The end of a football winning streak for the University of Rhode Island led to a drop in the FCS polls. 

The Rams suffered a defeat at Delaware on Saturday and slipped four spots to No. 15. The release on Monday morning still left URI among the four Coastal Athletic Association teams inside the national elite. 

The Blue Hens built a lead thanks to 17 unanswered points and held on for a 24-21 victory, finally slowing the Rams after seven straight victories. That was their longest stretch of success since 1985, which was also the last time URI reached the FCS playoffs. The Rams still have real hopes of ending that drought entering their last two games, including Saturday’s home matchup with Albany. 

“We wanted that game and we thought we had opportunities to win it,” URI coach Jim Fleming said during a Monday conference call. “We just weren’t able to get it done. We took it pretty hard.” 

Delaware enjoyed a 203-89 advantage in rushing yards and took the lead for good on a Nate Reed field goal with 0:23 left in the first half. Jake Thaw’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Nick Minicucci late in the third quarter made it a 24-14 game, and URI couldn’t make up the difference. Hunter Helms threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Greg Gaines with 6:23 left, but the Rams came no closer. 

“They know we’ve got to bounce back and go to work,” Fleming said. “When you really look at it, all of our games have been tight. They could have gone one way or the other based on a couple of plays.” 

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The Rams played the majority of their matchup against the Blue Hens without quarterback Devin Farrell, who finished just 2-for-4 passing and left in the first quarter. Fleming declined to specify Farrell’s injury but said he would be day to day leading into the 1 p.m. kickoff against the Great Danes at Meade Stadium. Helms came off the bench to go 15-for-23 and toss a pair of touchdown passes. 

“He got a little banged up,” Fleming said. “We went through some medical stuff on Saturday and thought it was best just to keep him out.  

“He’s day to day. We think he’s probable for the weekend.” 

URI (8-2, 5-1 CAA) will honor its 22 pending graduates prior to the game against Albany (3-7, 1-5). Fleming made an appeal for a fifth sellout in six home dates this season, with the Rams playing in front of a full house in each of their last three. URI hasn’t won as many as nine games in a season in 39 years and has never won more than five CAA games since joining the league in the 2000s. 

“It means an awful lot,” Fleming said. “It’s something we’ve been chasing since I walked on campus here 11 years ago.” 

No. 9 Villanova, No. 11 Richmond and No. 16 Stony Brook were also included in this week’s rankings. The Spiders lead the CAA race at 6-0, one game ahead of the Rams, Wildcats and Seawolves. Delaware is also 5-1 against CAA opponents but is ineligible for a playoff berth or league title due to its ongoing transition up to the FBS ranks. 

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25