University of Richmond Athletics
No. 8 Spiders Overpower VMI 58-7 In Home Opener
Sept. 16, 2006
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By Ivan Alber
RichmondSpiders.com
RICHMOND, VA. -- A crowd of 10,560 at UR Stadium for the Spiders' 2006 home opener was treated to a spectacle of flawless play in Richmond's 58-7 rout of VMI. The Spiders (2-0), after shutting out Duke on the road two weeks ago, shattered an array of offensive records in making quick work of the visiting Keydets (1-2).
"I thought we did what we needed to do," Richmond head coach Dave Clawson said. "I thought our intensity level was great. I thought our execution was good. I'm just proud of the way our team played today. I thought we handled it just the way we should."
Richmond kept the first-down chains on the move with a dominating ground attack. The tailback and fullback positions accounted for all of the seven Spider offensive touchdowns, including four from rushes and two on catches out of the backfield. Junior Tim Hightower, Richmond's top tailback, only needed the first half to pass the yardage century mark as he racked up 107 total yards and two touchdowns.
"I've got to give all of the credit to my offensive line," Hightower said. "They did well just like they did in the Duke game. They came out and executed their assignments well. I mean I ran the ball but I can't take away any credit from them. I have to give it to them. Judd [Altman], Tim Silver and those guys work really hard. I'm really blessed to have them as my offensive line."
The Spiders, despite turning the ball over on a fumble on their opening drive, broke through on the scoreboard first with sophomore Josh Vaughan's one-yard touchdown run, his first rushing score of his career. Richmond's tough offensive line led Vaughan right up the middle at the goal line with 6:39 left in the first quarter for the first six points of the game. The Spider attack was off and running.
About two minutes later on the next Spider scoring drive, it was Hightower's rushing ability that was put on display. Hightower found a sizeable hole on the right side and reeled off a 54-yard touchdown run up the sideline to push the score to 14-0.
Senior Ryan Mace, who totaled 112 return yards, provided the Spider offense with strong field position throughout the game.
Although Clawson did not need starting quarterback Eric Ward to constantly move the ball through the air because of the team's rushing proficiency, the redshirt freshman from Atlanta, Ga., completed eight of his nine attempted passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Richmond held VMI to just 28 total yards of offense in the first half, including -1 yard passing. Senior linebacker Adam Goloboski led the defense with six tackles and junior defensive end Sherman Logan recorded his first sack of the season.
The return of former Spider head coach Jim Reid, who has started his first year in the same position with VMI, was overshadowed by Richmond's offensive fireworks and stifling defense.
The second half offense gave Richmond fans a glimpse of sophomore quarterback Levi Brown and freshman tailback Justin Forte as the coaching staff switched into clock control mode. Both players took advantage of the unexpected opportunities with Brown completing all five of his passes for 63 yards and one touchdown and Forte actually becoming the game's leading rusher despite only having one half to work with. Forte rushed the ball 24 times and amassed 144 yards.
With Richmond accumulating 560 yards of total offense, the receivers, particularly junior Arman Shields, cannot be overlooked for the part they played in the team's success. Shields, for what could have been the top athletic play of the day, pulled in an acrobatic 47 yard catch midway through the second quarter. That catch set up the fourth Spider touchdown, a seven-yard scamper from Hightower wide left of the pursuing defenders.
Richmond continues its current homestand at UR Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 23 against Bucknell at 1 p.m.