Spiders Tripped Up By Lehigh in First Round of FCS Playoffs

Saturday, November 30

2:00 p.m.

University of Richmond

10-3 , 8-0

Lehigh

9-3 , 5-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Lehigh

Richmond

Spiders Tripped Up By Lehigh in First Round of FCS Playoffs

11/30/2024 | Football

Box Score

Richmond, Va. – The University of Richmond football team's season came to an end Saturday in the First Round of the FCS Playoffs, as the Spiders were passed by Lehigh, 20-16, at Robins Stadium.

"A tough one to handle," said Head Coach Russ Huesman. "Credit to Lehigh—they played really well and played hard."

The No. 9 Spiders, who posted their best record since 2016 (10-3), saw their playoff run – their third in as many years – cut short. Lehigh (9-3) advances to the Second Round and will face No. 8 Idaho next Saturday.

Despite reaching the red zone on three of their first four drives, the Spiders were forced to settle for field goals each time. True freshman Sean O'Haire connected on all three, from 25, 27, and 21 yards.

With less than a minute left in the first half, Lehigh found the end zone for the first time. A 41-yard pass set up a seven-yard touchdown strike, giving the Mountain Hawks a 7-6 lead with 1:04 left. O'Haire's third field goal just before halftime put Richmond back on top, 9-7.

The third quarter was scoreless for both teams, but Richmond pulled ahead in the fourth when Jabril Hayes intercepted a Lehigh pass and returned it 43 yards to the Mountain Hawks' 39-yard line.

Hayes, who recorded two picks in the game, increased his season total to five, good enough to tie for 10^th all-time in a single season at Richmond.

Five plays later, quarterback Camden Coleman connected with tight end Sean Clarke for a seven-yard touchdown, putting the Spiders up 16-7 with 10:36 remaining. Lehigh answered quickly, however, with a 65-yard touchdown run on the very next play from scrimmage to pull within two points. The Mountain Hawks later added another score at 6:21 in the fourth—a 54-yard touchdown pass, to pull away, 20-16.

"Our guys played hard," Huesman said after the game. "I told them they played hard. We play hard every week, and I love being around them. But when you get to the playoffs, you need to make every play count. Against a good football team like Lehigh, you can't afford to miss opportunities."

Richmond got the ball back with just over six minutes left but turned it over on downs. Lehigh then took over with 4:05 remaining but was forced to punt on its ensuing drive.

With just over a minute left, Lehigh punted the ball back to Richmond for what would be the Spiders final opportunity to score on offense. However, the punt was muffed, and Lehigh recovered at their own 17-yard line, where they took a knee to run out the clock and seal the victory.