University of Richmond Athletics
Eric Ward Named CAA Football Offensive Player Of The Week
Sept. 28, 2009
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond senior QB Eric Ward earned his second CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week award this season after throwing for a career-best 394 yards in the No. 1 Spiders' 38-28 win over VMI Saturday. The win is the 13th-consecutive for the reigning National Champions, who improved to 4-0 in 2009.
Ward shattered his career high in passing, while posting the second-best passing game in school history behind the 447 yards by Buster O'Brien in the 1968 Tangerine Bowl win over Ohio University. Ward tied his career-high with 28 completions and set a career-high with 39 attempts, distributing touchdowns to three different receivers. He had 17 completions go for 10 or more yards in the game.
Ward opened the game by completing his first six passes to five different targets for 61 yards. Then, on the final seven plays of the key TD drive that put the Spiders up 38-20 with 9:38 left in the game, Ward was six-for-six for 65 yards including the 13-yard TD pass to Kevin Grayson.
A pair of sophomore wide receivers -- Donte Boston (125 yards) and Tre Gray (112) -- each posted career highs as the Spiders had two-receivers surpass the 100-yard mark in the same game for the first time since 2005. Gray's 17-yard TD catch gave the Spiders a 14-7 lead and Boston's dazzling 53-yard reception put Richmond up 21-7 on its next possession.
Ward now has 53 TD passes in his career -- one shy of Bob Bleier's (1983-86) career record. The senior is completing 67.3 pct of his passes this season for 949 yards, eight TDs and two INTs. He leads the CAA and ranks 19th in the FCS in total offense (262.3 yards), ranks second in CAA and seventh in the FCS in passing efficiency (160.11) and is second in the CAA and 20th in the FCS in passing yards/game (237.3 yards).
All of Ward's previous career-highs came at UNI in the 2008 NCAA Semifinals: 28-of-35, 280 yards. He tied his career high with four TD passes last week versus Hofstra.
Ward, who earned the honor this week along with William & Mary QB R.J. Archer, was honored by the CAA for the fourth time in his career. It marked the third-straight week a Spider has been recognized -- Ward & freshman Nicholas Battle (Defensive) on Sept. 21.
Richmond is off this week, before traveling to James Madison on Oct. 10 for a key CAA Football showdown.