Richmond needed to get a W on the board and we did just that. This will be a quick recap because there wasn’t much to learn over the weekend. Not the game I was expecting to see however the Spiders began their climb out of the 0-2 hole.

Drives

Offense

64 snaps | 9 drives – 4 TDs (45%), 4 punts (45%), 1 FG (10%)

The game was never in doubt, which led the Spiders to running it on 76% of plays. The good news is that we pushed Charleston Southern around for 60 minutes, however if you were looking to see this offense take things to another level you’ll have to wait another week.

Offensive line – I thought the Buccaneers could provide some resistance but our O-line proved that wrong, having no trouble controlling things up front. 200+ rushing yards, 5.8 yards/carry, zero sacks and QB hurries allowed, and only six total TFLs on the day for Charleston Southern. Their D-line played well in the opening two games but that was just a superior UR O-line on Saturday. We opened up some nice holes for Zach Palmer-Smith and true freshman Andrew King, playing in the place of Aziz Foster-Powell (suspended) and Jamaal Brown (injury). Really liking how our O-line is coming together as we approach CAA play.

1st half offense – Not much use in looking at the passing charts or 1st/3rd down offense since the game was so lopsided, as plenty of late game running skews the numbers. The 1st half was where I thought we might open things up in anticipation of what we’ll need for CAA play, but it didn’t happen. We called a nice reverse to get Jerry on the edge and more misdirection than we had seen, however it was still run heavy. Can’t argue with that when you’re getting nearly 6 yards/carry, but when we did throw it I was hoping we’d start to find more space.

Wickersham went 7/8 in the 1st half, so most importantly it was good to see him return to his normal form. Fit a few into some tight windows and protected the ball well. We only managed 42 yards on those eight 1st half attempts, with 17 yards coming via a pop-pass, so we weren’t finding open guys further downfield. A perfect ball to DeGennaro opened things up in the 2nd half, and it was nice to finally get a passing TD on the books. Wickersham hobbling around a little bit likely didn’t make us want to throw the ball too often so I’m glad those two connected for a TD before we turned things over to Snelsire.

Nick DeGennaro – Five catches, 71 yards, and our first receiving TD of the year. Had some nice receptions with defenders on him and burned his man in one-on-one coverage for the 39-yard TD. He’s averaging five catches/game so far, which I think we’ll need to increase as we enter October, but he continues to be the steady fixture of this UR offense. Add in his punt return yardage (49 yards on four returns) and there isn’t much he isn’t involved in. NFL scouts will love his ability to field & return punts, especially how comfortable he looks in the role. He’ll be the primary beneficiary of an expanding passing offense, so I’m sure there’s no one hoping we open it up more than #11.

Ashten Snelsire – Can’t wrap up the offense without mentioning Snelsire. 3/3 passing, including a fantastic throw to Garcia Jr. down the left sideline. Easy to forget that despite his pick-6 against Stony Brook last season, he led the Spiders back down for the field a few drives later for the game winning field goal. If that doesn’t happen, the magical 2023 run never gets off the ground. For all the talk about Wickersham & Coleman, it’s great to see our 3rd string QB has been working just as the hard the entire time and will be ready whether the Spiders need him for one play or an entire quarter.

Defense

51 snaps | 11 drives – 8 punts (73%), 3 turnovers (27%)

A shutout for the Spiders defense, who scored more points than they allowed this weekend. Three turnovers and forcing punts on 73% of drives doesn’t leave much doubt, as this group had no problems with the Buccaneers.

Rob McCoy – Richmond has depth at quarterback – Charleston Southern does not. McCoy went out after three drives and that was all she wrote for the Bucs. Backup Zolten Osborne was sacked three times, threw two INTs, and simply wasn’t able to run that offense to the same level. That was a completely different group than their first two weeks, as the creativity and option looks went out the door without McCoy. Don’t get me wrong, the UR front completely owned Charleston Southern’s O-line, but any real threat of a challenge was over without their starting QB.

Jeremiah Grant – It was an all-around solid showing from our D-line, allowing just one rush of 10+ yards all game, but seeing Grant step up with Hoilette gone was fun to watch. Two sacks, three TFLs, and contributed to plenty more disruption. Again, I don’t think that’s an opponent we can draw many conclusions from, but I liked seeing Grant get going early in the season.

Cornerback rotations – CJ Fraser made his first career start for the Spiders on Saturday. He and Tomlinson were the two corners, with Stocker coming off the bench. All three played a fair amount, and Stocker even snagged an INT, so it seems we’ve settled on playing these three moving forward. Kyree Richardson remains corner #4, however I’m guessing we’d really love to redshirt him. Similar to defensive line, we’ve developed three-man rotations at both corner and safety.

Matthew Traynor – I thought his hit on the opening drive energized the entire team and embodied just what Traynor brings to this unit. That was the most excited I’ve seen the sideline this year, and it really set the tone within the first few plays. Another game of seeing #7 fly around, and it’s nice to see him working into the lineup more and more. Hayes and Parker had their share of highlights, with Jabril adding another pick-6 to his resume, so it’s reassuring to see the Spiders with three established options at safety moving forward.

Special Teams

Trusler had a 27-yard punt that got caught up in the wind, however his 74-yard punt still netted him a 47 yards/punt average on the day. He continues to excel for the Spiders and completely flips the field at least once a game.

It was also cool to see true freshman Sean O’Haire make his first collegiate field goal attempt. Everyone got to see the big leg and it’s clear he’ll play a big role for this team in coming seasons. McManus/Peskin are doing well enough to allow us to redshirt O’Haire this season, but that was a great spot to use one of his four games to get actual game experience under his belt.

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Game 4 – 2024: Delaware State Preview – Friday, September 20th