Our first conference matchup against our newest rival (based on proximity) has the Spiders in DC looking to keep our November record rolling. Richmond is looking for win #6 and to get our Patriot League record back to .500.

Georgetown Hoyas

Georgetown hasn’t had a winning season since 2011. Their best Patriot League finish the past decade is 4-2, as the Hoyas have never qualified for the FCS playoffs. Sitting at 5-4 they won’t again this year but they do have a real shot to snap their streak of losing seasons. A fast start was derailed after an injury to their starting quarterback, leading their offense to struggle the past month. Like the Spiders, the Hoyas have been in multiple one-possession Patriot League battles. The Spiders’ talent should exceed Georgetown’s but we need to see a game where all three phases click. If the offense can get going and the special teams return to their usual form, this should be a game that UR controls.

Odds

As of this morning the line is Richmond -4.5, with a total of 45.5. Projected score is Spiders 25-21.

Spiders on Offense

It still feels like hitting 28 points is the next step for this offense. By no means a lofty goal but we need another 4+ touchdown game. The Hoyas allow roughly 28 PPG so there’s no reason we can’t string a handful of scoring drives together. Overall the Georgetown defense has been fine but not great. They’re more susceptible against the pass than the run so how assertive the UR offense looks will likely dictate how this game plays out.

Running backs – What started as a fairly balanced running back room has shifted heavily towards Foster-Powell.

King’s role as the third option remains consistent but the once even split between Jamaal and Aziz is no longer. Nearly 70% of carries are going to #3 in recent weeks, with Foster-Powell averaging over 5 YPC the past two games. Unsurprisingly, our rushing direction has shifted with Aziz getting more touches.

When Jamaal Brown got a good chunk of his carries our yardage outside the tackles took off, tallying over 400 yards at 7.5 YPC in three-game stretch. In the three games since we’ve totaled just 140 yards outside the tackles. This isn’t a knock against Aziz, it’s just interesting an offense that clearly wants to get horizontal (via swings/screens) has gotten away from our outside running game at the same time. Interested to see if things balance themselves out or if we stay A/B gap focused to close the year.

Offensive line – The UR O-line has done well in pass protection recently. The first four games we allowed multiple sacks three times, yet in the last five we’ve only allowed five sacks total. Gabe Carbajal’s return has definitely helped, along with Ron Anderson and Jason Smith continuing to gain experience. The Hoya D-line has not been good at generating pressure. 14 sacks on the season isn’t great, with only five sacks the last six weeks (they were held without a sack against teams like Brown, Columbia, Morgan St). If our offense wants to take more shots downfield we should absolutely have the time to.

Play-action passing – I think involving more play-action passing, something we had success with in the middle part of the season, could help this offense get on track.

Nearly 40% of passing plays were off of play action in late September/early October, helping our offense get more vertical and resulting in our highest yards/attempt (and that even includes the abysmal Howard game). The past two games we haven’t utilized this as much and our yards/attempt dropped down to early season levels. The low yards/attempt, mostly due to passes behind or near the line of scrimmage, is a big reason why we’re often behind the sticks. With an RB1 that is running well, using more play-action could draw the defense in and help our playmakers stretch the field.

Spiders on Defense

Things really changed after Georgetown lost their quarterback, Danny Lauter. In the three games he started the Hoyas averaged 39 points and 447 yards of offense. In the six games since his injury, they’re averaging 14 points and 289 yards, including two shutouts. This is another opponent where the UR defense is simply better.

Secondary – The UR secondary continues to fly under the radar in 2025. We’ve played some run heavy opponents however Bucknell, Colgate, and Fordham all entered with above average passing games. With Geronomi and Fraser cemented at corner plus Allen and Bruner IV at safety, our secondary ranks among the best in the FCS.

Allowing under 160 passing yards is excellent but the yards/attempt and yards/comp really stand out to me. The Spiders are forcing a ton of incompletions/interceptions – being #1 in the nation in an area that hasn’t typically been our strong point is no small task. The low yards/completion number shows we’re limiting chunk plays, a big testament to the growth of this young secondary. Still with zero seniors starting, 2025 is turning out to be a huge building block for the backend of our defense.

Jimmy Kibble – Our secondary will have to deal with the Patriot League’s leading receiver, Jimmy Kibble. #13 is a massive part of Georgetown’s offense. He gets 32% of all WR targets and has 46% of their receiving yards. His 91 yards/game and three TDs have been the brightest spot of a bleak Hoya offense. Kibble has done even better in recent weeks despite the QB change, averaging 116 yards/game in their last four contests. I’ve talked about Tayshaun Burney shutting down slot receivers but Kibble lines up wide 90% of the time. Excited to see how Geronomi and Fraser do against the best the Patriot League has to offer.

3rd down – Getting off the field on 3rd down remains one of the few areas we haven’t been as good in. For as consistent as our defense has been the past five years, 3rd down remains one of our weaker spots.

Outside of the top 50 for the second straight season, it’s been interesting to see the Spiders slightly lagging behind in this key area. Most categories we’re top 25 in, so I’m curious if we can get back inside the top 50 by the end of the year. Georgetown is solid on 3rd down, converting 44% of attempts (33rd in FCS).

Defensive line – Huge advantage upfront for the second straight week. After dominating the Fordham O-line we’ll face another opponent that has struggled to protect the QB. 31 sacks allowed by the Hoyas ranks 124th in the FCS (3rd to last), so expect plenty of opportunities for our DEs to cause disruption on the edges. Georgetown has run the ball well (148 YPG) thanks to transfer RB Savion Hart, but if we can win the early downs it should be another pressure-filled day when the Hoyas drop back to pass.

Special Teams

Need to see a bounce back from the Spiders in the third phase.

Georgetown is just outside the top 25 in kickoff coverage, a good challenge for our return unit. Isaiah Dawson hasn’t had a return of 30+ yards since Bucknell. The Hoyas struggle returning kickoffs (102nd in FCS), a good spot for our KOC unit to return to normal form after allowing a big return last week.

Blocked kicks are all the talk after Fordham and Georgetown has been involved in their fair share. The Hoyas have blocked two kicks but allowed three of their own. Plenty to watch for both kicking operations.

Our punt unit looks to finish the year strong – Richmond has allowed just 28 punt return yards, the 9th fewest in the FCS. Remove our FBS game and that number drops to six. Gray continues to get great hangtime and our protection/coverage remains solid.

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Game 10 – 2025: Georgetown recap – Monday, November 10th