Trau’s Last-Second Field Goal Lifts Football Over Albany

Saturday, October 13

Albany, NY

7 PM

University of Richmond

3-4 , 1-3

Albany

2-4 , 0-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UAlbany

Trau’s Last-Second Field Goal Lifts Football Over Albany

10/13/2018 | Football

Box Score Richmond Albany Book Coach Huesman Post-Game Video Clyde, Mancuso Post-Game Video

RICHMOND, Va. – Senior kicker Griffin Trau (Hanover, N.H.) nailed a 25-yard field goal in the closing seconds as the University of Richmond football team orchestrated a game-winning drive over the final four minutes to give the Spiders a 27-24 victory against the Great Danes Saturday evening at Casey Stadium.

The victory marked the first in Colonial Athletic Association play for the Spiders and improved Richmond to 6-0 all-time against Albany. The last-second win marked the third-straight meeting against the Great Danes that came down to the wire as the 2016 game went to three overtimes and 2017 contest went to two overtimes.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Mancuso (Blairsville, Ga.) picked up his first career victory in his second career start. Mancuso finished the game with 336 total yards, passing for 286 and rushing for 50 yards. He scored one touchdown on the ground in the victory. Redshirt junior wider receiver Cortrelle Simpson (Indian Head, Md.) added his third 100-yard game and his second straight, finishing with 112 yards on nine receptions.

Richmond finished the game with 438 yards of total offense, including 152 on the ground. Senior running back Gordon Collins (Stafford, Va.) led the way with 76 yards rushing on 20 carries, including a one-yard touchdown run.

Defensively, the Spiders held Albany to only 63 yards rushing on 25 attempts and 313 total yards of offense. Richmond recorded registered five sacks in the victory with senior defensive lineman Andrew Clyde (Dallas, Texas) posting a career-high three sacks, all in the second half. He has now recorded seven sacks in four career games against the Great Danes. Senior linebacker Justin Rubin (Southampton, Pa.) led the defense with nine tackles, including three for loss.

Richmond found itself tied against Albany at 24-24 with 4:02 remaining after the Great Danes hit a 29-yard field goal. The Spiders put together an 11-polay, 57-yard drive that took 3:50 off the clock to set up Trau's second-straight game-winning field goal against the Great Danes. The big plays in the drive included a 24-yard yard pass from Mancuso to senior Caleb Drake (Troy, N.C.) and a 10-yard rush from Collins that converted a big third down and gave the Spiders a first and goal with less than a minute remaining.

Richmond came out of the gate strong, scoring on its first drive of the game going 81 yards on eight plays, culminating in a Collins touchdown run from one-yard out. Albany would answer with 14-straight points, scoring one touchdown on a trick play with a 54-yard pass from wide receiver Dev Holmes to counterpart Juwan Greene. The Great Danes took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter when Holmes pulled in a 13-yard pass from Vincent Testaverde.

The Spiders scored the next 10 points of the second quarter, taking a 17-14 lead into the locker room. Mancuso tied the game with a 28-yard touchdown run through the Great Dane defense before Trau hit a 32-yard field goal with 3:00 left in the half for the lead.

The see-saw affair went back to Albany in the third quarter when running back Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks scampered in from 13-yards out for the 21-17 lead. Richmond came back and answered with an 11-play, 54-yard drive that was highlighted by a 21-yard reception by Simpson to the one-yard line. Mancuso looked to score his second rushing touchdown but the ball popped loose at the goal line where senior tight end Stephon Jacob (Damascus, Md.) pounced on the loose ball for the Spiders' touchdown. Albany would tie the game with 4:02 remaining on an Ethan Stark field goal setting the stage for the Spiders' last second victory.

Senior wider receiver Tyler Wilkins (Richmond, Va.) finished the night with eight receptions for 66 yards while Drake added five receptions for 58 yards.

Richmond continues its two-game road swing next weekend when it travles to nationally-ranked Elon. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m.

-- UR --