No. 10 Spiders Fall To Delaware At Home, 28-24

Oct. 21, 2006

RICHMOND, VA. -- The 10th-ranked Richmond football squad fell victim to an upset under the UR Stadium lights Saturday night, Oct. 21, as Delaware escaped with a 28-24 victory.

Both teams displayed potent offenses during the see-saw battle, giving the 6,200 fans in attendance a splendid gridiron show.

The Blue Hens (4-3, 2-2) put the ball in the hands of junior quarterback Joe Flacco, who completed 31-of-45 attempted passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came on throws to sophomore receiver Aaron Love, including the game's first points with 3:47 left in the first quarter.

"They went up and down the field on our defense," Spider head coach Dave Clawson said. "Offensively we couldn't get a first down when we needed to."

Richmond (5-2, 2-2) looked as if it could tie the game up late in the first quarter as sophomore tailback Josh Vaughan scampered down the right sideline for more than 75 yards. Before Vaughan could cross the goal line though, Delaware defensive back Garrett Schultz chased him down and forced the ball out of Vaughan's arms, and then rolled into the endzone for a touchback and a change of possession.

Senior linebacker Adam Goloboski and the rest of the Spider defense worked hard to stop Delaware but Flacco converted low-percentage pass attempts throughout the entire game. Goloboski racked up 17 tackles in the game though, including 12 in the first quarter.

The Blue Hens marched down the field for an 80-yard drive after the turnover. A 22-yard touchdown run from freshman tailback Jared Bradley helped push Delaware's lead to 14-0.

The Spiders fought right back though, moving the ball midway through the second quarter for a 55-yard drive that lasted more than five minutes. Junior tailback Tim Hightower put Richmond on the scoreboard with a one-yard touchdown run.

Delaware's lead stayed 14-7 at halftime but the Spiders maintained their momentum in the third quarter. Richmond quarterback Eric Ward, a redshirt freshman, led the offense on a 65-yard drive to start the second half. Hightower, who finished the game with 20 rushes for 80 yards, again provided the scoring punch, this time from three yards out to tie the game at 14-14.

The Spiders took their first lead of the game on a successful 26-yard field goal from freshman Andrew Howard with about four minute left in the third quarter. With Richmond up 17-14 heading into the fourth quarter, Clawson looked to his running backs and offensive line to deplete Delaware's defense. As the Spider running game stalled though on the first drive of the fourth quarter, Ward found his passing rhythm and connected with sophomore tight end Joe Stewart for a five-yard score. Ward finished the game with 165 yards passing and 30 yards rushing.

Following Richmond's score which pushed the score to 24-14, the Blue Hens bounced back with a quick score of its own after giving up 24-unanswered points. Flacco found Love for a touchdown from 11 yards out with 10:07 remaining in the game to pull Delaware within three points.

As the Spider offense sputtered during the rest of the fourth quarter, Delaware finished the game off with a 69-yard touchdown drive capped off by a Bradley run from one-yard out and only 43 seconds left on the game clock.

"I just feel that this game was played the way we want to play it with a lead in the fourth quarter," Clawson said. "The two things that we've counted on all year - good defense and the ability to run the ball - let us down."

Richmond's next game will be at home on Saturday, Oct. 28, against James Madison as part of Homecoming weekend. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.

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