Football in September is great but getting started in August is even better. Richmond opens the 2024 campaign with our annual FBS money grab, facing off against ACC member UVA.

Virginia Cavaliers

It’s been a rough two years for Virginia on the football field. Head Coach Tony Elliott is 6-16 in his first two seasons and enters 2024 on the hot seat. Plenty of analysts/fans think he could be coaching for his job this year, and whether or not they’re right it means we should expect a fired-up UVA squad to open the season.

The Cavaliers went through a QB battle of their own. Tony Muskett (transfer from Monmouth last year) lost to true sophomore Anthony Colandrea. Colandrea was called upon once Muskett went down early in 2023 and brought another level to this UVA offense. He’ll now run the show full time, with plenty of optimism building from UVA fans that they have their QB of the future.

In a match-up of teams in conferences that are way too big, Virginia was picked 16th out of 17th in the ACC. This is a fantastic opportunity to find momentum early in the season, as the Cavs are by no means a daunting opponent. UVA is vulnerable on both lines yet should challenge our secondary. Plenty to learn this weekend in Charlottesville.

Betting

Line looks to be UVA -19 with a total near 51, for a projected score of 35-16. Pretty fair on paper, however I wouldn’t be shocked to see this drop near or below -17. Plenty of people will like a solid FCS squad getting 3 scores against a bleak Virginia team, and rightfully so.

Spiders on Offense

UVA has announced their starting QB however the Spiders are keeping things quiet. The question on everyone’s mind was addressed by Coach Huesman during the weekly CAA call on Monday:

“I think you go with one and see how things are going. There’s not going to be a plan to say… ‘second quarter this guy comes in.’ It’s probably not going to be along those lines.”

His comments after Wednesday’s practice were along the same lines, but a little more open:

“I think… they’re both going to play this year. How that unfolds, we’ll see. At some point in time, both of them are going to be in the lineup [not together].”

He squashed my prediction that this battle would continue throughout non-conference but kept the door open for still getting to see both in action. Now, this could all be media gamesmanship ahead of week 1, which is fine. It isn’t crazy to assume we’ll see both in some capacity in 2024, but it feels like they want to pick one QB and stick with him.

If they do settle on one QB, good on the staff for not only sticking with their original timeline but also being decisive in their choice. Although the fan in me wanted to see both during the first few weeks, from a coaches and players perspective it makes a lot of sense to lock in your QB1. They made it clear that this wasn’t an easy call and based on how both played during fall camp I’m expecting the operation to look smooth from the first snap.

I’ll stick with what I said last week – Kyle Wickersham should get the start. His consistency can’t be overstated and if it is #16, I’m excited to see what he does in a much more manageable FBS matchup. Michigan State was overwhelming last year, so this is Wickersham’s first chance in a more balanced FBS showdown.

What I’m watching for

Running backs – The most unknown position group entering week 1. Not only have we not seen these guys in game action, the expected snap counts are up in the air as well. It felt like Jamaal Brown and Zachary Palmer-Smith would get the lion’s share of the carries, however Aziz Foster-Powell came on so strong during camp I think we may see him just as much. All three are listed on this week’s depth chart. Coach Huesman said at the Alumni breakfast Foster-Powell weighs around 230 lbs. – at 5′ 9″, he’s a bowling ball yet excels in catching the ball out of the backfield. With three nice options at RB, I’m very curious how they’re used in the opening game.

Offensive line – Such a good first opponent for this 2024 group up front. Any FBS opponent is a difficult task, however this UVA front really struggled last year.

Per PFF, Virginia had the lowest-graded defensive line out all Power-4 teams last year. Allowing more than 5 yards/carry while only managing 11 sacks the entire season, the UVA D-line was a big letdown, yet they didn’t land any transfer portal additions for help. No doubt they’ve improved during the offseason, but an experienced UR O-line should be able to win inside.

It’s Cade Salyers’ first game back from his season ending 2023 injury, as well as Trey Gray’s first start at left tackle. Normally I’d like a lesser FCS game before the FBS matchup, but as you can imagine Morgan State changed my mind on that. UVA will provide a high-level test, but not an unreasonable one. This group has a chance to go out against a Power-4 team and establish the new level of physicality they’ve been aiming for all offseason. Anxious to see how ready Coach Kennedy’s group is in his first game as a UR coach.

Fast start – Richmond has not been a fast-starting team in recent years, however we’ve had some quick starts against Virginia. In the last four matchups UR has scored FIRST in each game, in a variety of ways.

Easy to remember the 13-0 lead in 2016 enroute to a 37-20 victory over the Cavs, however four straight games of scoring first against an FBS foe is worth mentioning. Would be cool to see the Spiders make it five straight tomorrow.

Spiders on Defense

The UR defense will face a tricky matchup in week 1. On one hand, the UVA O-line is vulnerable (more on that later). On the other hand, they’ve chosen the better passing QB in Colandrea, which will be a huge test for this secondary.

Colandrea played 7 games last season with significant snaps. He averaged 278 yards/game and a 64% completion rate, while tallying 13 TDs and 9 INTs. He had his fair share of wild throws but definitely offered a higher ceiling for the UVA offense. His decision making improved with experience – of those nine INTs, six came in his first three games, while he only threw three in his last four games.

The Cavaliers were active in the portal on the offensive side, adding tight ends from Clemson and Harvard, along with receivers from Notre Dame, UNC, and Kent State. Between Colandrea’s ability to work the ball downfield and an enhanced group of skill players, this UVA passing attack could be even more dangerous in 2024.

What I’m watching for

Secondary personnel – Here’s the two-deep released for the secondary:

I said in the defensive back preview that this was our youngest group, and here they are – that’s a redshirt freshman or true freshman at every reserve spot. We would’ve seen Amir Haskett on here (another true freshman), however he’s currently out with an injury. Will be very interesting to see how many snaps these guys get, especially the two true freshmen. I’m incredibly high on Traynor’s ability, and we’ll see him in the 4-2-5, however it’s a lot of unknowns outside of the starting four. A solid ACC quarterback will be a good benchmark early on for our starters and should reveal which younger Spiders can play themselves into the rotation.

Keep the pressure high – Most headlines involving UVA’s 2023 season are centered around atrocious O-line play. The Cavaliers were 123rd (out of 130) in sacks allowed at over 3.5/game, plus they ran the ball poorly (just over 3 yards/carry). They’ll hang their hat on the cohesion of returning all five starters from the end of 2023, however this is still a group that allowed 4+ sacks in seven out of 12 games – a mark this UR defense hit five times. This Spider D-line is experienced enough, and deep enough, to win this matchup.

If the Spiders can cause disruption in the backfield, it will not only limit UVA’s ability to play to their strengths, but it will also allow our secondary some reprieve. Not being pushed around by an ACC school in the trenches would send a strong message, and matching their physicality throughout the game will make for a nervous crowd in Charlottesville.

Turnovers – Richmond has forced five turnovers in our last three FBS matchups, including an INT and a fumble recovery against UVA in ’22. This defense forced 26 turnovers in 13 games last season, good for 2nd in the CAA. If you want to steal momentum on the road against an FBS foe, forcing a few turnovers will do just that. Richmond needs this opportunistic defense to step up tomorrow and find a way to put UVA on their heels.

Special Teams

Virginia has Daniel Sparks returning to handle both punts and kickoffs. Looking at their 2023 numbers, UVA allowed the most kickoff return yardage in the ACC. With an improved UR unit in this area last year this could be a spot we find success in once again. I love seeing Jerry Garcia Jr. back deep for the Spiders and I wouldn’t be surprised if he found yet another way to provide a spark.

On the other side, local product Chris Tyree (5-star recruit at Thomas Dale) transfers in from Notre Dame for his final season. An explosive returner, Tyree returned both a punt and kick for a TD during his time in South Bend. He’ll put our KOC & punt units to the test and should give us a great idea of where things stand early on.

FCS Preview

Included again in 2024 is the weekly FCS preview, written by a fellow Spider

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UVA Recap – Monday, September 2nd