University of Richmond Athletics
Football Downs No. 19 William & Mary In Season Finale
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond football team concluded its 2013 season in fashion, as it downed the No. 19 William & Mary Tribe, 31-20, Saturday afternoon at Robins Stadium to keep the Capital Cup in Richmond.
The win capped off Richmond’s four-game winning streak to finish the season 6-6 overall and 4-4 in the league, while William & Mary’s year will end at 7-5 and 4-4 in the CAA.
The Spiders were unstoppable on offense as they went 5-of-5 in the red zone and connected on 8-of-16 third down conversions. Richmond outgained William & Mary, 382-306, with the help of 149 rushing.
FB Seth Fisher had a career day, leading both teams with 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns off 23 carries to be named the 2013 Capital Cup MVP, while QB Michael Strauss captained the Spider offense as he connected on 22-of-37 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown.
The Spider defense held the Tribe to just 26:00 time of possession, 5-of-13 third down conversions and just one offensive touchdown. DL Evan Kelly led Richmond with eight tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for a loss and two quarterback hurries.
The Spiders came out hot in the first half, scoring 24 of its points which marked the second-straight game with 20-plus in the first 30 minutes.
After scoring on its first possession of the day, Richmond allowed 10-straight points which was William & Mary’s only lead of the game with under three minutes to go in the first quarter.
An eight-yard sack from Kelly, which eventually led to the Tribe’s punt team, sparked the Spiders’ momentum. LB David Herlocker came up with his first-career blocked punt that set the Spiders up on the William & Mary 20-yard line.
Richmond pulled away with 10-straight points to cap off the second quarter. True freshman WR Brian Brown grabbed a five-yard pass from Strauss in the end zone, before K Brandon Jordi connected on his field goal of the game, a 22-yarder, to give Richmond the 24-13 lead.
At the half, Strauss connected on 16-of-25 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown, while Fisher led the rushing offense with 58 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Richmond outgained the Tribe, 236-138, in total yards, converted on 6-of-8 third-down conversions and was 4-of-4 in the red zone. The Spiders also scored 24 points for the second-straight game with 20-plus points after the first two quarters.
The Spiders started the second half off with a two-yard touchdown rush from Fisher. The fullback’s second score of the day capped off a scoring drive that consisted of seven plays for 75 yards in a span of three minutes.
William & Mary looked to gain momentum late in the third as it drove the ball down field 60 yards, but DB Wayne Pettus was there to halt the Tribe as he forced his second fumble of the season. DB Reggie Barnette recovered the fumble to give the Spiders the ball back on their 20-yard line with 2:21 left in the quarter.
Richmond’s swarming defense tamed the Tribe for the remainder of the game, as it forced a turnover on downs, two punts and a missed field goal before allowing William & Mary’s only touchdown with 30 seconds left in the game.
Richmond defeated back-to-back ranked opponents for the first time since the 2009 season, when the Spiders beat William & Mary in the regular season finale and Elon in the FCS playoffs.
Prior to kickoff, the Richmond football program honored its 13 seniors, including WR Ben Edwards, K Joe Gulli, Jr., DB Wayne Pettus, LB Walt Sparks, RB George Boston, DL Jacob Pierce, TE Sam Roller, DL B.J. Scott, OL Mark Speir, DB Chris Speros, OL Jimmy Speros, WR Parker Tuck and DL Kerry Wynn.
2013 Capital Cup MVP
FB Seth Fisher - 23 Attempts, 135 Yards, 2 TDs