University of Richmond Athletics
Inside The Game: No. 22 Football Hosts No. 7 Furman
09/17/2002 | Football
Sept. 17, 2002
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UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. -- For the second consecutive game, the University of Richmond football
team will host a top-10 ranked team at UR Stadium when No. 7 Furman and the 22nd-ranked Spiders
battle at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21.
The Spiders (1-1) practiced through a bye week after defeating then No. 9 ranked Delaware, 15-13, at UR
Stadium on Sept. 7. The Paladins (1-1) responded from a loss at I-A Vanderbilt in their season opener, by crushing Elon,
57-7, on Sept. 14.
Old Southern Conference rivals, Richmond and Furman have not played since 1977, but did play every
year from 1964-1977. The Spiders hold a 15-7 edge in the all-time series.
The following are more game notes for this renewed rivalry between nationally-ranked teams:
Cracking The Top-25 ... For the first time this season, the University of Richmond was voted into the national top-25 polls on Sept. 9 ... On the strength of its 15-13 win against then ninth-ranked Delaware on Sept. 7, Richmond entered the Sports Network poll at No. 23 and the ESPN/USA Today poll at No. 25 ... After a bye week, the Spiders are currently ranked No. 22 by the Sports Network and No. 22 in the ESPN/USA Today rankings.
A Championship Opponent ... For the third time since 1978 (inception of the I-AA classification), Richmond will face an opponent that participated in the previous year's I-AA championship game ... The Spiders host the Furman Paladins on Sept. 21, who lost to Montana, 13-6, in last year's I-AA final ... During the 2000 playoffs, Richmond eliminated Youngstown, 10-3, a year after the Penguins had lost to Ga. Southern, 59-24, in the '99 championship ... Richmond also played Massachusetts during the 1999 regular season (a 33-6 loss), months after the Minutemen fell to Ga. Southern, 55-34, in the '98 title game.
Atlantic 10 Accolades ... For their roles in Richmond's 15-13 win against Delaware, senior safety Ramon Richeson and senior defensive back Maurice Newbill were honored by the A-10 as Players of the Week ... Richeson made a career-high 23 tackles and recovered a fumble against the Blue Hens to earn Co-Defensive Player of the Week ... Newbill blocked the potential game-winning, 18-yard field goal with :17 seconds remaining to earn Special Teams Player of the Week.
A Load Of Stops ... Senior Ramon Richeson 23 tackles against Delaware on Sept. 7 was the most by a Spider since Lamont Neal recorded 25 stops in a 17-13 win against The Citadel on Sept. 16, 1995 ... Interestingly, current Philadelphia Eagle, Shawn Barber, made 20 tackles (12 solo) in that game and was named National Defensive Player of the Week ... Barber also added five tackles for loss (one sack), two forced fumbles, one interception and two pass breakups against the Bulldogs.
Win Against A Ranked Opponent ... The Spiders' 15-13 win against then No. 9 Delaware, was Richmond's first win against a ranked opponent since Oct. 25, 2001 when the Spiders shutout No. 4 Rhode Island, 28-0, at UR Stadium ... In his eight years as Richmond's head coach, Jim Reid is 10-17 against ranked opponents ... The Spiders are 6-11 at home and 4-6 on the road during that span ... Richmond's last six games against a ranked opponent (including this week against Furman), and eight of the last nine, have been played at UR Stadium.
In the Huddle ... Senior Adrian Archie has recorded double-digit tackles in each of the first two games ... Junior Boyd Ouden has one touchdown reception in four consecutive games ... He is ranked ninth in the nation, averaging 104.0 receiving yards/game ... Richmond has scored in only one quarter in each of its first two games this season ... The last time Richmond played a team from South Carolina was Sept. 14, 1996 when the Spiders lost at The Citadel (Charleston), 13-10 ... UR has not allowed a 4th-down conv. this year.
Leaving The Bags Unpacked ... After playing only four home games in 2001, Richmond hosts six contests at UR Stadium in 2002 ... The Spiders host three consecutive home games from Sept. 7-Oct. 5 (two open dates are Sept. 14 and Sept. 28) ... The last time Richmond hosted three home games in a row was Nov. 14-28, 1998 ... The third game was a 24-23 loss to Lehigh in the I-AA playoffs ... The four home games last fall was the fewest since 1987 ... The last time the Spiders played six home games was 1999.
More In The Air Than On The Ground (Again) ... For the second straight week, Richmond's passing attack gained more yards than its rushing offense -- (186/185) against Delaware and (133/71) at Temple ... That feat hadn't happened since the Spiders threw for 173 yards and ran for 162 yards against UMass on Sept. 16, 2000 (21 games)... Once during the 2001 season, at Vanderbilt (Sept. 22), Richmond gained an equal amount (141 yards) passing and rushing.
An Early Date ... For only the second time since the inception of UR football in 1881, Richmond opened its season in the month of August ... Richmond began its 2002 campaign with a 34-7 loss at Temple on Aug. 29 ... The other time the Spiders opened play in the eighth month was Aug. 30, 1997 when Richmond defeated Massachusetts, 21-6, in Amherst, Mass.
Preseason All-Conference ... Four Spider players were selected to the preseason Atlantic 10 Football team as voted by the league's coaches ... Senior linebackers Adrian Archie and Mark Thompson represented the defense, while senior Justin McElfish (offensive lineman) and junior Joe Wilson (offensive lineman) also garnered First Team recognition.
NOTES FROM THE TEMPLE GAME
NOTES FROM THE DELAWARE GAME
* Senior D'Arcy Wills set career highs in completions (8), attempts (16) and yards (133). He threw his second career touchdown.
* Senior Dan McNair set a career high with six receptions.
* Richmond's 34 points allowed are the most since giving up 35 points to Hofstra on Nov. 3, 2000.
* The 27-point defeat is the largest margin of defeat since losing 34-6 at Virginia on Sept. 9, 2001.
* Redshirt freshman quarterback Stacy Tutt scampered for 23 yards on his first collegiate carry.
* Senior Deashawn Goddard made a career-high eight tackles.
* Junior Boyd Ouden set a career high in receptions (7) and receiving yards (162).
* Freshman Stacy Tutt threw his first career touchdown pass, a 25-yard strike to Ouden at 5:17 of the second quarter.
* Sophomore Lee Williams scored his first Richmond touchdown with a four-yard run in the first quarter.
* Spiders' first win against a ranked opponent since Oct. 25, 2001, 28-0 vs. #4 URI.
* Doug Kirchner's 43-yard field was the second longest of his career. The longest was a 46-yard boot at Delaware on Nov. 10, 2000.
