If the URI Rams are going to end a 39-year playoff drought this season, the last two games may be the biggest reason why.

Come from behind wins over LIU and then Hampton this past Saturday have been the type of games that go the other way in recent heartbreaking seasons. But, so far this year, the Rams are finding ways to have these wild finishes go in their favor. Those wins have also propelled them to No. 21 in the latest AFCA Coaches Poll released on Monday.

Instead of the ‘what if’ games when looking back at the schedule at the end of November, when the NCAA selection show airs, these victories could be the ones that allow Rhode Island to hear its name called for the first time since the Bears hammered the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Jim Fleming has delivered that message to his team recently, not shying away from what’s on the line each week for this program.

“It was a major message last week,” he said. “I said ‘we’re going down to Hampton, I know we haven’t played them but it’s a conference football game. If I told you this was the last game of the season and you needed to win it for the championship, how well would you play? Would you play higher?’

“And I said ‘if that was the scenario then you’re barking up the wrong tree. You’d better be prepared. Every time you have a conference opponent, you’ve got to go ahead and win those games to put yourself in the conversation.”

What’s been the biggest difference so far down the stretch in these big moments? It’s hard to pinpoint one particular thing, but Fleming tried.

“I’m having such a hard time remembering years past, I know we’ve pulled out some tight ones in the past and I know we’ve lost some of them,” he said. “I think there’s just a belief that goes through the program that continues to build. We’ve got guys that are extremely hungry, but there’s nothing I can really point to that makes a huge difference.

“The only thing we’ve done as a coaching staff…it sounds cliche, but our issues have always been not staying focused in the moment. That’s really all you can do play-to-play, day-to-day, week-to-week. I think we’ve done a good job doing that so far. It’s paid some dividends and allowed us to see some spectacular finishes.”

Fleming also cautioned that winning by the skin of your teeth every week isn’t ideal either.

“Now, like I’ve said, you keep playing with fire, it’s going to come up and burn you at some point,” he added. “But, we’re after just improving and improving our overall execution and combining that with the perservwrnce and persistence and belief. That gives you the possibility of all successful things.”

The Rams still have a gauntlet of CAA teams to get through before they can even think about a postseason berth, but this week’s focus is the final non-conference game of the season.

It also happens to be against URI’s biggest rival for The Governor’s Cup on Saturday.

Brown visits what should be an electric Meade Stadium in a game URI can’t really afford to lose if they want to eventually have the chance to party like it’s 1985.

“Brown’s a special one,” said Fleming. “You look at your non-conference schedule…absolutely, a win or loss against Brown could help or hurt us…Brown’s a different flavor. There’s a trophy. That thing is something that’s very important to us, it’s important to our fans and it’s important to our program. It is to Brown as well.

“I think people are in for a really good football game this weekend.”