University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Looks For Third A-10 Win Against No. 22 Delaware Saturday
Oct. 11, 2005
Complete Richmond Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Complete Atlantic 10 Release in PDF FormatDownload Free Acrobat Reader
Complete Opponent Game Notes in PDF FormatDownload Free Acrobat Reader
Richmond, 2-1 in the A-10 for the first time since 2000, welcomes the 22nd-ranked Delaware Blue Hens to UR Stadium for a noon kickoff, Oct. 15. Saturday's game was originally scheduled to be played at UD Stadium in Newark, Del., at 3 p.m., but due to unplayable field conditions the contest was moved to UR Stadium. The game's radio broadcast can be heard on the Spider Radio Network and at RichmondSpiders.com. Bob Black will handle the play-by-play with former Richmond defensive standout, Jasmonn Coleman, as analyst and Matt Smith on the sidelines.
The Spiders (2-3, 2-1) are coming off a 38-20 win over Villanova in the A-10 South Division last Saturday. The win elevated them to second place in the division behind James Madison, which is 2-0 thus far in the league. Delaware (3-2, 0-2) will be looking for its first conference win of the season, after falling at Towson, 31-35, and dropping a home game to Hofstra last week, 6-10. The Spiders trail in the all-time series, 17-4, and have not beat Delaware at UR Stadium since 1987.
Richmond is under the direction of second-year head coach Dave Clawson, who has compiled a seven-year career record of 34-40 and a 5-11 mark in two seasons at Richmond. K.C. Keeler is in his 4th season as the Blue Hens' head coach. Keeler has compiled a 13-year career mark of 121-34-1, and a record of 33-13 at Delaware.
QUICK OUTS...
-- Senior Stacy Tutt is currently seventh on the Spiders' all-time list for pass attempts with 535. He needs 17 more attempts to overtake Harry Knight (1972-74) in sixth place with 551.
-- Tutt needs 170 passing yards to move into fifth on the Spiders all-time list ahead of Jimmie Miles (1996-99) with 3,886.
-- Tutt needs 174 yards of total offense to move into fourth on the Spiders' all-time list ahead of Charlie Richards (1968-70) with 4,731.
-- Tutt needs to be part of 19 plays (run, pass) to move into fifth on the Spiders' all-time list ahead of Charlie Richards (1968-70) with 867. After moving past Richards in fifth, he will need 46 plays to move in front of Buster O'Brien (1966-68) in fourth with 913.
-- Richmond's defense has not allowed a fourth-quarter touchdown by a 1-AA opponent this season. Vanderbilt scored one TD in the fourth quarter in Nashville, but the only other score in the last quarter was a field goal by UMass
-- Richmond senior kicker Joseph Fore has connected on his last five field goal attempts (21, 19, 32, 40, 35).
-- Junior Adam Goloboski has garnered 9+ tackles in each of the last four games. He also made eight stops in the UMass game. He currently ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 and 35th in the country with 9.8 tackles per game.
-- Two of Richmond's three linebackers have been named an A-10 Defensive Player of the Week. Junior Adam Goloboski was named Preseason All-Atlantic 10 at linebacker.
-- When the Spiders have won the coin toss (got the initial choice) during the Clawson era, they have won the game. The streak dates back to the beginning of the 2004 season and spans 16 games.
RICHMOND-DELAWARE SERIES
The Richmond-Delaware series began Oct. 24, 1931, when the Blue Hens topped Richmond 7-0 in Newark, Del... After an 18-year hiatus the two resumed the series Oct. 5, 1949 in Newark, where Delaware again won 21-7... Another break in the series was closed in 1986, and the two teams have met each year since... The Blue Hens are 17-4 overall in the series... Delaware has won the last two overall and 10 of the last 12... Three of the Spiders' wins in the all-time series have come at Richmond... Richmond's last win in the series came Sept. 7, 2002 in Richmond, 15-13.
A QUICK LOOK AT DELAWARE
The Delaware Blue Hens come into Saturday's game looking for their first A-10 win in 2005. Delaware, the 2003 1-AA National Champions, are 3-2 overall after winning three-straight non-conference games to begin the season. The Blue Hens lost 35-31 at Towson in their conference opener and dropped a defensive struggle against Hofstra last week, 10-6. Sophomore running back Omar Cuff is pacing the Delaware offense in both rushing per game (111.2) and receiving per game (52.2). The Landover, Md., native has scored 11 of the team's 20 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Sonny Riccio is under center for the Blue Hens for the second-straight season after transferring from Missouri at the end of the 2003 season. Riccio has thrown nine TD's and only two interceptions in 166 attempts. Defensively, senior linebacker John Mulhern leads Delaware with 47 total stops, including team-bests in solo tackles (25) and assisted tackles (22).
A RICHMOND WIN WOULD...
-- Give the Spiders a 3-3 mark for the first time since the 1999 season.
-- Give the Spiders a 3-1 mark in the Atlantic 10 for the first time since the 2000 season.
-- Make the Spiders 13-32 against ranked opponents dating back to 1995.
-- Mark the first win over a ranked opponent since topping No. 9 UMass, 24-14, Nov. 9, 2004.
-- Snap a six-game losing streak to ranked opponents dating back to a 29-25 loss Oct. 9, 2004 vs. Maine.
-- Make the Spiders 4-5 at UR Stadium under head coach Dave Clawson.
-- Make the all-time series with Delaware 17-5, in favor of the Blue Hens.
-- Up the Spiders' record to 4-7 against Delaware when playing in Richmond.
-- Snap the Blue Hens' two-game win streak in the all-time series.
-- Mark Richmond's first win over Delaware since the 2001 season.
-- Move Clawson's marks to 35-40 as a head coach and 96-86-1 in his coaching career.
-- Give Clawson his first win all-time against Delaware and make his record 1-1 against the Blue Hens.
-- Give the Spiders an all-time record of 443-588-53.
A RICHMOND LOSS WOULD...
-- Give the Spiders a 2-4 mark for the first time since the 2004 season.
-- Give the Spiders a 2-2 record in the Atlantic 10 for the first time since the 2002 season.
-- Make the Spiders 12-33 against ranked opponents dating back to 1995.
-- Run its losing streak to seven games against ranked oppoenents.
-- Make the Spiders 2-6 at UR Stadium under head coach Dave Clawson.
-- Make the all-time series with Delaware 18-4, in favor of the Blue Hens.
-- Drop the Spiders' record to 4-8 against Delaware when playing in Richmond.
-- Extend Delaware's win streak to three games in the all-time series.
-- Give Clawson a mark of 34-41 as a head coach and 95-87-1 in his coaching career.
-- Drop Clawson to 0-2 against the Blue Hens in his coaching career.
-- Give the Spiders an all-time record of 442-589-53.
LOOKING FOR THE BIG PLAYS
Head Coach Dave Clawson preaches to his players to be in a position to make big plays happen -- his team has responded by creating nine plays of 35 or more yards. Six of them are 45 yards or more and three have gained 50+ yards. Freshman Stacy Tutt was the seventh-longest pass play in school history. Sophomore Arman Shields' 46-yard TD catch from Tutt and junior Lance Gray 40-yard interception return for a touchdown account for 12 of the 18 points scored off the Spiders' big plays. In comparison, Richmond has allowed six plays of 35 or more yards, all six are 45 yards or more in size, and four have resulted in touchdowns. For an individual play breakdown visit page 14 of the notes.
SHIELDS HAS THE KNACK TO GET THE "YAC"
Up until the Vanderbilt game, sophomore Arman Shields had caught one pass for one yard. In the last two games the Washington, D.C., native has caught eight balls for 116 yards (at Vanderbilt) and five balls for 100 yards (vs. Villanova). It was the first time since 1992 a Richmond receiver has wracked up consecutive 100-yard receiving games. Rod Boothes garnered three-straight games of 100+ receiving yards from Oct. 17-Oct. 31 that season. Shields' 217 total yards rank second on the team behind junior Matt Hale's 242. More impressive is what Shields does after he catches the ball. If he was stopped by defenses once he caught his 14 total passes he would only have 121 yards and no touchdowns. The sophomore has wracked up 96 yards-after-catch. His longest YAC for any catch this season is 27 yards, the touchdown catch at Vanderbilt. He has also gone 15 yards on his own, 12 yards twice and nine once. Five of his 14 catches have resulted in two or fewer yards after the catch.
THE KID CAN KICK
Senior Chris Radford has been amazing in the punting game. The Wilson, N.C., native ranks third in the Atlantic 10, and 25th in the NCAA, in yards per punt with 40.6. He has the Spiders' punt coverage team ranked second in the Atlantic 10, and 14th in the country, averaging a net yardage of 39.5. Earlier this season Radford set a career-high by punting nine times against Lafayette for an average of 40.6 yards. Against Maine, the Wilson, N.C., native placed three inside the 20 yardline and uncorked a career-best 64-yard punt which travelled from the Spider 18 yard line to the Maine 18 yard line. On the season Radford has pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line 10 times, including three touchbacks, and inside their own 10-yard line five times.
HE'S THE DEEP MAN
Senior David Freeman is working his way up the national standings in kickoff return yards per game. The Fayetteville, N.C., native currently is seventh in the nation averaging 30.4 kickoff return yards per game. His average is tops in the A-10. Three of the Spiders' plays of 35 or more yards are returns by Freeman. He returned the opening kickoff against UMass 50 yards, as well as a 58-yard return against Villanova and a 36-yard return at Vanderbilt. He must double his current total to rank 10th all-time in single-season kickoff-return yards. Jesse Williams returned 23 kicks for 487 yards in 1980, and currently holds 10th place on the list.
BURNETTE NAMED ATLANTIC 10 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Chesterfield, Va., native was named the conference Defensive Player of the Week, after helping the Spiders to a 38-20 win against Villanova, Saturday at UR Stadium.
Burnette was part of a defensive effort which allowed just 17 yards rushing by the Wildcats, and limited Villanova to just one touchdown the entire second half. The co-captain recorded a career-best 14 stops in the contest and garnered the first interception of his career. The pick, which came in the fourth quarter, resulted in a 31-yard touchdown scamper by Burnette, helping put the Spiders in front 38-20. It marked the second interception return for a touchdown this season for Richmond, the other coming in the win at Maine, by junior linebacker Lance Gray, who picked up player of the week honors following that game. Burnette finished the game with a team-high nine assisted tackles, two tackles-for-loss equalling 13 yards, a pass deflection and a 12-yard sack.
SPIDERS WIN THE TOSS -- AND WIN THE GAME, AGAIN
For the second time in the Clawson era the Spiders won the coin toss and went on to win the game. In Clawson's 16 games as the Spiders' head coach, only twice has his team got to select if it wanted to defer, receive, kick or defend a goal, and both times the Spiders have won the contest. The first time Richmond got the selection after the coin flip, in the Clawson era, came at Maine, Sept. 17. Richmond chose to defer and won the game 26-21. Last week the Spiders got the choice after Villanova called the flip wrong, and chose again to defer. Richmond eventually won the game 38-20.
NOTES FROM THE VILLANOVA GAME...
-- Richmond's Matt Hale's caught his first collegiate touchdown to put Richmond up 24-20 with 10:36 left in the game.
-- Richmond's first drive of the fourth quarter was the Spiders' longest scoring drive of the season in plays (13), yards (87) and time (4:41).
-- Andrew Harris intercepted his second pass of the season and the second of his career in the fourth quarter.
-- David Freeman 6-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was his first of the season and sixth of his career.
-- Brian Burnette grabbed the first interception of his career in the fourth quarter. It also marked the second interception return for a touchdown the Spiders have garnered this season.
-- Richmond forced Villanova quarterback Frank Jankowski into a career-high three interceptions.
-- The Spiders had scored just three points in the fourth quarter this season, before erupting for 21 points in the fourth quarter against Villanova.
-- Richmond has now held I-AA opponents to just nine second-half points in four games. UMass kicked a field goal in the season-opener and Villanova scored a touchdown on its opening drive of the second half Saturday.
-- Richmond won the coin toss for just the second time in 16 games under Dave Clawson and is now a perfect 2-for-2 when winning the coin toss under Clawson.
-- Stacy Tutt moved into sole possession of seventh-place on the Spiders' all-time list for pass attempts with 535. He needs 17 to overtake Henry Knight (1972-74) for sixth place.
-- David Freeman 58-yard kickoff return in the first quarter was the Spiders' longest kickoff return of the season and the longest of Freeman's career.
-- The Spiders gave up touchdowns on the first two positions of the game for the first time this season.
-- Villanova's 57-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter was the longest pass play the Spiders gave up this year.
-- Joseph Fore converted his fifth-straight field goal, splitting the uprights from 35 yards out in the second quarter.
-- Stephen Howell's interception in the second quarter was his second pick of the season.
-- Stacy Tutt 26-yard touchdown in the second quarter was his third of the season and the 15th of his career.
-- Richmond led at the half for the second time this year, the other being in the victory over Maine.
-- Richmond had not lost a fumble in five games this season until giving up two against Villanova.
-- Brian Burnette sack in the third quarter was his first of the season and the third of his career.
-- Joe Stewart's 21-yard catch in the third quarter was the longest of his career.
-- Villanova's seven penalties are the most by a Spider opponent this season. Vanderbilt was flagged six times.
-- Chris Radford 39-yard punt in the third quarter was his fourth punt downed inside the 10 and ninth inside the 20 this season.
-- Richmond's 38 points are the most scored since topping Rhode Island at Richmond 41-38, Oct. 9, 1999.
-- Arman Shields' 100-yard receiving game marked his second consecutive this season. Against Vanderbilt he hauled in eight balls for 116 yards.
-- The win gave the Spiders a 2-3 mark for the first time since the 2004 season.
-- The win gave the Spiders a 2-1 mark in the Atlantic 10 for the first time since the 2000 season.
-- The win made the Spiders 2-5 at UR Stadium under head coach Dave Clawson.
-- The win made the all-time series record with Villanova 8-17, in favor of the Wildcats.
-- The win upped the Spiders' record to 4-8 against Villanova when playing in Richmond.
-- The win snapped the Wildcats' three-game win streak in the all-time series.
-- The win marked Richmond's first win over Villanova since the 2000 season.
-- The win gave Richmond its first win over Villanova in Richmond since 1993.
-- The win moved Clawson's marks to 34-40 as a head coach and 95-86-1 in his coaching career.
-- The win gave Clawson his first win all-time against Villanova, making his record 1-2 against the Wildcats.
-- The win gave the Spiders an all-time record of 442-588-53.