University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders Move Up To No. 11/12 In National Polls
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – After a dominating, 37-12 victory on the road at Rhode Island on Saturday, the University of Richmond football team checks in as the No. 11 team in the STATS FCS and the No. 12 FCS Coaches Polls. Both polls were released Monday afternoon.
The Spiders move up two spots in the STATS FCS Poll and one spot in the FCS Coaches Poll, achieving their highest ranking so far this season. The recognition marks the 20th consecutive week dating back to last season that the Spiders have been ranked nationally. Richmond was included in at least one of the major polls each week during the 2014 campaign, reaching as high as No. 8.
The Spiders will now turn their attention to No. 3/4 James Madison who will host ESPN’s College GameDay beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday morning. College GameDay typically attracts thousands of fans to attend the live production. The show reviews major news topics in college football, previews the significant national games of the day and ends with Lee Corso’s headgear prediction to games kicking off around the country.
ESPN personalities Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, David Pollack and Samantha Ponder join Corso on the show with regular appearances from special guest analysts and celebrities. The show’s producer, Lee Fitting, is a 1996 graduate of JMU. Todd McShay, an ESPN NFL Draft analyst who regularly appears on College GameDay, is a 1999 Richmond graduate of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. Ponder, then Samantha Steele, has previous experience crossing paths with Richmond head coach Danny Rocco as a reporter for the Flames Sports Network at Liberty University where she graduated in 2009. Rocco was the Flames' head coach from 2006-2011.
The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. pitting the unbeaten, 7-0, Dukes who hold a 4-0 mark in the CAA opposite the 5-1 Spiders who come into the game with a five game winning streak and a 3-0 record in the CAA for the first time since 2009. These two programs are the only unbeaten teams left in CAA play.
The Richmond offensive duo of Kyle Lauletta and Reggie Diggs each collected career-highs in passing yards (312) and receiving yards (142), respectively, in Saturday’s win at Rhode Island while LB Omar Howard had a career day of his own on the defensive side of the ball, wrapping up 18 tackles to match his career-best. Jacobi Green was the top rusher for UR, picking up 49 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown. Seth Fisher added 21 yards and his fifth TD of the season.