University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Runs Past Maine, 38-21: Postgame Notes
10/17/2009 | Football
Oct. 17, 2009
Team Notes
· The win extended the Spiders school-record winning streak to 15-consecutive games and the school-record road winning streak to 10-straight. Both those streaks rank as the longest currently in the FCS. Richmond's 10-game road winning streak is the longest in all of Division-I football.
· Richmond improved to 9-2 all-time when playing as the No. 1-ranked team, including a 5-2 mark on the road.
· At 6-0, Richmond is off to its best start since a school-record 7-0 beginning the 1985 season.
· The Spiders improved to 19-3 overall (11-2 on the road) when playing as a ranked team in the last two seasons (28-5 since 2007 and 59-27 all-time).
· Richmond has now defeated nine-consecutive opponents from the CAA Football North Division and improved its all-time record in intradivision play to 12-2. Since the start of 2007, Richmond is 7-0 versus the North Division and out-scoring the North 460-242 in that span.
· Although trailing 14-10 at halftime, Richmond outscored Maine 28-7 in the second half Saturday. This season, the Spiders own an 87-35 advantage in second-half scoring, including a 56-22 edge in the fourth quarter.
· Richmond is now 3-0 this season when surpassing the 30-point mark (32-2 since 2005).
· Maine was limited to minus-two rushing yards for the game, marking the seventh Richmond opponent since the start of last season to not gain more than 40 yards on the ground. (The school record for fewest rushing yards allowed is minus-27 to James Madison in 1997.)
· Richmond allowed just one rushing first down in the game, which tied a school record for fewest allowed. The Spiders allowed just one to Delaware last season and one to Furman in 1969.
· Richmond trailed in time of possession by six seconds (30:03-29:57), marking the first time that has happened this season. It's just the eighth time since 2007 that the Spiders have not won the time-of-possession battle (5-3 in those games).
Individual Notes
· Senior QB Eric Ward became the school's all-time leader in touchdown passes with his 55th on Saturday. He broke the record previously held by Bob Bleier (1983-86). Ward also broke Bleier's career record of 672 completions in the game. Ward now has 680.
· Ward scored his 20th career rushing TD in the game, which moved him into a tie for eighth on the Spiders' career list.
· Senior Derek Hatcher's 90-yard punt return for TD was longest punt return in his career and ranks as the second-longest in school history. Only a 92-yard return by Arthur Jones vs. VMI in 1938 is longer.
· The punt return for TD was the second of Hatcher's career and ties him for the school record with three other former Spiders: Arthur Jones (1938-40), Mickey Marnikov (1955-58) and John Armstrong (1984-85). Armstrong is the only Spider to return two in the same season.
· Hatcher was last Spider to return a punt for a TD, taking one back 66 yards versus Stony Brook in 2007.
· For his career, Hatcher has 799 yards in punt returns, which ranks second all-time at Richmond and is 298 yards shy of Winston October's career record (1,097 yards).
· The interception by junior NG Parker Miles was the first of his career. It also stands as the only career interception by any of Richmond's current defensive linemen.
· The 57-yard TD run by Garrett Wilkins was a career-long rush for the sophomore. He finished the game with five carries for 78 yards (15.6 yards/carry). The 57-yard rush is the longest from scrimmage by Richmond this season.
