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ELON, N.C. – With the 2017 Elon football season approaching, get to know the Phoenix's upcoming opponents with our preview series. Today, we get a closer look at Rhode Island.
 
RHODE ISLAND RAMS
 
Location: Kingston, R.I.
Home stadium: Meade Stadium
Conference: CAA Football
2016 record: 2-9
2016 conference record/finish: 1-7 (T-11th)
2016 Postseason: None
All-Time series: Elon trails 1-0
Head coach: Jim Fleming (4th season)
Letterwinners returning/lost: N/A
Offensive/Defensive starters returning: 7/8
Top returning offensive players: 
• RB Harold Cooper (113 carries, 463 yards, 4.1 ypc, 3 TD, 42.1 ypg)
• WR Harold Buckner III (28 rec., 411 yards, 2 TD, 14.7 ypc, 37.4 ypg)
• RB T.J. Anderson (114 carries, 403 yards, 3.5 ypc, 3 TD, 40.3 ypg)
Top returning defensive players: 
• DB DJ Stewart (56 ua, 30 at, 86 total tackles, 0.5 TFL, 2 INT)
• DB Nas Jones (38 ua, 28 at, 66 total tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 5 PBU)
• DB Momodou Mbye (39 ua, 15 at, 54 total tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 INT, 7 PBU, 1 FR)

2017 Schedule
Aug. 31 at Central Michigan
Sept. 9 vs. Stony Brook
Sept. 16 vs. Harvard
Sept. 23 at New Hampshire
Sept. 30 at Brown
Oct. 14 at Maine
Oct. 21 vs. Elon
Oct. 28 at Albany
Nov. 4 vs. James Madison
Nov. 11 vs. Villanova
Nov. 18 at Towson
 
A Glance at the Rams
Head coach Jim Fleming is in his fourth season at the helm of the Rams program where he has posted a 4-30 overall record. Fleming has also served as a head coach at Sacred Heart (2000-01) and has a career record of 25-31.

The Rhode Island offense brings back eight starters from a year ago, including running back Harold Cooper. Cooper led the team with 463 rushing yards and three scores. He added another 64 yards by hauling in nine passes. Cooper was a second-team All-CAA Football pick at kick returner after ranking 19th in the nation by averaging 25.3 yards per kick return. The senior back needs just 374 yards to reach 2,000 career rushing yards. The Rams will have a new quarterback under center after last year's starter, Jordan Vazzano, transferred. URI has added a pair of transfer quarterbacks in Tyler Harris (UCF) and JaJuan Lawson (New Mexico). As a unit, the Rams' offense averaged 273.5 yards and 16.8 points per game.

On the defensive side of the ball, URI allowed 36.4 points and 424.6 yards per game in 2016. That unit also returns eight starters, including third-team all-conference selection Jose Duncan, a defensive end. Duncan tallied 44 total tackles, including 6.0 stops for a loss and a team-high 4.0 sacks a year ago. The Rams finished the year with 16 total sacks and six intercpetions.

Rhode Island opened the season with four consecutive defeats, including setbacks at Kansas and #22 Harvard, before defeating Brown by a 28-13 margin. Following four more losses, the Rams bounced back to down Elon at Rhodes Stadium, but dropped a one-point game to Towson in the season finale.
 
Matchup
Last year's late-season contest at Rhodes Stadium is the lone meeting between the two programs. The Phoenix fell by a 44-14 margin in that game.