It has been a long season for the Massachusetts football team – one filled with emotional ups and downs.

There was the opening 51-7 pasting of Central Connecticut State, the 65-yard touchdown strike from Jeff Krohn to Jason Peebler that shocked Kansas State and Shannon James’ heroic fumble recovery for the winning touchdown at Villanova that many still can’t seem to fathom.

In addition, there was also the emergence of a pair of unknown running backs in Steve Baylark and Rich Demers, revenge served on both Hofstra and Northeastern and the longest touchdown pass in school history – twice.

Then there was the shocking suspension of A-10 Rookie of the Year R. J. Cobbs for “academic discipline,” a knee injury that has kept Raunny Rosario from contributing for much of the year and, most recently, an utterly heartbreaking loss to No. 3 Delaware in what is widely considered the best football game a Minuteman team have ever been a part of.

Now, with all of that behind them, the Minutemen are set to conclude their memorable season Saturday at Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium against Rhode Island, with nothing short of an Atlantic 10 title and the chance to set a school record for wins in a season on the line.

If the Minutemen win and Delaware loses to Villanova, the Minutemen will claim the A-10 title outright and receive the conference’s automatic bid to the Division I-AA playoffs. If UMass and Delaware both win or both lose, the teams will share the title – with the Blue Hens receiving the automatic bid.

“We have a chance to win a championship,” UMass coach Mark Whipple said. “We have to find a way to win the football game. It’s Rhode Island and it’s the last game, and it’s for everything.

“We’ve been much more focused in practice this week. We haven’t been dragging around and have had a little more bounce in our step this week then we had last week.”

Whipple also realizes that the Maroon and White will certainly need to have some bounce back in their step, as the Rams boast arguably the most team speed on offense in the A-10, led by tailback/return man Wendall Williams.

“They’ve got guys that can just fly,” Whipple said. “I think Wendall Williams is the fastest guy in the league – they’re scary.

“If you make one assignment mistake on defense, they can take it all the way.”

On the season Williams, who also returns kickoffs and punts in addition to carrying the football, leads the Rams in all-purpose yards with 1,767 – an average of 160.6 a game. He is not alone in putting up impressive offensive numbers for Rhody, especially on the ground.

Junior Jason Ham is the team’s leading rusher, becoming just the eighth player in school history to reach the 1,000-yard plateau when his 156 yards last week in a shutout win over Hofstra game him 1,064 on the season.

The numbers do not stop there, however, for the run-based Rams. Quarterback Jayson Davis, who has passed for a mere 540 yards on the season, is second on the team in rushing with 924 yards, while Luther Green has posted 715 yards followed by Williams’ 611 yards.

“They’re tremendous on offense,” Whipple said. “They’ve played some good teams so they’re executing at a high level, plus their quarterback makes a huge difference.”

Making the task of stopping the Rams’ vaunted ground game that much more difficult is the Flexbone style of offense that coach Tim Stowers employs; one that predominantly features a double-wing formation with a lone back in the backfield that includes consistent motion both toward and away from the ball; an offense that has produced the number one rushing attack in the A-10, averaging 332.7 yards per game With 3,660 total rushing yards on the season, URI is also just 283 rushing yards short of a new A-10 record.

“It’s a different offense,” Whipple said. “They do a lot of things like Richmond does, but we really haven’t seen anything like it, so we need to focus on preparation for it.”

When the Rams do go to the air, which they’ve done only 127 times all season between Davis and backup Adarn Johnson, who has seen spot duty in all 10 games, Williams is the top target. He has caught a team-high 19 balls, four of which for touchdowns. He also joins Curtis Horne as the only Rams to catch touchdown passes on the season.

Also of concern for Whipple is Rhody’s special teams, which is headed by Williams and all-conference placekicker/punter Shane Laisle and has been solid all season long.

“Special teams always plays a big role,” Whipple said. “Laisle has been a four year starter and has been in a lot of pressure situations.

“Our special teams were a big problem last week … our coverage teams were the worst they’ve been all year so we’ve worked harder this week to address those things, especially with Williams back there.”

Defensively, the Rams are led by free safety Virgil Gray. The freshman has posted a team-high 80 tackles, including 50 solo, as well as intercepting a pair of passes and recording a sack.

Also chipping in is classmate and middle linebacker Steve Marrella, who is second on the team in total tackles with 69 and tied for second in solo stops with 39.

“They have gotten a lot better on defense,” Whipple said. “They’re coming off of a shutout of Hofstra, and then they were right there with Cincinnati.”

On the injury front for the Minutemen, cornerback Steve Costello remains questionable with an abdominal strain, although Whipple doubts he will see any action. Senior defensive lineman Doran Davis, however, should see the field in what will be his final regular season home game at UMass.

On the offensive side of the ball, both Demers and Baylark are nearing 100 percent, as is wide receiver Jason Peebler, who practiced on consecutive days without incident for the first time since injuring his hamstring at William ‘ Mary.

Notes: Saturday’s contest will be Senior Day, as it marks the final regular season home game for 19 seniors on the Massachusetts roster. They are as follows: Valdamar Brower, tri-captain Jeremy Cain, Ryan Chevers, Colin Christopher, Carmen Collins, Doran Davis, Ian Dyche, Malik Hall, Mike Haynes, Jimmie Howard, Mark Kimener, tri-captain Jeff Krohn, Tim McDermond, Ryan McHugh, tri-captain Anton McKenzie, Glen Opie, Johnson Owumi, Charlie Shove and Mike Ziccardi.