Richmond has to end its season-opening FCS struggles and start 2026 strong with a Patriot League win against the Bucknell Bison.

Bucknell Bison

Bucknell enters 2026 under new head coach Jeff Behrman, looking to get the Bison their first winning season since 2014. Behrman comes from Division III John Carroll, where he went 29–7 in three seasons, including a 12–2 record, conference championship and NCAA semifinal appearance in 2025. He’s known for efficient offenses, so while the Bison did lose star quarterback Ralph Rucker IV, I’m sure our defense will still have a challenge on their hands.

Odds

Some models have this as high as 14 but Vegas opened with the Spiders as 10.5-point favorites. The total is 48.5 for a projected score of Richmond 30, Bucknell 19.

Two-Deep

Nothing too surprising on the opening two-deep. Neither Carter Glassmyer nor Jordan Allen is listed. Hopefully we’ll see them late September/early October. Until then, Devin Geronomi (Strong Safety) and Quintin McCray (SAM linebacker) get the nod.

We do list Quanye Veney AND Jaiden Fair as starters. Both worked in the slot for most of camp, with Veney working some on the outside, so I’m interested to see how often they’re on the field together. At safety, nice to see Brendan Laughlin work his way onto the two-deep. You’ll notice both Geronomis on here, as it would be cool to see them play alongside each other in Caleb’s first game.

Spiders on Offense

Bucknell was horrible on defense in 2025. Allowing 34 PPG and 442 YPG, they stopped no one and we had nearly 500 yards of offense. I’m sure new DC Jeffrey Long Jr. can find some improvement but my mind is entirely focused on the UR offense and our approach. Our offense has scored just four total touchdowns in our season-opening FCS game over the past three seasons (Morgan State, Wofford, Lehigh). Unsurprisingly we’re 0-3 in that stretch, with hopefully some better answers on the horizon regarding our scheme and how certain players will be used.

Aziz Foster-Powell – So much attention was focused on Snelsire’s first start of 2025, and the resurgence of our passing game, that our rushing success against Bucknell was quickly forgotten. Foster-Powell ran for 108 yards on just eight carries, with three runs going for 20+ yards. For a team that was too run-heavy early in the year, we seemingly forgot about Aziz during one of his best games. I doubt that repeats itself with #3 set to get the lion’s share of touches tomorrow. Yes, we want (need) to see this offense develop the passing game. At the same time, there’s a reason the Bison gave up 200+ yards/game on the ground last season. We can’t forget about our All-Patriot League running back in this matchup.

Ashten Snelsire – There are two things I’ll be tracking with Ashten this season (I’ll save any potential rants on the passing chart for the game recap). First is playing more complete games. Last year’s QB rotation was a mess, so most of this isn’t his fault. The Bucknell game, however, is a great example of needing 60 minutes of solid football. Despite touchdowns on our opening three drives, the UR offense managed just seven points in our final six possessions (including three interceptions). You can even expand this to finishing drives — seven of our nine possessions went for 50 or more yards, yet four of those finished without points. Now with plenty of game experience and a full preseason under his belt as QB1, this feels like the next step for Ashten. Whether it’s completing more drives or playing more complete games, I want to see Snelsire maintain those flashes for 60 minutes.

Second is QB runs. I understand Kyle Wickersham was built like a defensive lineman, but Ashten Snelsire ain’t a cornerback. Listed at 6’3″, 233 lbs. on the team site, #18 is no small task to tackle. We didn’t shy away from that either — in the two games that Ashten started AND finished (Bucknell and Colgate), he had 10 and 11 rushing attempts, respectively. Coach Huesman hinted at using this more selectively (3rd & short, goal line) rather than on 1st & 10, but I imagine this is something we’ll all have our eye on in the early games.

Redzone – If you forgot how poor our redzone offense was last season, let me remind you. 111th in the FCS in redzone scoring (74%), 93rd in the FCS in redzone touchdowns (55%), and 0/4 in the loss to Bucknell. Not much analysis needed here — you aren’t going to win many games failing to score in the redzone on four trips. The Spiders worked on this plenty throughout camp and need 2026 to be the year we make big strides in the red area.

Spiders on Defense

What D-III John Carroll did on offense with Jeff Behrman at the helm was nothing short of surgical. They completed over 77% of passes (best in D-III), ranked #6 in redzone offense, ranked #4 in 3rd-down efficiency, and scored nearly 40 PPG. He’ll bring that balance and efficiency to Bucknell, which has plenty of weapons at receiver to put up points.

Get off the field – Our 3rd-down efficiency on defense hasn’t been as good the past two seasons. In 2022 & 2023 we ranked in the top 25 of all FCS schools; in 2024 & 2025 we’ve been closer to the middle of the pack. This really stands out in our losses, particularly against Bucknell last season. The Bison went 9/16 on 3rd down, holding the ball for nearly 36 minutes. In their nine possessions, six totaled eight or more plays, with five drives gaining 60+ yards. Looking at the drive chart below, you can see how consistently they were able to move the ball for big yardage against our defense.

We simply couldn’t get a stop and it led to Bucknell running nearly 80 plays. Having just highlighted how Jeff Behrman-led offenses are known for staying on schedule, we cannot have this year’s game look anything like 2025. Whether it’s negative plays on early downs or getting stops on critical 3rd downs, the UR defense must dictate the game better.

Sam Milligan & TJ Cadden – Sam Milligan gets all of the press, and rightfully so. He torched us for 133 yards last year, on his way to a 2nd-team All-Patriot honor. Now back for his senior season, the preseason 1st-team All-Patriot WR will be a tall task for our new corners. Both starting corners (Jeremiah Washington & Kyree Richardson) are listed at 5’10”, so we’ll see how they do against the big-bodied Milligan (6’3″, 220 lbs.) Just as interesting, and important, is slowing down TJ Cadden. Cadden lines up in the slot 97% of the time and totaled nearly 700 yards and six TDs in 2025. However, he was neutralized by star nickelback Tayshaun Burney, recording just four catches for 25 yards. We obviously need to slow down Milligan more than we did, but if Burney can keep Cadden at bay it will really help out our secondary.

Defensive line – With captains Jordan Allen and Carter Glassmyer on the sidelines, all the focus will be on preseason Defensive Player of the Year Cam Byrd. Putting all the pressure on #6 isn’t fair, but we do need him to lead a much better effort from our D-line this time around. Last season, our four defensive ends (Byrd, Hoilette, Sellers, Hodges) combined for just two pressures and zero sacks. That’s uncharacteristic for a UR defense and it undoubtedly played a role in the loss. At defensive tackle, this was the game that Matei Fitz missed with an illness. The Bison ended up running for 212 yards, one of three FCS games in which we allowed 200+ on the ground [for reference, the Spiders only allowed two FCS teams to run for 200+ yards in 2023 & 2024 combined]. Whether it’s more pressure off the edge or how our new DT rotation works, we can’t afford to lose the battle in the trenches again.

Special Teams

A ton of new faces on both sides. Richmond has a new long snapper (Andrew McKenzie), short snapper (Wes Sharpe), kickoff specialist (Jackson Bonser), and kicker (Kyle Bitsko). You can also throw in new kickoff returners due to Isaiah Dawson’s departure. Bucknell has to replace All-Patriot performer Matt Schearer, who was honored at both kicker and punter.

The biggest thing to watch is how good the Bison were at blocking kicks. Their five blocked punts ranked 4th in the FCS, with six blocked kicks in total. Given the NCAA’s new punt formation rules, the Spiders have slightly tweaked our protection so how ready we are will be extra important in Week 1.

Next Post

2026 — Game 1: Bucknell recap — Monday, August 31st