Another tricky non-conference opponent comes to Robins Stadium, with Charleston Southern looking for a second upset in as many weeks.

Charleston Southern Buccaneers

Another improved 2024 squad, the Buccaneers enter at 1-1 with narrow loss to The Citadel in week 1 and an upset road win over Furman last weekend. The Bucs were picked 6th in the Big South-OVC joint conference, so until two weeks ago this was supposed to be a straightforward non-conference home game. They’re an interesting team that will match up well in a few areas, but this is all about how the Spiders respond.

0-2 start

“I’m tired of being in this position, but the situation is what it is.”

That’s a quote from captain linebacker Wayne Galloway after the Wofford game. Should we be in this spot? Of course not, but there’s no changing reality and no one knows this better than this group. Richmond begins another steep but not completely unrealistic climb from the bottom, and if this team can find some sense of momentum to hold on to it really feels like they can gather themselves before CAA play.

Betting

Line will open around Richmond -13, with a total of roughly 47. Projected score is 30-17 Spiders, which makes sense but is also crazy at the same time. Hard to see us scoring 30 based on the first two weeks, but I’d like to imagine things click at some point. Feels like plenty of people will like Charleston Southern getting nearly two TDs.

Spiders on Offense

An opportunistic Buccaneers’ defense has been an early bright spot for Charleston Southern. Allowing just 21 PPG to open the season, this group has been solid up front and is winning the turnover battle. This is another game where so much of the attention will be paid to our own unit, rather than the opposing defense. Yes, this defense could give the Spiders some trouble, but for now our concerns remain centered around personnel usage and gameplan.

What I’m watching for

What is this team’s identity? – What are the Spiders trying to be in 2024? Is this a team that controls clock, puts the QB in manageable passing spots, and leans on a trio of backs (plus a power QB), or is this a team that spreads the ball around to a plethora of weapons and tries to do what many FCS teams can’t?

During spring practice and fall camp I thought we were the latter. A fully healthy WR room highlights four established options, not including a key transfer addition at the tight end spot. Throw in Wickersham & Coleman battling it out each week and this team was poised to have a veteran passing attack come September.

The first two games have obviously swung in the opposite direction – early down rushing, short-range passing, and almost a sense of taking the ball out of our QB’s hands. I won’t argue with leaning on the interior of this offensive line or giving guys like Aziz Foster-Powell the chance to wear teams down, however there’s plenty of times where we seem afraid of leaving our “run-first shell.”

Go back to the start of the 2nd quarter last weekend. Richmond has it 3rd & Goal from the 6 yard-line. We bring in an extra O-lineman, run it up the middle for two yards, and settle for a field goal. Running the A-gap on 3rd & Goal from that far out is no longer playing towards a strength, that’s playing away from your quarterback. Which is fascinating, because Wickersham threw ZERO redzone interceptions last season. Trust your QB to make the correct decision in a big spot, and at least give yourself a chance at an early two-score lead.

It was a similar style on 2nd & shorts – Richmond faced 2nd & 3 or less three times with Wickersham in the game. Two runs, one WR screen. 2nd & short is a classic take-a-shot down, especially if you’re confident in running on 3rd & short. We converted both runs for 1st downs, but for an offense looking for a spark those are great chances to stretch the field with not much downside. A spark won’t just happen, we have to go create it, and between being shy in both the redzone and 2nd & short there wasn’t much sign of a fire.

The Spiders don’t need to come out and throw the ball 50 times tomorrow to show a change in attitude. Doing a better job of picking spots and looking for chances to expand this offense will go a long way to finding our balance.

Battle up front – I’m not expecting running to be easy tomorrow. Charleston Southern allowed only 2.7 yards/carry against Furman, and 3.9 YPC against a run focused Citadel offense. The Spiders RB trio is averaging less than 4 YPC, so that may help us be willing to throw the ball more. Through two games, the Bucs forced five sacks, 10 TFLs, and six QB hurries. Our protection has been a bright spot in each game so far and seeing that continue against a solid front-7 would be a big positive to build on as CAA pay approaches. This O-line has been too good for us to have zero passing TDs so far this season, so I’m hoping they put together another strong performance and this passing attack capitalizes on it.

Lack of YAC – If some tough sledding in the trenches contributes to us throwing it more on 1st down, look for the UR receivers to find more space to create. Through two games, Richmond only has 81 yards after catch (YAC). We had over 1,400 YAC in 2023 (109 yards/game), so we’ve got to get these numbers up. DeGennaro is too good in space, as is Garcia Jr., for us to not be tacking on yardage after the catch. Finding space for our playmakers earlier in drives could help Wickersham settle in after an uncomfortable Wofford game, and it should yield our first (at least) passing TD of the year.

Spiders on Defense

The Buccaneer offense has a lot of William & Mary vibes to it, which I don’t love. Plenty of pre-snap motions, some options wrinkles, and a lot of window dressing to confuse defenses. Similar to Wofford, they’re led by a new QB that’s helping change things drastically this season. Their offense only scored 16 PPG in 2023, and while 22.5 isn’t a crazy jump so far in 2024, it’s clear they’ve taken some big steps towards being an offense that can string multiple scoring drives together. Plenty of focus will be on the UR offense tomorrow but this defense has a solid test as well.

What I’m watching for

Defensive discipline – This offense is going to try and isolate one-on-one matchups in space, whether that’s tackling situations out wide or receivers matched up solo on a safety. Rob McCoy isn’t a quarterback that’s going to win games purely with his arm, but he can make the necessary throws to hurt teams through the air. Another new QB that has revitalized an offense, as McCoy transferred over from Sacred Heart for his final season.

We’ll see some triple option looks and a variety of swings/screens. The UR defense will need to be sound in understanding their assignments and communicate throughout the game. Option defense starts with staying disciplined to your role, so communication and solid tackling will be paramount for Richmond to maintain their high level of defensive play.

Defensive Ends – I think everyone saw that Donovan Hoilette suffered a season ending injury in the Wofford game. A big blow to our pass rush and overall defensive end rotations for the season. Cam Byrd now steps into the #2 role, and while his play will need to continue to develop as a full-time starter, how Coach Wood handles the #3 and #4 spots will be interesting to watch.

When it was Jeremiah Grant and Donovan Hoilette as the starters, Richmond had two veteran players. Now, the experience drops off:

• Cam Byrd – 273 career snaps
• Zion Bryson – 50 career snaps
• Thaos Figaro – 15 career snaps

Byrd getting some good run last year ends up being more critical than we thought, as this is an inexperienced group on the edge. It’s also difficult timing because Charleston Southern runs wide quite often.

Facing an option offense not only puts pressure on this group to make quick decisions, but the Buccaneers already run towards the edges much more than we’ve seen. Per the PFF data above, over 50% of their rushes through two games are outside the tackles, meaning our edge defenders have a lot of work ahead of them. We’ll still need the trio of Stocklinski/Fitz/Baldwin inside to play well, but how these young DEs do could be the deciding factor on how well our defense plays.

Linebacker pressures – Two games in and Richmond isn’t blitzing the linebackers like we did in 2023. Between Wheeler and the Mike linebacker, UR was averaging anywhere from 6-8 linebacker pass rushes a game in 2023. So far in 2024, that number is less than half. Two games isn’t enough to draw any conclusions, and a lot of this could just be based on opponent, however I’d expect this to increase in the coming weeks. We saw Galloway pick up a sack in the endzone against Wofford, and with less experienced defensive ends in the rotation I’m curious if Coach Wood turns to his linebackers for some pass rushing support.

Special Teams

Solid special teams from the Buccaneers so far. They average over 46 yards/punt and don’t allow many kickoff returns, with five touchbacks in just two games. Not likely we see DeGennaro/Garica Jr. get a chance in this phase, although I’m not anticipating either return unit to play much of a role. Charleston Southern hasn’t done much in punt/kickoff returns, averaging just 20 yards/kickoff return and no punt returns. They are only 1/3 on field goal attempts for the season, so if there’s one area we have a clear advantage it should be the kicking game.

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Game 3 – 2024: Charleston Southern recap – Monday, September 16th