Rhode Island football's Devin Farrell is honored by the CAA; what he did to earn it

Saturday night brought a first win of this football season for the University of Rhode Island. Monday morning arrived with some additional recognition.

Devin Farrell was named his conference’s Offensive Player of the Week and the Rams received votes in the first regular-season edition of the Stats FCS national poll.

Farrell, a red-shirt freshman, celebrated his first start at quarterback with a game-winning drive inside the final two minutes. He was honored by the Coastal Athletic Association after the 20-17 victory against Holy Cross. Farrell’s touchdown pass to Shawn Harris with 19 seconds left made the difference and capped a night under the lights in front of a sellout crowd at Meade Stadium.

More: URI football's opening-game win over Holy Cross was a roller-coaster ride. Here's how.

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“You don’t play since high school and you come out and do what he was able to do,” URI coach Jim Fleming said. “I was very impressed.”

Farrell piled up 341 yards of total offense and played all but a handful of snaps under center. He was locked in a camp battle with Clemson transfer Hunter Helms for the starting spot. Farrell led all four scoring drives for the Rams, including the last with 1:47 left. He rushed for a first down, threw for two more and found Harris on a crossing route to erase a 17-13 deficit.

Farrell was 20-for-33 passing and led URI in rushing with 54 yards on the ground. He’s a transfer from Virginia Tech who sat behind four-year starter Kasim Hill in 2023. Farrell’s last start came at his Georgia high school, as he developed into a three-star recruit who ultimately committed to the Hokies.

Farrell is the first Rams quarterback to earn this CAA award since Vito Priore in October 2019. Farrell connected with seven different receivers, including a pair who shared the team-high in catches. Greg Gaines III and Tommy Smith each caught five passes for a combined 117 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown pass to Smith in the third quarter.

The Crusaders were coming off four FCS playoff berths in the last six years and have been a regular in the national polls. URI has plenty of CAA company in this week’s edition, with four ranked teams and another receiving votes. The Rams and Elon are outside the top 25 but could crack it by winning games in the near future.

No. 5 Villanova, No. 13 William & Mary, No. 14 Richmond and No. 16 Albany are among the current national elite. URI would be all but certain to crack that group with a Saturday upset at Minnesota. The Rams and Golden Gophers will kick off at noon, with URI matching up against a Big Ten opponent for the first time.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island football's Devin Farrell is honored by the CAA; what he did to earn it