Now the season truly gets going. Another not-so-straightforward home opener for the Spiders, with a renewed Terriers team making their first trip to Robins Stadium.

Wofford Terriers

The only prior meeting between the Spiders and the Terriers was the 2007 quarterfinal matchup in Spartanburg, SC. Richmond won 21-10 to advance to our first FCS semifinal and start what still is the best 3-year run in school history (’07 Semifinals, ’08 Champions, ’09 Quarterfinals). The Wofford back then ran the triple-option, whereas the Wofford of now has a young QB with a big arm.

The Terriers come in with a few extra days rest, playing their opening game last Thursday at Gardner-Webb. As slight road underdogs, they pulled out a 21-20 win and seized early momentum in 2024. They were 2-9 last season but played good football down the stretch, finishing with close games against Mercer and Western Carolina and ultimately with a win against Furman.

It’s our third straight season with a non-pushover home opener. St. Francis ended up making the playoffs in 2022, and while I won’t condone what happened against Morgan State they actually finished as a mid-level FCS team. Richmond will still be double digit favorites, but this isn’t a Jacksonville or Howard level opponent that we’ve had in the past.

Betting

Spiders will be two TD favorites, with a total around 46. That puts the projected score at 30-16. Likely the correct number for Wofford’s points, and while the spread may seem high after a lackluster opening weekend it makes sense. If this were week 7, I think people would jump on UR -14, however with our September struggles I understand any skepticism.

Spiders on Offense

For as bad as Wofford’s 2023 season was, their defense doesn’t deserve too much of the blame. 25 PPG allowed, decent in forcing turnovers, and solid in the redzone. Not the defense of a 9-2 team, but also not one destined for a 2-9 season.

Quite frankly, this isn’t about Wofford’s defense – this is about the UR offense. If tomorrow looks nothing like last weekend, we’ll all quickly write the UVA game off and move on. There’s too much talent at too many spots for us to play such a simplistic style, and I don’t think it will take us five or six weeks to realize that this season.

What I’m watching for

Match their intensity – Here are Coach Huesman’s comments days after the game:

“I want us to look like we’re having fun out there. Saturday almost looked like a job – that’s not what I want it to look like. I want excitement.”

Even Huesman acknowledged the Spiders coming out flat last weekend. We all know this team has struggled in September the past few seasons, so an uninspiring effort in week 1 didn’t do much to improve that sentiment. Wofford will undoubtedly come to Richmond with plenty of confidence, as a chance at two big non-conference road wins could drastically change their season outlook.

The Terriers played fearlessly last week, continually attacking downfield and even going for 2 after their opening TD. Wofford’s 2-point conversion ultimately won them the game and if you watch the replays of both games, you can see a clear difference in the level of intensity. I’m sure the extended lightning delay wasn’t easy for our team to sit through however the overall level of enthusiasm needs a big boost from week 1 to week 2.

I would love for the Spiders to hit the reset button and take the fight to Wofford from the first snap. When this team hit their groove last season it was driven by playing assertively and not letting our opponents dictate the game. It doesn’t mean playing reckless, or that everything necessarily goes well, but it does require playing with that excitement and joy Coach Huesman talked about.

Better passing distribution – Below are the receptions & targets for the UR receivers against UVA:

Matt Robbert was targeted over the middle for a 10-yard gain on our opening drive. After that – just one target, zero receptions. Jerry Garcia Jr. – 2 targets. Ja’Vion Griffin? Nothing.

Targets will never follow the “perfect pattern” every single week, but there are some big holes in week 1. I’ll never argue about DeGennaro getting the bulk, but Griffin/Garcia Jr./Robbert combining for four targets and two receptions can’t happen when you’re struggling to move the ball. Few teams will have as strong of a #1 receiver in DeGennaro along with such talented depth behind him, and any game we don’t take full advantage of that is to our detriment. If the Spiders do get the chance to open things up in the passing game, expect those three to play a much bigger role.

Can O-line assert themselves? – One game against an ACC team doesn’t change the goals for this group up front. How and when we run the ball will need to look different, but this is an opponent we should be consistently winning in the trenches against. Wofford was bottom half of the SoCon & FCS last season in run defense, allowing over 160 YPG.

They’ve also struggled to generate pressure, forcing just 17 sacks in 11 games last year. They sacked Gardner Webb twice and had six TFLs last weekend, which is a slight improvement but still nothing that should give us trouble. Richmond was bullied up front during September last season, this is a chance to be the bully this September.

The O-line rotations are something to keep an eye on. Left tackle showed Gray OR Carbajal in the UVA game notes – for Wofford, the game notes list Carbajal first and Gray second, with no “OR.” They split snaps in the opening game so I’m curious if we’ll see one take a stronger majority in game 2. Right guard is also worth watching, with Cade Salyers the clear starter but also likely easing his way back into things. Hummel took the first few drives against UVA so let’s see if Salyers is a full-go this week.

Spiders on Defense

It’s only one game, but Wofford might have their QB of the future. Redshirt freshman Amari Odom had a solid first start in a Terrier uniform and could be a fixture in turning this program around. After a 2023 season that saw Wofford average under 14 PPG and throw for a mere 124 YPG, Odom threw for 260 yards and scored 21 points. They only eclipsed the 20-point mark twice last season, so although a win over Gardner-Webb isn’t earth shattering it seems to be a pretty good indication this team is trending in the right direction.

What I’m watching for

Amari Odom – Odom had offers from UMass, East Carolina, UNLV, and Furman coming out of high school, but a torn ACL playing basketball ended with him landing at Wofford. Odom is a dual-threat QB that didn’t run a ton last week but can keep plays alive with his legs. Not something we’ve done a great job stopping in the past, so we’ll need to be disciplined in our rush lanes and see a better tackling effort from all 11 guys.

Odom came out firing to start the season – below is his passing chart against Gardner-Webb:

Nothing shy about Wofford’s opening game strategy. They threw it just as often as they ran it, took plenty of downfield shots, and really attacked in the intermediate passing game. This will be a solid test for our secondary, as I don’t anticipate them backing down from their pass heavy gameplan. Richmond should win the battle up front, so expect Wofford to try and win this game with big plays through the air.

Make them one dimensional – One area that seemingly hasn’t improved for the Terriers is their offensive line. Wofford allowed over 2.5 sacks/game last season and ran for only 3.5 yards/carry. Against Gardner-Webb they managed only 3.2 YPC, allowed three sacks, nine TFLs, and three QB hurries. A dream matchup early in the season for this UR D-line, and a strong effort by our front four would allow for more focus and support in coverage. If the Spiders can continually create disruption without blitzing it will be another long day for Wofford’s offense.

Continue 3rd down dominance – We picked up where we left off on 3rd down defense, holding UVA to 3/11. Richmond ranked 4th in the FCS last year in 3rd down defense, allowing conversions on just 29% of attempts. Sadly for Wofford, they were tied for 120th (second to last) in 2023, converting just 25% of all attempts.

The Terriers did show signs of life for 2024, going 6/15 against Gardner-Webb. Despite their average yards-to-gain being 3rd & 11, they converted six times, three of which were 10+ yards. Their willingness to continually attack downfield put them behind the sticks at times but also allowed them to convert some longer attempts. After seeing this defense allow big plays last weekend, we need to not only continue to win early downs, but also get off the field on 3rd down.

Special Teams

An uneventful Wofford special teams in 2023 had a very eventful opening week. They blocked a field goal, made two 45+ yard field goals, had a 45-yard punt return, and averaged 47 yards/punt. They did allow 40 yards/return in kickoff coverage, and while the good outweighs the bad it was an impactful week in the third phase of the game.

UR did allow multiple blocked kicks last season so that could be a troublesome spot, but I’m confident our punt team will keep return yards to a minimum. Seeing Wofford struggle in kickoff coverage is most exciting as we didn’t really get to see what Jerry Garcia Jr. could do in this role. Between his role in the offense and our KOR unit, I’m hoping #4 has his first big game of the season tomorrow.

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Game 2 – 2024: Wofford recap – Monday, September 9th