Football Hosts Fordham In Home Opener Saturday At 6 P.M.

Saturday, September 8

Richmond, Va.

6 PM

University of Richmond

Fordham

Tickets

Football Hosts Fordham In Home Opener Saturday At 6 P.M.

09/06/2018 | Football

Game Notes Sponsored By Owen & Owens SpiderTV ESPN Richmond Live Stats

RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond football team opens home portion of the 2018 season Saturday night as it welcomes in Fordham for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Robins Stadium. The game will feature a post-game fireworks celebration to commemorate the ninth home opener in Robins Stadium history.

The game will be televised on NBC Sports Washington locally and online on SpiderTV at ww.RichmondSpiders.com with Bob Black, Chris Anderson and Sean Robertson on the call. The game will also air on ESPN Richmond on 99.5 FM and 950 AM with Robert Fish and Matt Smith on the call. The audio will also stream on www.RichmondSpiders.com and one the TuneIn App. Full game notes are available in the links to the right and are brought to you by Owen & Owens.

The Football & Brews event has been moved indoors due to anticipated rain and will be held in the Weinstein Center, adjacent to Robins Center. All other details on the event remain the same.

The Spiders have been dominant in their home openers in program history, posting an 86-44-6 record all-time in such games. Richmond has won 12-straight home openers, dating back to the 2005 season and have out-scored opponents by a 517-135 margin during that stretch. Last season, the Spiders opened the home schedule with a 68-21 victory over Howard.

The 2018 season is the ninth season that the Spiders can call Robins Stadium home. Richmond is 36-14 all-time at home at the Robins Stadium, good for a .720 winning percentage. In the last four years, Richmond has gone 20-6 at home, winning at a 76.9 winning percentage. The Spiders have won at least five home games in five of the eight years calling Robins Stadium home.

Richmond opened the season last weekend in Charlottesville with a 42-13 loss to the Cavaliers. Senior linebacker Dale Matthews Jr. (Bowie, Md.) scored the Spiders' lone touchdown last weekend, intercepting a Cavaliers' pass in the first quarter and returning it 72-yards for a touchdown to give Richmond the early lead.

The Spiders' defensive line got pressure on the Cavaliers in the loss with junior Maurice Jackson (Levittown, Pa.) and redshirt sophomore Darius Reynolds (Yorktown, Va.) combining for three sacks and six tackles for loss from the end positions. Jackson led the way with two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, taking the early lead in the Colonial Athletic Association in both statistical categories.

Jackson led the defense with 10 total tackles, tying for the team-high with junior defensive back Daniel Jones (Williamsburg, Va.) Senior linebacker Justin Rubin (Southampton, Pa.) added eight total tackles while Reynolds finished with seven overall.

Junior quarterback Kevin Johnson (Atlanta, Ga.) made his first career regular season start after making three starts in the postseason in 2016. Johnson completed 11-of-28 passes in the loss for 194 yards, including a 54-yard connection with Cortrelle Simpson (Indian Head, Md.). Senior wider receiver Tyler Wilkins (Richmond, Va.) led all pass catchers with four receptions for 75 yards.

Richmond and have only met one other time with the teams finishing in a 3-3 tie in 1995. This marks the third-straight season that the Spiders have faced a team from the Patriot League as they played a home-and-home series with Colgate previously. Richmond is 10-11-1 all-time against the Patriot League, including a 20-17 victory at Colgate last season. The Spiders played a home-and-home with Colgate the last two years, winning both meetings. Richmond is 5-1 against Colgate, 2-0 against Bucknell, 3-5 against Georgetown, 0-1 against Lehigh, 0-1 against Holy Cross and 0-3 against Lafayette.

Fordham enters the game after suffering a 34-10 loss at Charlotte. Quarterback Luke Medlock threw for 296 yards last weekend, connecting on 22-of-47 form the air for one touchdown. Austin Longi was the top receiver with eight receptions for 113 yards, including a 70-yard connection. Defensively, Glenn Cunningham led the way with 13 total tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

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