Ground Game Prevails As Spiders Edge North Carolina A&T for Fourth Consecutive Win

Saturday, October 5

Richmond, Va.

2 p.m.

University of Richmond

4-2 , 2-0

North Carolina A&T

1-5 , 0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

N.C. A&T

Richmond

Photo by: Keith Lucas/Sideline Media

Ground Game Prevails As Spiders Edge North Carolina A&T for Fourth Consecutive Win

10/05/2024 | Football

Box Score

Richmond, Va. – The run game came alive Saturday as two Spiders rushed for over 100 yards for the first time since 2015 to help No. 21 Richmond pass North Carolina A&T, 20-17, for the team's fourth consecutive win and second Coastal Athletic Association conference win in as many weeks.

Junior running back Zach Palmer-Smith continued to lead the Spiders ground attack, picking up a season and career-high 200 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Behind Palmer-Smith, true freshman Andrew King averaged 16.7 yards a carry over his six hauls, rushing for 100 yards for the first time in his career while picking up another Spider score.

Palmer-Smith and King helped the Spiders average 8.2 yards a carry and are the first Spider duo to rush for 100 yards or more in a single game since Oct. 10, 2015 when Jacobi Green and Seth Fisher pulled off the feat against Elon. Palmer-Smith has now rushed for over 150 yards in each of the last three games and is the first Spider to do so since 2015 when Green did the same during weeks seven through nine.

"I would say it starts with the offensive line first," said Palmer-Smith. "Everyone is making their blocks and then tight ends come along to make the blocks as well. The receivers have been physical and that's been helping my run game a lot."

Richmond's 286 rushing yards are its most this season as it outgained the Aggies 410 to 349 in total offense to improve to 4-2 (2-0 CAA). With the loss, A&T falls to 1-5 (0-2 CAA).

Down 10-0, the Spiders responded with a two-play, 75-yard drive that included a 12-yard reception and 63-yard touchdown run by King at 8:34 in the second quarter.

"He is pretty electric," said Head Coach Russ Huesman on King, Richmond's first true freshman to run for 100 yards since 2016. "When he showed up to camp, we knew he'd be in the picture– no question about that. He and Palmer-Smith are a great one-two punch right now."

The Spiders forced the Aggies to a three-and-out situation on their ensuing drive and Richmond marched down the field where Brandon Peskin knocked in a 33-yard field goal to tie the game at ten apiece going into the halftime break.

Richmond scored and took its first lead of the game on the opening possession of the second half thanks to Palmer-Smith, who broke off a 44-yard rush to put the Spiders in scoring position and set up for another successful Peskin field goal, this one from 20 yards out.

Palmer-Smith would find the end zone for his team-leading seventh touchdown of the season and Richmond's final score of the game at 4:04 in the third quarter off an eight-yard run.

A&T would score off a long 38-yard pass at 8:20 in the final frame, but the Spiders defense would hold up from there, forcing an Aggies turnover on downs with 4:32 left in the game before Richmond burnt the rest of the clock on an eight-play, 43-yard drive that ended in the Spiders taking a knee in victory formation to earn the win.

"We're very fortunate to come out with a win," said Huesman. "Credit to our offensive line and our running backs, that was fantastic."

Quarterback Camden Coleman went 10-of-18 for 124 yards, and punter Aaron Trusler came up with a career-long 75-yard punt to flip the field and take over his own spot at No. 7 on Richmond's all-time list.

Defensively, Chance Graves led the Spiders with nine tackles, while Matthew Traynor came up with seven including 1.5 tackles for loss and a pair of pass breakups. Wayne Galloway also recorded seven tackles as well as a sack for a loss of nine yards in the fourth quarter.

Richmond heads into its bye week before hosting Delaware for the final CAA contest between the two teams during Red Out Robins Presented by Chesapeake Bank. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19.