons. During his time there, the Wildcats won two conference championships.

"I'm sure I'll see a lot of familiar faces," Trainer said. "But this isn't going to be a reunion for Joe Trainer. This is going to be the Rhode Island Rams headed south trying to win our first conference game of the year."

The Rams enter the game off of a discouraging 28-16 homecoming loss at the hands of Hofstra University. In that game, junior quarterback Chris Paul-Etienne made his return from injury. He threw for a career high 207 passing yards and also ran for a touchdown. Also contributing with a career high effort was sophomore wide receiver Ty Bynum, who had a career high of six passes for 75 yards. He leads the team in receiving yards with 279.

Villanova heads into this match-up with the top rushing attack in the CAA, averaging 204.6 yards a game. Junior wide receiver Matt Szczur leads the CAA with 1,080 all purpose yards, including 311 rushing yards on the season. Quarterback Chris Whitney leads the team in rushing with 437 yards.

"Even though they're a spread offense, their philosophy is to run the ball first," Trainer said. "They try to get the big play off of play action because you have to commit so many guys to the run."

They also have the conferences top-scoring defense, averaging 13.7 points per game, and have forced 16 turnovers this season.

"They don't turn the ball over and they create turnovers," Trainer said. "I think they are plus 11, second in the Conference in turnover margin. I think out of all the stats you track that's the greatest stat outside of scoring offense and scoring defense. They do a great job of protecting the ball and creating turnovers for the offense."

The Rams will need junior linebackers Matt Hansen and Rob Damon to bring their "A-game" in order to stop Villanova's potent rushing attack. Hansen and Damon have combined for 132 tackles on the year so far and rank in the top five in tackles per game. Damon has recorded 72 alone ranking fifth in the entire NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.

This game is just the start of a tough upcoming schedule. Including Villanova, the Rams will face three nationally ranked top 10 teams in the next three weeks.

Kickoff time for Saturday is set for 3:30 p.m.