Football Claims Capital Cup Win Over William & Mary

Saturday, March 6

Richmond, Va.

1:00 PM

University of Richmond

1-0 , 1-0

William & Mary

0-1 , 0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

William & Mary

Richmond

03/06/2021 | Football

Box Score Box Score PDF)Game Highlights Post-Game Press Conference Photo Gallery

RICHMOND, Va. – The 131^st meeting of "The South's Oldest Rivalry" came down to the fourth quarter and the University of Richmond football team controlled the final 11:56 of the game taking home a 21-14 Capital Cup victory Saturday afternoon at Robins Stadium. The Capital Cup series is now tie at 63-63-5 all-time between the two rivals.

The game was the first for the Spiders in 470 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the first of six regular season Colonial Athletic Association games this spring.

The Spiders held possession of the ball for 10:09 over the last 12 minutes of the game, putting together a go-ahead drive, forcing a three-and-out and clinching the victory with a final drive that ran out the clock on the Tribe. With the Spiders trailing 14-13 with under 12 minutes remaining, redshirt senior quarterback Joe Mancuso (Blairsville, Ga.) led Richmond down the field on a 14-play, 77-yard drive retaking the lead.

Richmond did most of the damage on the ground, meticulously driving down the field gaining 59 yards on the ground on seven carries. Redshirt sophomore running back Aaron Dykes (Knoxville, Tenn.) accounted for 13 yards, sophomore Savon Smith (Winchester, Va.) added 18 and Mancuso himself rushing for 17 yards in the drive.

Mancuso capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to transfer tight end John Fitzgerald (Baltimore, Md.). The catch was the third of the drive for Fitzgerald and his first career touchdown as a Spider. Mancuso connected with Smith on the two-point conversion pass giving the Spiders a seven-point advantage with 6:20 remaining.

William & Mary (0-1) got the ball back, but the Spiders' defense shut them down, forcing a three-and-out as the Tribe only gained eight yards. The Spiders got the ball back with 4:33 remaining in the game and never relinquished it. Richmond picked up a pair of first downs to milk the clock down, with Smith converting both first downs – one on a three-yard rush and the capper on a 14-yard scamper that sealed the victory.

The Spiders finished the game out-rushing William & Mary by a 169-72 margin as three different players went over the 50-yard mark. Mancuso led the way on the ground with 63 yards on 11 carries while Smith added 56 yards. Dykes finished with 94 total yards of offense (57 rushing, 37 receiving) to go along with a pair of scores. Mancuso ended the day 15-of-27 through the air for 141 yards and two scores, without committing a turnover.

Defensively, the Spiders did not allow a point in the first half and limited the Tribe to just 276 yards of total offense. Sophomore linebacker Tristan Wheeler (Bethlehem, Pa.) led the defense with seven tackles while Tyler Dressler (Covington, Va.) added six tackles, including two for loss. Redshirt junior defensive tackle Kobie Turner (Clifton, Va.) added five tackles, 1.5 for loss.

The Spiders scored the game's first points right before the end of the first quarter. Richmond capped a 12-play, 82-yard drive that took 7:16 off the clock with a seven-yard pass from Mancuso to Dykes. Dykes also scored in the third quarter, rushing in from six-yards out, which at the time gave the Spiders a 13-0 lead. William & Mary would score the next 14 points of the game, taking a 14-13 lead with 11:56 remaining before Richmond took control down the stretch.

The Spiders hit the road for the first time next Saturday afternoon when they travel to Elon, N.C., for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Phoenix.
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