If you punch this Richmond team early, you better be ready for when they punch right back. The Spiders once again responded to a slow start with a 2nd half explosion in route to a 22-point victory over NC Central. The win streak is up to seven games and no one wants to face these Spiders right now.

Drives

1st half drives on the left, 2nd half drives on the right

Offense

13 drives – 6 TDs (46%), 4 punts (31%), 2 turnovers [1 on downs] (15%), 1 FG attempt (8%)

49 points on the day and it felt like we left plenty more out there. The Central defense was no match for our offense and we kept our foot on the gas for 60 minutes. Plenty of highlights and outstanding performances that raise the confidence level even higher moving into round #2.

Game plan – Can’t say enough good things about Saturday’s game plan. We took advantage of our skill at WR by attacking them deep, and increased our protection to neutralize their pressure. We kept an extra blocker in more than usual, and the result was a near 300-yard day for Wickersham, six passing plays of 20+ yards, and over 500 yards of total offense.

There wasn’t much room to run early on, with NC Central only allowing 8 rushing yards in the 1st quarter, however we stayed patient and let our O-line talent take over. Our commitment to the run game paid off as Richmond ran for 126 yards in the 2nd quarter, in route to a 215-yard rushing total and 35-point 2nd half. Our balanced and assertive approach for 60 minutes lead to our highest scoring total of the season and gave Albany plenty to worry about this week.

WR trio – Nick DeGennaro was a focal point, Ja’Vion Griffin came up with two clutch receptions, and Jerry Garcia Jr. had a typical Jerry Garcia Jr. type of game.

Central had no answer for this trio. They unsurprisingly could not hang with DeGennaro and we got him the ball early. A quick TD on the 3rd play of the game, multiple other chunk plays, and another TD just before the half. Garcia Jr. was a highlight reel with a robbery of the Central defensive back on his 71-yard TD reception, and tacked on a rushing score on a WR reverse.

I was most impressed with Griffin as he had two very critical catches for the Spiders. The 4th down reception late in the 1st half was a great catch in traffic, and the jump ball late in the game setup another Richmond TD that put the game away. We need to keep getting DeGennaro the ball as much as we can, but if teams start to take him away it’s great knowing Griffin and Garcia Jr. can do just as much damage.

Kyle Wickersham – A tremendous first playoff start for the redshirt sophomore, and a poetic home finale for 2023 (barring an Idaho or SDSU upset). The 2023 home schedule started with a game of screens and almost no deep shots, while it likely ends with the Spiders relentlessly unleashing his arm talent drive after drive.

The opening drive saw completions of 35 & 38 yards, while the 4th quarter was capped off by completions of 71 & 34 yards. Wickersham outplayed Davius Richard and stole the show in a game where we were told Central had the QB advantage. His comfort working the ball deep has drastically raised this offense’s ceiling, all while remaining very efficient. Another 70% completion day with zero INTs, even with 2/3 of his attempts at the mid-range or deep level – that will win you a lot of playoff games.

Slow start, strong finish – Everything went wrong for the Spiders early. A fumble inside the 10 yard line by Webb, a failed fake punt, and a blocked field goal are hard to overcome in just one half, and it led to only one TD in our first six drives. This group stayed the course, with their next seven drives resulting in five TDs, zero turnovers, and nearly 300 yards of offense.

The 11-play, 65-yard TD drive just before half was especially critical, as despite trailing we took the Eagles’ best punch and reduced it to a mere 6-point halftime lead. With all the breaks they had early that felt like a win for the Spiders, and they had no answer for our 35-point 2nd half response. Would I like us to start faster going forward? Sure. Is this team going to flinch when faced with an early deficit? Absolutely not.

Defense

14 drives – 8 punts (57%), 4 TDs (29%), 2 turnovers [1 on downs] (14%)

What a response from this defense after getting torched early on. NC Central had 20 points after just 29 plays on offense but this group rallied and nearly pitched a 2nd half shutout. Did Richard getting hurt play a factor? Of course, but there was no way they could keep up with us once we started dominating the LOS.

Disruption up front – The easiest way to limit their explosive offense was pressure and we did just that. Five sacks, seven TFLs, and three QB hurries, which made Richard very uncomfortable in the pocket. Marlem Louis tallied three sacks and Donovan Hoilette played a fantastic game as a rusher & QB spy. Hoilette snuffed out a screen on 3rd down and did a great job of keeping contain on numerous occasions.

We also never allowed Central’s ground game to get going. Richard and Collier were averaging a combined 120 yards/game, yet were held to just 58 yards on 26 attempts. Controlling the LOS flipped this game back in UR’s direction and never gave Central a chance to come back.

Slow start, strong finish – We were on a true shootout pace early but some key adjustments from the Spiders really swung things our way. Central had some really cool play designs to beat our zone looks, with one slot double-move working a few different times.

In the top image the receiver at the numbers runs a vertical route, while the slot looks to be running an out. In a Cover-2 defense the safety works over to guard the vertical, while the corner takes the slot breaking towards him. However, it ends up being a double move (image 2), which puts their slot three steps ahead of Tomlinson, as the safety already has his head turned. Thankfully the pressure forced a bad throw in this situation however this design and one similar to it led to some big Eagles gains.

I can’t tell you if the other safety should be helping here or if it’s a miscommunication, but I do know we didn’t let that beat us all game. Throughout the 2nd half we were in much better position, and Central had no answer to our adjustments. After scoring three TDs in the first five drives, Central then went the next six drives without a 1st down. Good offenses will always find some chunk plays, however our in-game adjustments proved very beneficial this weekend.

D’Angelo Stocker – Best game of the season for #15 in my opinion. Only credited with three tackles and one PBU however he was in great position all day. We got back to pressing the boundary corner more than we had in prior weeks and I felt like he really answered the call. He’s brought good pressure off the edge when we corner blitz and had a strong day tackling. Very promising performance from the redshirt freshman.

Tackling – Less than ideal. We didn’t get Darius Wilson on the ground too often against W&M, however I thought our open field tackling was fine. Unfortunately the open field tackling this past Saturday was not fine. Not much to say, you either make the play or you don’t. We’re rallying to the ball well however too many 1-on-1s where we aren’t even giving our teammates a chance to help out. Hoping that improves for the Albany game.

Special Teams

Savon Smith – This might be recency bias but that was Savon’s most memorable game as a Spider for me. His first career punt return TD, after the September he had, to cap off a three TD day was something we won’t soon forget. He’s got eight TDs the past four games (6 rushing, 1 passing, 1 PR) and is playing his best football heading into December.

Fake punt – I liked it. Huesman is conservative in some areas but has been aggressive with fake punts this season, and I personally don’t mind that at all. Everything is smart when it works and stupid when it doesn’t, but results aside I appreciated him rolling the dice. Similar situation to Campbell, as he was looking for a spark with the Spiders trailing early. Now, with Laughlin out due to injury the prior week should we be running him on 4th & 11? Maybe not. If the distance to go is your objection I think that’s a fair counterpoint but overall Huesman leaning more aggressive is awesome in my eyes.

Oh and Aaron Trusler was great again, but you already knew that even if you didn’t watch. Four punts, 45 yards/punt, and two downed inside the 20.

Next Post

FCS Playoffs Round 2 – Albany Preview (Friday morning)