University of Richmond Athletics
Friday, September 1
Huntsville, Tex.
7:00 PM ET
University of Richmond
0-1
34
at
48
Sam Houston State
1-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Richmond
6
14
7
7
34
Sam Houston State
6
35
7
0
48
Lauletta, Simpson Light Up the Record Book in 48-34 Loss to Sam Houston State
09/01/2017 | Football
WACO, Texas – When two high-octane offenses take the field, fireworks are expected and the fans in Waco got just that from the Richmond Spiders (0-1) and the Sam Houston State Bearkats (1-0) on Friday night. After an extended wait to play this game due to Hurricane Harvey, the Spiders put-forth an impressive comeback effort but ultimately fell short in the season-opener, 48-34.
Senior QB Kyle Lauletta put up video game numbers on the Bearkats, throwing for 546 yards, easily a career-high, smashing his previous top mark of 435. That's a Richmond single-game record and fifth most in a single game in CAA football history. He also becomes the first 500+ yard passer in a game for the Spiders since Michael Strauss (543) did it against Delaware on Nov. 16, 2013. The Spider QB also pitched in five TDs, matching a career-best he set just last season.
There were two main beneficiaries of all that yard work. Newcomer, Temple-transfer Cortrelle Simpson hauled in seven catches for 204 yards (29.1 YPC) and a touchdown. He became the first Spider receiver to eclipse 200 yards in a game since Brian Brown did it at James Madison on Oct. 24, 2015. Those 204 yards match Brown for fifth-most in a single game in program history.
The other favorite target was junior Dejon Brissett who had the breakout game of his career. He went all of 2016 without a touchdown and hadn't scored one since Sept. 19, 2015, the home opener of his freshman campaign. He exploded on Friday night for 172 yards (19.1 YPC) on nine catches with one score, topping all of his career marks including his longest catch after hauling in a 39-yarder against the Bearkats.
All four main running backs, Gordon Collins, Jay Palmer, Deontez Thompson and Xavier Goodall each received six attempts in the backfield. Collins (54 yards) and Palmer (50 yards) led the way. Collins was the lone back to collect a touchdown but did so through the air.
It was a slow start for both sides as the 2017 football season got rolling under the lights of McLane Stadium. Sam Houston fumbled on its first possession of the ball game, recovered by Richmond senior LB Trey Moore, but the Spiders were unable to capitalize and ultimately punted after going three-and-out.
The Bearkats put a pair of field goals on the board at the end of each of the next two drives but Richmond had its first answer of the evening in the form of a Kyle Lauletta pass to TE Garrett Hudson for the first Spider touchdown of the season. The score was set up by a 68-yard toss to newcomer Cortrelle Simpson. The extra-point did not find its mark but with that flurry the first quarter came to a close with the score tied 6-6.
The pace of the second quarter could be described as fast and furious. Sam Houston scored on its first play from scrimmage thanks to a 41-yard scramble by QB Jeremiah Briscoe. The extra-point try was blocked by a flying Jarriel Jordan coming off the edge to keep it a six-point deficit for the Spiders.
After going three-and-out the Spiders attempted to punt near their own end zone but a poor snap resulted in a safety to push Sam Houston ahead 14-6. Richmond punted and missed a field goal on its next two drives and the Bearkats added a score to move ahead 21-6.
Lauletta and company quickly responded with a three-play touchdown drive to get back into this one. Lauletta went 3-3 on the drive, first finding Dejon Brissett, who made an outstanding catch, on the near sideline for a 39-yard gain. Then it was to Simpson for 32 more before finally hitting Gordon Collins in the end zone for a 13-yard score.
Sam Houston answered then forced a Richmond punt but this time it was Spider CB Tafon Mainsah making a play to keep his team alive. On the first play of the drive the senior jumped a route and returned his first pick of the season 33 yards to the SHSU 32. Lauletta connected with Brissett on the first play to make it a 27-20 ball game with 1:57 left in the half.
However, Sam Houston was able to put two more scores on the board before the halftime horn to take a 41-20 advantage into the locker rooms.
During that first half, Lauletta threw for 246 yards and three scores. Most of that yardage landed in the hands of Simpson who hauled in 103 yards on three catches. Brissett caught four balls for 95 yards with a score and Tyler Wilkins snagged three balls for 37 yards. Collins was the leading rusher in the first half with 61 on the ground, boasting and average of 12.2 yards per carry.
The Bearkats scored on their first possession out of halftime and deficit had grown to 48-20 with 11:26 to go in the third. That was the last of the scoring for Sam Houston.
A brief stalemate ensued until Justin Rubin forced a fumble in the red zone that the Spiders recovered to set up a one-play drive, Lauletta to Caleb Drake to make it 48-27 with 3:27 left in the quarter. It was only Drake's second catch of his career and first touchdown. The third quarter came to a close with that score intact.
The Spiders settled for a turnover on downs at the end of the first drive of the fourth quarter but forced a punt and capitalized with a two-play, 83-yard drive, all of which was gained by Simpson through the air to pick up his first score.
Richmond would get the ball back twice more with chances to cut into the 14-point deficit but came up just short, taking the 48-34 loss.
The Spiders will return to the gridiron next Saturday (Sept. 9) at Colgate with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Colgate visited Robins Stadium last season and fell to the Spiders, 38-31. The home opener is set for Sept. 16 opposite Howard with a 2 p.m. kickoff scheduled at Robins Stadium.
Senior QB Kyle Lauletta put up video game numbers on the Bearkats, throwing for 546 yards, easily a career-high, smashing his previous top mark of 435. That's a Richmond single-game record and fifth most in a single game in CAA football history. He also becomes the first 500+ yard passer in a game for the Spiders since Michael Strauss (543) did it against Delaware on Nov. 16, 2013. The Spider QB also pitched in five TDs, matching a career-best he set just last season.
There were two main beneficiaries of all that yard work. Newcomer, Temple-transfer Cortrelle Simpson hauled in seven catches for 204 yards (29.1 YPC) and a touchdown. He became the first Spider receiver to eclipse 200 yards in a game since Brian Brown did it at James Madison on Oct. 24, 2015. Those 204 yards match Brown for fifth-most in a single game in program history.
The other favorite target was junior Dejon Brissett who had the breakout game of his career. He went all of 2016 without a touchdown and hadn't scored one since Sept. 19, 2015, the home opener of his freshman campaign. He exploded on Friday night for 172 yards (19.1 YPC) on nine catches with one score, topping all of his career marks including his longest catch after hauling in a 39-yarder against the Bearkats.
All four main running backs, Gordon Collins, Jay Palmer, Deontez Thompson and Xavier Goodall each received six attempts in the backfield. Collins (54 yards) and Palmer (50 yards) led the way. Collins was the lone back to collect a touchdown but did so through the air.
It was a slow start for both sides as the 2017 football season got rolling under the lights of McLane Stadium. Sam Houston fumbled on its first possession of the ball game, recovered by Richmond senior LB Trey Moore, but the Spiders were unable to capitalize and ultimately punted after going three-and-out.
The Bearkats put a pair of field goals on the board at the end of each of the next two drives but Richmond had its first answer of the evening in the form of a Kyle Lauletta pass to TE Garrett Hudson for the first Spider touchdown of the season. The score was set up by a 68-yard toss to newcomer Cortrelle Simpson. The extra-point did not find its mark but with that flurry the first quarter came to a close with the score tied 6-6.
The pace of the second quarter could be described as fast and furious. Sam Houston scored on its first play from scrimmage thanks to a 41-yard scramble by QB Jeremiah Briscoe. The extra-point try was blocked by a flying Jarriel Jordan coming off the edge to keep it a six-point deficit for the Spiders.
After going three-and-out the Spiders attempted to punt near their own end zone but a poor snap resulted in a safety to push Sam Houston ahead 14-6. Richmond punted and missed a field goal on its next two drives and the Bearkats added a score to move ahead 21-6.
Lauletta and company quickly responded with a three-play touchdown drive to get back into this one. Lauletta went 3-3 on the drive, first finding Dejon Brissett, who made an outstanding catch, on the near sideline for a 39-yard gain. Then it was to Simpson for 32 more before finally hitting Gordon Collins in the end zone for a 13-yard score.
Sam Houston answered then forced a Richmond punt but this time it was Spider CB Tafon Mainsah making a play to keep his team alive. On the first play of the drive the senior jumped a route and returned his first pick of the season 33 yards to the SHSU 32. Lauletta connected with Brissett on the first play to make it a 27-20 ball game with 1:57 left in the half.
However, Sam Houston was able to put two more scores on the board before the halftime horn to take a 41-20 advantage into the locker rooms.
During that first half, Lauletta threw for 246 yards and three scores. Most of that yardage landed in the hands of Simpson who hauled in 103 yards on three catches. Brissett caught four balls for 95 yards with a score and Tyler Wilkins snagged three balls for 37 yards. Collins was the leading rusher in the first half with 61 on the ground, boasting and average of 12.2 yards per carry.
The Bearkats scored on their first possession out of halftime and deficit had grown to 48-20 with 11:26 to go in the third. That was the last of the scoring for Sam Houston.
A brief stalemate ensued until Justin Rubin forced a fumble in the red zone that the Spiders recovered to set up a one-play drive, Lauletta to Caleb Drake to make it 48-27 with 3:27 left in the quarter. It was only Drake's second catch of his career and first touchdown. The third quarter came to a close with that score intact.
The Spiders settled for a turnover on downs at the end of the first drive of the fourth quarter but forced a punt and capitalized with a two-play, 83-yard drive, all of which was gained by Simpson through the air to pick up his first score.
Richmond would get the ball back twice more with chances to cut into the 14-point deficit but came up just short, taking the 48-34 loss.
The Spiders will return to the gridiron next Saturday (Sept. 9) at Colgate with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Colgate visited Robins Stadium last season and fell to the Spiders, 38-31. The home opener is set for Sept. 16 opposite Howard with a 2 p.m. kickoff scheduled at Robins Stadium.
Team Stats
RICHMOND
SHSU
Total Yards
652
683
Pass Yards
546
411
Rushing Yards
106
272
Penalty Yards
139
46
1st Downs
29
29
3rd Downs
7
4
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
33:15
26:45
1st Quarter
RICHMOND 0, SHSU 3
SHSU - Honshtein, Tre 23 yd field goal 6 plays, 93 yards, TOP 1:37
RICHMOND 0, SHSU 6
SHSU - Honshtein, Tre 40 yd field goal 8 plays, 70 yards, TOP 2:49
RICHMOND 6, SHSU 6
RICHMOND - Garrett Hudson 3 yd pass from Kyle Lauletta (Griffin Trau kickfailed) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:27
2nd Quarter
RICHMOND 6, SHSU 12
SHSU - Briscoe, Jeremi 41 yd run (Honshtein, Tre kickblocked), 4 plays, 77 yards, TOP 1:03
RICHMOND 6, SHSU 14
SHSU - TEAM 30 yd safety
RICHMOND 6, SHSU 21
SHSU - Henderson, Raga 45 yd pass from Briscoe, Jeremi (Honshtein, Tre kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:55
RICHMOND 13, SHSU 21
RICHMOND - Gordon Collins 13 yd pass from Kyle Lauletta (Griffin Trau kick) 3 plays, 84 yards, TOP 1:14
RICHMOND 13, SHSU 27
SHSU - Compton, Coree 12 yd pass from Briscoe, Jeremi (Honshtein, Tre kickfailed) 6 plays, 83 yards, TOP 2:14
RICHMOND 20, SHSU 27
RICHMOND - Dejon Brissett 34 yd pass from Kyle Lauletta (Griffin Trau kick) 2 plays, 32 yards, TOP 0:23
RICHMOND 20, SHSU 34
SHSU - Davis, Davion 60 yd pass from Briscoe, Jeremi (Honshtein, Tre kick) 2 plays, 71 yards, TOP 0:29
RICHMOND 20, SHSU 41
SHSU - Gil, Justin 0 yd blocked punt return (Honshtein, Tre kick)
3rd Quarter
RICHMOND 20, SHSU 48
SHSU - Avery, Corey 35 yd pass from Briscoe, Jeremi (Honshtein, Tre kick) 6 plays, 77 yards, TOP 1:57
RICHMOND 27, SHSU 48
RICHMOND - Caleb Drake 16 yd pass from Kyle Lauletta (Griffin Trau kick) 1 plays, 16 yards, TOP 0:06
4th Quarter
RICHMOND 34, SHSU 48
RICHMOND - C. Simpson 71 yd pass from Kyle Lauletta (Griffin Trau kick) 2 plays, 83 yards, TOP 0:33
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
36
TD
5
YDS
546
INT
2
Players Mentioned
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RB
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TE
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DB
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