University of Richmond Athletics
No. 8/8 Richmond Falls On The Road At Maine
ORONO, Maine – The No. 8/8 University of Richmond Spiders football team fell on the road to Maine on Saturday afternoon, 33-20.
With the setback, Richmond falls to 7-3 on the season overall and to 4-2 in CAA conference play. Maine improves to 4-5 on the year and to 3-3 in league play.
WR Reggie Diggs had a game-high eight catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, while WR Brian Brown had four receptions for 78 yards.
Defensively, DB Reggie Barnette had a game-high 10 tackles and a pass breakup, while DL Evan Kelly and LB Eric Wright each had nine stops.
Richmond opened the game with an impressive, 11-play, 75-yard drive to take an early, 6-0 lead at Maine. QB Michael Rocco was 6-for-6 for 59 yards and capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Maine answered back, however, taking advantage of a pair of Richmond turnovers to take a 9-6 lead after the first quarter. A 23-yard interception return for a touchdown tied the game and then following a UR fumble, the Black Bears took the lead with a 26-yard field goal. The three-point deficit marked only the second time all season that Richmond trailed after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Spiders were unable to get on the scoreboard as the Black Bears added to their lead. At halftime, Richmond trailed Maine, 23-6.
Halfway through the third quarter, the Spiders cut the Black Bears’ lead to just 10 with an 11-play, 89-yard touchdown drive. After converting on a 4th-and-4 from the Maine 27-yard line, Rocco connected with Diggs in the left corner of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown. Diggs’ third score of the season cut the Maine lead to 23-13 with just over a minute left in the third.
Trailing 30-13 after a Maine score, Richmond answered with a touchdown of its own to get the lead back to 10 points. A nine-play, 58-yard drive culminated in a three-yard touchdown run from Fisher to make the lead 30-20.
The 10-point margin was as close as Richmond could get to the Black Bears, as the Spiders fell on the road. 33-20.
The No. 8/8 Richmond Spiders will return home to Robins Stadium this Saturday to host in-state rival James Madison on Senior Day. The game is set for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff and will be broadcast nationally on the NBC Sports Network.