University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
No. 6 Delaware
No. 8 Richmond Wins CAA South Title; Beats No. 6 Delaware In Five OT Thriller, 62-56
11/10/2007 | Football
Nov. 10, 2007
NEWARK, Del. - Josh Vaughan's touchdown put Richmond ahead in the fifth overtime and Michael Ireland knocked Joe Flacco's pass away on fourth down as the No. 8 Spiders outlasted No. 6 Delaware, 62-56, in a thriller Saturday at Delaware Stadium. Vaughan rushed for a pair of scores while Eric Ward threw for 199 yards and a career-best four TDs as Richmond clinched the CAA Football South Division title.
Walter Payton Award candidate Tim Hightower surpassed the 100-yard mark for the seventh time this season, carrying the ball 29 times for 113 yards and a TD. Kevin Grayson was on the receiving end of 11 catches for 111 yards and two scores.
A controversial finish sent the game to overtime after Flacco tied the game for Delaware at 38-38 with a 1-yard TD run as time expired in regulation. It had appeared the clock hit 0:00 before the UD snap, and amidst the Richmond celebration, the officials ruled the game-tying touchdown. Flacco's run capped a six-play, 47-yard drive for Delaware in the game's final 45 seconds.
The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime and exchanged lengthy field goals in the second frame. The third OT saw Ward stopped on a fourth-and-one sneak, giving Delaware the ball and the chance to win the game. But UD kicker John Striefsky - who had not missed a kick (either FG or PAT) this season - drilled the upright from 22 yards to keep the game going.
The Hens took the ball first in the fourth OT and a play later were in the end zone, thanks to Flacco's 25-yard TD pass to Mark Duncan and a successful two-point conversion, making the score 56-48. The next play, Ward hit Jordan Mitchell in the back of the end zone for a TD and then flipped a two-point conversion pass to Grayson for the equalizer.
Vaughan's second TD, a 13-yard run around the left side, was the 10th lead change in the game and put Richmond ahead for good. Ireland knocked away Flacco passes on third and fourth down on the ensuing drive to end it, giving Richmond its first win at Delaware in 20 years.
A 30-yard run by Vaughan put the Spiders up 38-31 with 1:45 left in regulation and silenced the near-capacity crowd of 21,187 until Flacco's last-second heroics.
Vaughan finished the day with five carries for 66 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 13.2 yards per carry. Ward rushed 12 times for 81 yards as the Spiders out-gained the Hens 260-210 on the ground.
Omar Cuff accounted for 189 of UD's rushing yards on 48 carries and scored twice. Flacco was 26-of-38 passing for 375 yards and 3 TDs, including an 84-yard TD strike to Duncan early in the second quarter.
In game that saw 118 total points - the highest scoring game in Richmond history -- it was a defensive play by Seth Williams that gave the Spiders a big boost of momentum heading to halftime.
Williams stepped in front of a Flacco pass intended for Aaron Love and returned the interception 40-yards for a TD. The interception was just the fourth of Flacco's season and the first returned for a score allowed by Delaware since 2005. It was the game's lone turnover.
Instead of going to halftime down four, the Spiders took a 24-21 lead into the break and it allowed Richmond to improve to 23-2 under head coach Dave Clawson (7-0 this season) when leading at the half.
With a game-high 15 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, Martin Parker led the Spiders on defense. Andrew Harris and Eric McBride were each in on 13.
The 118 points marks the highest point total in CAA Football since New Hampshire beat Maine, 59-47, in 2005 and ranks as the second-highest scoring game in league history.
Next week's scenario becomes clear for Richmond. A win over William & Mary in the regular-season finale at UR Stadium would give the Spiders at least a share of the outright CAA Football title. UMass (8-2, 6-1), which plays at Hofstra next Saturday, would need to beat the Pride, forcing a conference tiebreaker to determine the league's automatic bid.
