No. 10 Richmond Returns Home To Host Blue Hens Under The Lights

Oct. 16, 2006

The 10th-ranked Richmond Spiders return home to face the Delaware Blue Hens in the first of two-straight in the Capital City Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff at UR Stadium is set for 6 p.m.

Bob Black (play-by-play), former Richmond defensive standout Jasmonn Coleman (analyst) and Matt Smith (sideline) will handle the radio call which can be heard in the Richmond area on ESPN Radio 950 AM, The Wolf 93.1 FM and worldwide at RichmondSpiders.com.

The contest will also be televised on CN-8 -- part of the Comcast Cable Network -- throughout the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States and worldwide at www.CN8.tv. Chris Carrino (play-by-play), Jon Ritchie (analyst) and Jeff Shurilla (sideline) will handle the call, while Bob Anderson produces.

The Spiders are coming off a 31-6 win on the road against Rhode Island. Richmond limited a Ram rushing attack which ranked among the national leaders in yards-per-game to just 123 on the ground, and only 248 total yards. The Spiders, meanwhile scored 31 unanswered in the game, including 21 in the final two quarters for the convincing win. Richmond's defense has allowed just two touchdowns in the first half this season, and only 19 points combined in the first 30 minutes of each game this year.

Richmond is under the direction of third-year head coach Dave Clawson, who has compiled an eight-year career record of 46-42 and a 17-13 mark in his tenure at Richmond. K.C. Keeler has compiled a mark of 39-19 in his five seasons as the Blue Hens' head coach. Keeler also carries are mark of 127-40-1 in his 13-year head coaching career.

QUICK OUTS...
-- Senior Adam Goloboski cracked the Richmond Top-10 in career tackles with his seven-stop effort against Northeastern, Sept. 30. The Hereford, Md., native moved his career total with a combined 25 tackles against New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The Preseason All-America honoree now has 348 tackles in his career which ranks seventh-best ever at Richmond. He is just five tackles shy of Damon Miller's total of 353 in sixth place.

-- Senior Ryan Mace leads the Atlantic 10 in punt return yardage. The McKinney, Texas, native averages 15.3 yards per return, which is eighth-best in the country. In his career, Mace has returned 44 punts for an average of 9.0 yards and has a career-long of 40 yards.

-- Richmond's defense has recorded at least one sack in 17 of its last 18 games dating back to the second game of the 2005 slate. The only game this season when the Spiders did not sack the opposing quarterback was against Bucknell which attempted just nine passes.

-- Don't let the Richmond average of 31:56 in time of possession fool you. In two games this season the Spiders' offense has been a part of two lopsided possessional games. Against Duke, Richmond had the ball for 19:28 in the second half and put together a drive of 18 plays, 83 yards and 9:09. Against Northeastern, the Spiders had the ball for 23:00 in the second half and put together a drive of 24 plays and 69 yards in 13:48. Last week, Richmond sustained its second-longest scoring drive of the season which spanned the first and second quarters. The Spiders went 82 yards on 14 plays and ate up 7:19 to score their first TD against the Rams.

-- Richmond's defense has allowed just two touchdowns in the first half this season. The only teams to tally six points in the first 30 minutes against the Spiders are Bucknell on a one-yard run and Rhode Island on a 36-yard pass. The Spiders have allowed a PAT as well as two field goals to account for the remaining seven points allowed in the first half.

REDSHIRT SUPPLEMENTS
Richmond has found four ways to score other than the conventional methods on offense. The Spiders have recorded two safeties on the season -- one by redshirt freshman Justin Forte and the other by junior Sherman Logan. Redshirt freshman David Horton has returned one of his two interceptions this season for a touchdown. Redshirt freshman Derek Hatcher recovered a fumble against VMI and ran it back for a TD. Redshirt freshman Michael Ireland picked up a blocked punt for the Spiders and scampered to paydirt as well. Four redshirt freshmen have accounted for four of the five supplemental scores for the Spiders -- a foreshadowing of future success.

A RICHMOND WIN WOULD...
-- Make the team 6-1 to start the season for the first time since the 1992 season.
-- Make the Spiders 3-1 after four Atlantic 10 games for the second-straight season.
-- Make the Spiders 4-0 at home this season and 10-6 all-time at UR Stadium under Clawson.
-- Give Clawson his second career win over Delaware and move his streak to two-straight wins over the Blue Hens.
-- Move Clawson to 47-42 as a head coach and 108-88-1 in his coaching career.
-- Cut Delaware's win-loss record in the all-time series to 17-6.
-- Mark the first time Richmond has garnered consecutive wins over the Blue Hens in the all-time series.
-- Give the Spiders 14 wins in their last 16 games dating back to a 38-20 win over Villanova, Oct. 8, 2005.
-- Give Richmond an all-time record of 455-590-53.

A RICHMOND LOSS WOULD...
-- Make the Spiders 5-2 on the season for the first time since 2000.
-- Make Richmond 2-2 after four Atlantic 10 games for the first time since 1997.
-- Mark Richmond's first loss at home this season and make the Spiders 9-7 all-time at UR Stadium under Clawson.
-- Move Clawson to 46-43 as a head coach and 107-89-1 in his coaching career.
-- Push Delaware's lead in the all-time series to 18-5 in favor of the Blue Hens.
-- Mark the sixth time in the all-time series Richmond has failed to win consecutive games against Delaware.
-- Drop Clawson's career mark to 1-2 against the Blue Hens.
-- Give Richmond an all-time record of 454-591-53.

NO OFFENSIVE PUSHOVER
Richmond's defense may get most of the publicity, but the Spider offense is no pushover. Redshirt Freshman Eric Ward has led a Richmond offense which ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 and 19th in the nation in total offense (379.5 yds/game). Richmond averages 217.3 yards per game on the ground (3rd - A-10, 12th - nationally) thanks to junior running back Tim Hightower's average of 105.0 yards per game (2nd in the conference). Hightower and sophomore Josh Vaughan combine to average 5.8 yards a carry. Ward has an efficiency rating of 125.3; sixth-best in the league, while his 158.0 yards of total offense per game is eighth in the league and 70th in the country.

THREE-AND-OUT
Prior to the game at New Hampshire the Spider defense had not allowed an opponent more than four third-down conversions in a game. Even New Hampshire (8-of-17) and Rhode Island (6-of-14) could not break the 50 percent mark in third-down conversions. Richmond ranks third in the Atlantic 10 with its opponents garnering success on third downs only 32.1 percent of the time.

On the flipside, Richmond's offense ranks second in the conference in third-down conversions (44.0 percent). The Spiders have sustained scoring drives an average of 3:09 and are at their best when they face third-down situations between 1-6 yards (22-of-41, 53.7 percent).

DEFENSIVE SUPREMACY
Richmond's defense ranks among the Top-10 nationally in three major categories including total defense, scoring defense and pass defense. Nationally, the Spiders are fifth in I-AA and sixth in all of Division I in total defense (220.0 yds/game), which also is tops in the Atlantic 10. Defensive Coordinator Russ Huesman's defense is fifth in I-AA and seventh in all of Division I against the pass (119.7 yds/game). The third category in which Richmond ranks among the Top-10 in all of Division I and leads the league in is scoring defense (11.3 points/game).

The Spiders have not allowed more than 272 yards in total offense in any game this season. Richmond has limited opponents to no more than 198 yards through the air in 2006, and New Hampshire is the only squad which has recorded more than 15 first downs on the Spider defense.

SPIDERS ON THE TUBE
Saturday's game will be the second the Spiders have played on CN-8 under head coach Dave Clawson. Richmond is currently 4-5 in televised games since Clawson took over in 2004. The Spiders are 1-0 on Comcast TV, 1-0 on WABI-TV in Maine, 1-1 on ESPNU, 1-1 on the Atlantic 10 Television Network, 0-1 on CN-8 and 0-2 on the Lafayette Sports Television Network.

CN-8 will broadcast Saturday's contest in nearly nine million homes from Maine to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Live video streaming for all CN-8 programming, including this Saturday's game, is available free of charge at www.CN8.tv.

OVER THE AIR
Spider football games can be heard live on the Spider Sports Network. The network includes two new radio affiliates for all of Spider Athletics. ESPN Radio 950 AM will carry every Spider Football game in 2006, while The Wolf 93.1 FM will broadcast each the Spiders' scheduled three night games (at Duke, Delaware, at Villanova).

The "Voice of the Spiders" Bob Black, a veteran broadcaster in his 23rd season for the Spiders, will handle the play-by-play.

Former Spider defensive standout Jasmonn Coleman (analyst) will join Black in the booth for his second season with Spider Football. Coleman, a Henrico High School product, played in 42 games on the defensive line for the Spiders during his career. During the 1997 season, as a senior, Coleman tied for the team lead with seven sacks.

Matt Smith reports from the sidelines, offering listeners an all-access field level view of the action and will have the first word from the Spiders and head coach Dave Clawson live from the locker room following the game.

Matt Josephs rounds out the radio team, producing the broadcasts and anchoring the Spider Sportsdesk from the studios of flagship station ESPN Radio 950, keeping listeners up-to-date on Atlantic 10, state and national college football scores and highlights throughout the day.

SPIDER FOOTBALL IN THE RANKINGS
Richmond Football has now been in The Sports Network I-AA Top-25 for each of the last 13 weeks. The Spiders first appeared at No. 23 in the national poll, Oct. 31, 2005, after topping James Madison, 17-15. Richmond then moved up in the poll each week for the remainder of the season. The Spiders debuted at No. 15 in the 2006 Preseason poll. After its shutout-win over Duke, Richmond jumped to No. 10, then moved up two spots to No. 8 the following week. The Spiders jumped to No. 7 Sept. 18 after topping VMI, and remained in that position for three weeks. After falling to top-ranked New Hampshire, Richmond dropped to No. 10 in the Oct. 9 release and remain there in the Oct. 16 edition. Below is a rundown of Richmond's chronological movement in the poll:

Date (Ranking): Oct. 31--No. 23, Nov. 7--No. 18, Nov. 14--No. 17, Nov. 21--No. 12, 2005 Final--No. 8, 2006 Preseason--No. 15, Sept. 4--No. 10, Sept. 11--No. 8, Sept. 18--No. 7, Sept. 25--No. 7, Oct. 2--No. 7, Oct. 9--No. 10, Oct. 16--No. 10

NCAA I-AA PLAYOFF RECAP & RANKINGS
Richmond was impressive in their two contests in last season's NCAA I-AA playoff run. The Spiders finished the Championship format ranked among the Top-5 in several categories combining all 16 teams in the field.

In its two games, the Spiders were a perfect 9-for-9 on trips inside the redzone -- one of just four teams in the entire field of 16 to be perfect in the category.

The Spider defense allowed an average of 17 points in its two games during the playoff run, which ranked second among the 16-team field. Only Nicholls State allowed an average of fewer points in its playoff run (14 points in one game).

Richmond's defense allowed opponents a 33 percent success rate on third-down conversions in the NCAA I-AA Championships. Only Texas State had a better opponent third-down conversion figure of 30.6 percent in the 16-team field.

The Spider offense rushed for an average of 223 yards in their two games during the NCAA I-AA Playoffs, ranking fourth among the 16-team field.

The Richmond defense allowed the third-lowest rushing average in the NCAA I-AA Playoffs, at just 147.0 per game.

BIGGER, STRONGER AND SMARTER
The Spiders have not only improved on the field, but also in both the weight room and the classroom since head coach Dave Clawson first year at Richmond.

Since first taking over the program in the spring of 2004, Clawson has talked about the correlation of off-the-field success and program success. The Spiders have done just that, raising the team GPA at least two points in each of the four semesters. The culmination of the success came in the transition from last fall's team GPA of 2.46 to the spring 2006 team GPA of 2.62, a jump of 0.16.

As mentioned above, the Spiders have also improved in the weight room. In 2004, Richmond had just 20 players on its roster with a three-lift combined total of 1,000 pounds. In 2005, the Spiders upped the total to 42 players of 1,000 pounds. The improvement happened once again this past off-season, as now 54 players (61 percent of the roster) has a three-lift total of more than 1,000 pounds.

LEFTOVERS FROM RHODE ISLAND
-- The victory made the team 5-1 to start the season for the first time since the 1995 season.
-- The win made the Spiders 2-1 after three Atlantic 10 games for the second-straight season.
-- The win made the Spiders 2-1 on the road this season and 8-7 all-time on the road under Clawson.
-- The victory gave Clawson his second career win over Rhode Island and move his streak to two-straight wins over the Rams.
-- The win moved Clawson to 46-42 as a head coach and 107-88-1 in his coaching career.
-- The victory extended the Spiders' win-loss record in the all-time series with the Rams, 11-5.
-- The win pushed the Richmond lead in the all-time series to 6-3 in games played in Kingston, R.I.
-- The win marked the Spiders' fifth-straight win in Kingston.
-- The victory gave the Spiders 13 wins in their last 15 games dating back to a 38-20 win over Villanova, Oct. 8, 2005.
-- The win gave Richmond an all-time record of 454-590-53.
-- The Spiders' first scoring drive of 14 plays, 82 yards and 7:19 in length marked the second longest in plays, yards and time this season. The longest came on an 18-play, 83-yard drive against Duke which lasted 9:09.
-- Senior Matt Hale's 23-yard touchdown catch with 8:51 left in the second quarter marked his second TD-catch of the season and the fifth of his career.
-- Richmond's defense forced its first fumble since the VMI game (Sept. 16) with 4:35 left in the second quarter as senior Sherman Logan fell on the loose ball. The fumble recovery also marked the first turnover gained by the Spiders since the Northeastern game (Sept. 30).
-- Freshman Andrew Howard's 44-yard punt with 2:59 left in the second quarter marked the first punt of his career. The kick, from the Richmond 45-yardline, was fair-caught at the Rhode Island 11-yardline.
-- Senior Ryan Cameron's 6-yard sack with just over 13 minutes left in the third quarter was his first of the season and the eighth of his career.
-- Junior Arman Shields' 20-yard touchdown catch with 11:06 left in the third quarter was his second of the season and first since catching a 16-yard TD-pass against Duke (Sept. 2). The catch also marked the 10th receiving TD of his career.
-- Redshirt freshman David Horton 20-yard interception return for a touchdown with 10:00 left in the third quarter marked the second interception and first touchdown of his career.
-- Horton's interception also marked the fourth interception for the Spiders this season and the first returned for a touchdown since Brian Burnette returned an interception 31 yards for a TD against Villanova, Oct. 8, 2005.
-- Redshirt freshman Eric Ward nine-yard rushing touchdown with 14:55 left in the fourth quarter marked the second rushing touchdown of his career as well as the longest of his career (one-yard TD against Bucknell).
-- Ward set a career-high with his 48 rushing yards.
-- Sophomore Josh Vaughan tied a career-best with 88 rushing yards on a career-high 18 carries.
-- Junior Andy Lehatto set a career-high by recording 25 punt return yards on two attempts.
-- The Spiders' 23 first downs mark a season-best and the most since gaining 25 first downs against Hampton, Nov. 26, 2005.

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