University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Maine
UMaine Defense Stops 24th-ranked Richmond
10/06/2001 | Football
Oct 6, 2001
ORONO, MAINE-- The University of Maine defense did not allow a touchdown for the second consecutive in a 14-3 win over 24th-ranked Richmond. UMaine improved to 3-1, 2-1 in the Atlantic 10, while the Spiders dropped to 0-4, 0-2.
For the first time since 1962, UMaine did not allow a touchdown in consecutive games. The Black Bear defense led by 14 tackles from Stephen Cooper and nine from Dave Cusano, held Richmond, the league's third-best rushing offense to just 132 yards on the ground, 100 yards below its season average.
Offensively, UMaine totalled 180 yards on the ground, including 161 yards from senior Royston English. English, with 32 carries for 161 yards, notched his seventh career 100-yard game and became the eighth Black Bear to rush for over 2,000 yards in his career. He now has 2,091 career yards. The Spiders, ranked second in the A-10 in rushing defense (92.0 yd./gm), surrendered twice their average.
The Black Bears grabbed a 7-3 lead in the second quarter when UMaine quarterback Jake Eaton hit senior tight end Chad Hayes for a 50-yard touchdown pass. The 6-foot-6 TE caught the ball on the run up the middle of the field and rushed about 20 yards into the end zone for his longest career catch and Eaton's longest pass of the season.
UMaine used a 15-play, 61-yard time-consuming scoring drive to wear the Spiders down. Eaton capped the possession with a one-yard dive on third and goal with just 50 seconds left in the third quarter. English rushed seven times for 22 yards on the drive but the big play came when Richmond was called for holding as the Black Bears went for a first down on fourth and nine from the UR 30-yardline. The first down by penalty kept the UMaine drive alive and the Black Bears scored six plays later after chewing six minutes, 54 seconds off the clock.
Richmond took a 3-0 lead on a 38-yard Doug Kirchner field goal with 7:59 left in the second quarter. Richmond ventured into UMaine territory four times but was able to score just once. The best opportunity came in the first quarter when a Jason Hill intercepted an Eaton passed and returned it to the Maine 18 yardline. Richmond managed a combined negative two yards on two plays and then threw an incompletion before missing a 37-yard field goal.
The win for UMaine snapped a six-game losing streak versus nationally-ranked teams and also extended a home win streak to six games. UMaine last won six straight at home during the 1989 Yankee Conference Championship season.
The 11-point loss was the largest margin for Richmond this season and UR has faced two I-A teams and 14th-ranked Villanova thus far in 2001.
