University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Delaware
Defense Holds Delaware To 53 Yards; No. 7 Spiders Win 31-14
11/15/2008 | Football
Nov. 15, 2008
RICHMOND - Thanks to a record-breaking day on defense and another impressive ground game from senior TB Josh Vaughan, No. 7 Richmond rolled over Delaware, 31-14, Saturday on Senior Day at UR Stadium. The Blue Hens managed just 53 yards of total offense, which is a single-game record by the Spider defense.
Vaughan, the reigning CAA Football and National Offensive Player of the Week, posted his fourth-consecutive game of 156+ yards rushing with 156 on a career-best 40 carries. He scored once, snapping his streak of five-consecutive games with at least two rushing TDs.
The win - Richmond's fourth in a row - improved the Spiders to 8-3 overall, 5-2 in CAA Football and secured the team's second-consecutive season with eight or more wins and the third in the last four years. Delaware (4-7, 2-5), a season removed from playing for the FCS National Championship, has dropped two straight and three of four to Richmond. The seven losses by UD ties a program high.
The Spiders out-gained the visitors 441-53, but Delaware returned two of Richmond's season-high four turnovers for touchdowns to account for its scoring. The 53 yards of total offense allowed by Richmond shattered the previous record of 81 by William & Mary on Nov. 24, 1955 - a 6-6 tie with the Tribe. The yardage also marks a program-low for Delaware (56 versus Northeastern in 2001).
Richmond held a 23-3 edge in first downs, a dominating 251-5 advantage in rushing yards, ran 38 more plays and held the ball for 42 of the game's 60 minutes. It marked the fourth-straight game and eighth time this season that the Spiders have allowed less than 100 yards rushing. The three total first downs and one rushing first down allowed each tied Richmond defensive records.
Sophomore LB Jordan Shoop made a team-high eight tackles, while four different Spiders - including Shoop - each collected sack. In his final regular-season game at UR Stadium, senior DE Sherman Logan had seven stops, a sack and a 2.5 tackles for loss. Redshirt freshman CB Tremayne Graham made three punishing hits to tie a career-high in tackles (three).
But Delaware held the lead for 21 of the game's first 30 minutes as Tyrone Grant returned an Eric Ward interception 57 yards for a touchdown at the 6:19 mark of the first quarter to open the scoring.
With the wind gusting hard in his face, Andrew Howard boomed a 43-yard field goal that trimmed Delaware's lead to 7-3 late in the period.
Richmond seized control after that.
The Spiders gambled on fourth and one at the UD 27 and Ward hit senior TE Joe Stewart for a 27-yard TD strike that put Richmond in front midway through the second quarter and capped a 12-play, 78-yard drive of nearly seven minutes.
A Vaughan TD run of 11 yards late in the first half gave the Spiders a 17-7 lead and Ward rushed from one-yard out early in the fourth quarter to make it 24-7.
The opportunistic Delaware defense kept the Blue Hens within striking distance as Charles Graves scooped up a Vaughan fumble and rumbled 45 yards for a TD just a minute after Ward's touchdown.
Another Richmond senior, FB John Crone, sealed the deal with his bruising six-yard TD run at the 3:55 mark of the fourth quarter. Ward rushed for 21 yards on the drive and then completed back-to-back passes to Kevin Grayson of eight and 10 yard to keep the chains moving.
Ward finished the game 16-of-24 passing for 190 yards and TD, but was picked twice. The junior QB also rushed nine times for 77 yards. Grayson reeled in six passes for 61 yards, while Gray made four catches for 48 yards and Stewart had three for a career-best 54 yards.
Sophomore LB Patrick Weldon had four tackles and an interception, while Brooks York pounced on loose ball after a Richmond squibbed kickoff caromed off a UD player.
Richmond returns to action next weekend with a pivotal regular-season finale at long-time rival William & Mary. The Tribe (7-3, 5-2), which had its five-game winning streak snapped today at No. 1 James Madison, has dropped three straight to the Spiders.
