Football Eyes Third Straight Victory Saturday at URI

Date	Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019 (1 p.m.)
Matchup	Merrimack (4-4) Rhode Island (1-7)
Venue	Kingston, R.I. // Meade Stadium
Multimedia	Live Stats // Watch
Social	Twitter // Instagram

 
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Riding the program's first-ever winning streak at the Football Championship Subdivision level, the Merrimack College football program is set to invade Meade Stadium on Saturday afternoon when the Warriors meet the University of Rhode Island. Kickoff in Kingston, R.I. against the Rams is set for 1 p.m.

Inside the Matchup:

Merrimack (2-4)	Category	Rhode Island (1-7)
10/26 vs. Presbyterian (W, 24-21)	Last Time Out	10/26 vs. Elon (L, 38-13)
30.75	Scoring Offense	24.50
22.38	Scoring Defense	34.80
143.3	Rushing Offense	81.0
230.63	Passing Offense	316.8
373.9	Total Offense	397.8
338.8	Opp. Total Offense	443.9
11	Interceptions (Def.)	9
41.80% (51-122)	3rd-Down Conversions	41.00% (46-113)
30.97% (35-113)	Opp. 3rd-Down Conversions	43.00% (43-100)

 
Series History:
For the second time in school history and the first time in 13 years, Merrimack will visit Rhode Island to face the Rams on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors last faced the CAA representatives to start the 2006 season, which saw URI come away with a 42-7 victory. The Rams represent the only opponent on Merrimack's 2019 schedule that play in the Colonial Athletic Association. URI is also the penultimate FCS foe on the 2019 slate for Merrimack.

Meet the Rams:
URI comes into Saturday with a three-game losing streak; the Rams have gone 1-2 in non-league play and own an 0-5 mark in the CAA. The Rams' two most recent games have come at home to Elon (L, 38-13) and at Albany (L, 35-28). Three weeks ago, the Rams gave Virginia Tech a game falling 34-17. Four of Rhode Island's seven losses have been one-possession games.

Awards on Awards on Awards:
Despite some possibly assuming that it would an awards-light year for the Warriors given their transition to the FCS level, that has been far from the case. Redshirt-senior Marquis Spence and Carter have both won NEC Offensive Player of the Week honors; Spence's selection came after a career-high 16 catches against Central Connecticut State, which at the time was tied for the nation's highest single-game catch total in 2019. Carter won his honor most recently after Presbyterian week after his 344 yards of total offense. The signal caller aslo took home the Gold Helmet Award from the New England Football Writers Association, being named the top D1 Football Player (FBS & FCS) in New England last week.

Two weeks ago, graduate student Corey Resendes was named NEC Special Teams Player of the Week following a 3-for-3 effort as a placekicker including a career-best 39-yard field goal against Delaware State. He also averaged nearly 50 yards-per-punt and placed two of six kicks inside the DSU 20. For his efforts, he was named FCS Stats National Special Teams Player of the Week.

Home Cooking:
In their four home games this season, the Merrimack College Warriors are averaging 38 points a game for a 3-1 record on home soil.  Sophomore quarterback Christian Cater is torching teams on defense while on his home turf.  Carter has thrown for eight touchdowns and has thrown for 841 yards while at Duane Stadium.

Lock Down Secondary:
Merrimack's secondary has provent to be one of the best in the NEC: The Warriors rank second in the league in interceptions (11), and three student-athletes among the top 15 in the league in passes defended. Darion McKenzie paces Merrimack with three picks, while adding six pass break-ups. He ranks second in the NEC in INTs and second in PBUs per game. Junior Caleb Holden (7) and redshirt-junior Maverick Gamble are tied for the team lead in pass break-ups through eight games

The Carter Effect:
Sophomore quarterback Christian Carter has been having the best year of his career statistic-wise.  The signal caller is currently ranked third in the Northeast Conference (NEC) in passing yards per game with 219.6 and third in total offense with 246.0 yards a game.  Carter threw for a season-best 287 yards on Saturday against Presbyterian, increasing his season total to a career-high 1,757 yards through eight games

FCS History:
Merrimack now has a 3-10 all-time record against FCS opponents, including a 2-4 mark so far in 2019. To date, Merrimack has played Bryant (0-4), Central Connecticut (0-3), Delaware State (1-0), Lehigh (0-1) Presbyterian (1-0), Rhode Island (0-1), Saint Francis U. (0-1) and Wagner (1-0).

Up Next
The Warriors will have a bye week next week before playing their final home game on Saturday, Nov. 16, against Franklin Pierce University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on campus, and the game will be celebrated as Senior Day.