No. 1 Richmond Downs VMI, 38-28: Postgame Notes

Sept. 26, 2009

Team Notes

· Richmond's win extended the school-record winning streak to 13-straight games. It stands as the longest current in the FCS.

· The team's 548 yards of total offense is the eighth-best in Richmond history and the most by the Spiders since rolling up 612 yards against Bucknell (9/22/07). The school record of 642 yards was set versus Northeastern (9/8/07).

· Richmond improved to 7-2 overall when playing as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation (4-0 at home, 3-2 on the road).

· At 4-0, the Spiders are off to their best start since 2006 (4-0). That season also began with a win at Duke. The 7-0 start by the 1985 squad stands as the best in school history.

· Under second-year head coach Mike London, the Spiders are now 17-3 overall (9-2 on the road, 7-1 at home, 1-0 neutral) - all 20 of those games have been played with Richmond as a Top-10 ranked squad.

· Richmond has defeated long-time rival VMI eight-consecutive times and grabbed a 41-40-5 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1893. Richmond has won 12 of the last 13 and 18 of the last 20.

· Richmond has scored 31 or points or more in 14 consecutive home games dating back to 2007 and the Spiders are 13-1 in that span.

· Under London, the Spiders improved to 14-1 when leading at the half, improved to 11-1 when scoring 30+ points and improved to 12-2 when losing the toss. (Richmond has not won a toss this year.)

Player Notes

· Senior QB Eric Ward posted the second-best passing game in school history, throwing for a career-high 394 yards and three TDs. His performance stands second only to Buster O'Brien's 447 yards in the 1968 Tangerine Bowl win over Ohio University.

· Ward also gained four yards rushing and his 398 yards of total offense is the fifth-best single-game mark for the Spiders. O'Brien holds the record with 486 yards in the 1968 Tangerine Bowl game (447 pass, 39 rush).

· Ward completed his first six passes of the game, to five different receivers for 61 yards. His first incompletion was a pass intended for Jordan Mitchell in the end zone with five minutes left in first quarter.

· Ward has thrown 53 TD passes in his career and needs just one more to tie Bob Bleier's (1983-86) career record of 54.

· Ward's 394 yards marked the first time a Richmond QB had surpassed the 300-yard mark since former Spider Levi Brown threw for 332 versus Villanova in 2006. Ward's previous career-best was 280- yards versus UNI in the 2008 NCAA Semifinals.

· Ward tied his career-high with 28 completions (28 vs. UNI in 2008) and set a career-high with 39 attempts.

· Ward was sacked once in the game - marking the first time he has been sacked this season.

· Sophomore WR Donte Boston had career highs in both catches (seven) and yards (125), highlighted by a career-long 53-yard TD catch. His previous career-high was 65 yards versus Hofstra last week.

· Sophomore WR Tre Gray also reeled in a career-best 112 yards on six catches, surpassing his previous career-best of 97 yards versus James Madison last season.

· Boston's and Gray's 100-yard performances mark Richmond's first game with two receivers over 100 yards since 2005 when Arman Shields had 147 and Matt Hale (112) versus Hofstra (10/22/05).

· Senior RB Justin Forte also racked up a career-best 152 yards on 21 carries (7.2 avg.). His previous career-best was 144 yards versus VMI in 2006.

· With 52 yards on three kickoff returns, junior Justin Rogers broke Richmond's career kickoff return yardage record. Now with 1,867 in his career, Rogers broke the record previously held by Rod Boothes (1990-93) of 1,854.

· Senior DE Battle blocked a VMI extra-point attempt, marking the team's third blocked kick of the season and the third in Battle's career (two in 2008). Tyler Kirchoff blocked a punt at Duke and Kevin Grayson blocked a field goal at Delaware.

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