For the second straight season Richmond is on a 7-game winning streak. A gritty win for the Spiders, who fended off a Towson team that was much better than their record.

This game could be a huge building block for this group. We did a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong, yet never trailed against a quality opponent. This team showed they’re capable of playing a complete game and if we can cleanup our execution in a few areas we may end up hitting our stride at the perfect time.

Drives

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

Offense

69 snaps | 11 drives – 5 FGs (46%), 3 punts (27%), 2 TDs (18%), 1 turnover on downs (9%)

A solid day for the UR offense, who once again played well but left a lot out there. It’s fun to keep analyzing games by “how much more we could’ve won by,” as it not only means that we’re winning but also showing further potential.

Cam Coleman – Coleman is now 10-0 as a starter in his Richmond career. Tremendous start to his collegiate career. Another solid box score for #14 but it doesn’t tell the full story:

On one hand, he probably should’ve thrown two redzone interceptions. He had DeGennaro open on a nice snag & go but overthrew #11 and was fortunate the safety dropped it. Late in the 1st half, he locked onto Ellis and was nearly picked by a defender coming across the field. They threw a variety of looks at Coleman and we have to remember that he’s still just a sophomore that semi-redshirted last season. Good defenses will do that to a young QB, but he battled back well after those near mishaps.

On the other side, DeGennaro has a 75-yard TD on a beautiful double move if Towson doesn’t commit pass interference. Ball was in a great spot and it would’ve been an easy TD. Add in Garcia Jr. dropping a wide open 40-yard TD on a perfect pass the next drive, and there are some positive throws that won’t show in the numbers either.

I really liked his pocket presence and mobility on Saturday. Eluded a few rushers, showed an ability to create on the edge, and had a couple of completions on the move. That continues to be an element of his game that adds another level to our offense, with Coleman adding another rush of 25+ yards to his total. I didn’t love him favoring his left shoulder in the 2nd half, which likely contributed to us running the ball more.

Run/pass balance – The play selection didn’t mirror what had made us so successful the past few weeks. Here’s the play selection by down:

• 1st down: 27 plays – 18 run, 9 pass
• 2nd down: 25 plays – 15 run, 10 pass
• 3rd down: 16 plays – 10 run, 6 pass

The 60-65% of runs on 1st and 2nd down was higher than I was expecting. Our best games this season are when we hover around the 50-55% mark, and the increased rushing was surprising given we ran for just 2.7 YPC. I do think Coleman not looking 100% factors in here, but also where we started drives. Eight of our 11 drives started with extreme field position, as the Spiders were either backed up or in plus territory more often than not.

Field position – A wild field position day for the offense. Richmond started four drives in Towson territory, but also four inside our own 15-yard line. There will be plenty of discussion about our failures with great field position, but what the offense did when backed up won the Spiders this game.

Every single time we were backed up we didn’t just flip the field, we put points on the board. Towson had plenty of opportunities to keep the game in our half of the field, but the UR offense stepped up all four times. That game looks a lot different if the offense doesn’t do a fantastic job of getting out of the shadow of our own endzone. They deserve a lot of credit for avoiding our defense being put in some tough spots.

Red zone – And then there are the drives that started in plus territory.

We controlled the game by consistently moving the ball out of our own territory, but we failed to put the game away by not scoring touchdowns on these drives. Three drives STARTED in the redzone – zero TDs. Seven redzone trips on the day, only two TDs. One drive it was penalties that killed us, another a failed trick play.

Ultimately it was our inability to run it when we needed to. Richmond running backs averaged just 2 YPC in the redzone (7 carries, 14 yds), leading to the Spiders going just 1/6 on 3rd down in those spots. I loved Coach October’s play calling that utilized throwback screens, tunnel screens, and getting Ellis in the flat, as for me this was simply about UR not executing at a high enough level.

Wide receivers – Nine targets for DeGennaro, who would’ve had a much bigger day without the Towson PI and a couple missed redzone chances. Ellis and Garcia Jr. accounted for most of the numbers, with Jerry recording his first 100+ yard game of the season. Ellis was about a foot away from a three-touchdown day, as the trio did a great job with Ja’Vion Griffin still out.

Defense

63 snaps | 11 drives – 5 turnovers [2 on downs] (46%), 3 TDs (27%), 2 punts (18%), 1 FG (9%) *I’m not counting Towson’s final play in this*

Jabril Hayes – Towson trailed by 5 entering the 4th quarter with all the momentum. They had just turned us over on downs and converted a big 3rd down on the final play of the 3rd quarter. 18 seconds later and everything changed, with our senior captain taking an interception 90 yards to the house, giving UR a two-score lead, and reenergizing the UR sideline for the final 15 minutes. That’s Hayes’ third pick-6 of his career and second this season. Between ankle and shoulder injuries it was already taking a lot for Hayes to be out there, but he stepped up in a huge moment to flip the game back in our direction.

Defensive line – Truthfully the entire recap should be solely dedicated to our front-4. What those guys did over the weekend was insane. The Towson coach gave them the ultimate compliment by comparing them to North Dakota State’s D-line and they sure didn’t disappoint. Jeremiah Grant’s three sack, multi-turnover performance won his CAA Defensive Player of the Week, however this was truly a group effort.

Seven sacks across the board, with all four starters tallying at least one sack. Both of Grant’s forced fumbles directly led to points, and our two DTs totaling 2.5 sacks and QB hurry was a huge boost. The pressure came from all directions, as they stunted well in passing situations and put us in a spot where we didn’t need to blitz too often. Arguably just as impressive was how they collectively got stronger as the game went along.

I’ve spent plenty of time discussing how thin we are and how that could be a huge disadvantage throughout November, but these guys found a new gear with each quarter. Towson’s rushing numbers and pass protection continued to fade throughout the game, a huge testament to our strength and conditioning. I can’t say enough about how incredible these four Spiders played.

Wayne Galloway – Galloway was the Spiders’ leading tackler again, his third time achieving that in our five CAA contests. He was excellent in run support inside and had a huge hit for a 4th down stop. Another Spider captain that had a great day on defense.

Personnel – True freshman Braxton Lassiter was the third DT used, his second game of the season. We’ll definitely keep him at four regular season games max but it’s nice that we’ve found another option to support the D-line.

Our safety depth was tested once again. Once Hayes left for a few drives and Traynor got knocked out, it was up to true freshman Amir Haskett to play alongside Jordan Allen. I definitely would not have guessed we’d see that safety combination this season. I’m hopeful Traynor is full go next week after an initially scary injury.

Special Teams

Plenty of high & lows in the third phase of the game. The bad starts with kickoff return, as Garcia Jr. had problems fielding multiple kickoffs. I mentioned the penalties that forced us to start multiple drives inside the 10, and Towson really took our early 3rd quarter momentum with the successful fake punt. Lots to cleanup.

The highs were even higher though, with Sean O’Haire scoring 17 points in multiple clutch moments. #36 came in after Peskin missed the first PAT and was perfect on the day, including three 2nd half field goals. The true freshman is now 6/6 on the season and I expect to see more of him in the coming weeks.

We also can’t forget Aaron Trusler. His 67-yard punt pinned Towson deep and setup the offense for a field goal after the defense forced an immediate fumble. Grant/Hayes will get credit for the forced turnover but give Trusler the assist on those 3 points.

CAA/FCS update

No change in the CAA standings. Rhode Island, Villanova, and Stony Brook all survived over the weekend, with the Rhody/Delaware matchup next week having huge implications for Richmond.

Across the FCS, #7 Tarleton State, #11 Central Arkansas, and #15 North Dakota all lost so we’ll see the Spiders jump a few spots this week. I’ll spend some time looking at playoff scenarios in the Campbell preview. Richmond must go 10-2 to qualify for a first-round bye, however we still need some help.

Next Post

Game 10 – 2024: Campbell preview – Friday, November 8th