University of Richmond Athletics
Spider Football Gameday Central - James Madison
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The No. 11/12 ranked University of Richmond Spiders head to Harrisonburg to face the No. 3/4 ranked Dukes of James Madison Saturday at 3:30 in Bridgeforth Stadium. ESPN’s College GameDay beginning at 9 a.m will precede the game.
College GameDay 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, Desmon 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.
| 2015 GAMEDAY CENTRAL - #3/4 JAMES MADISON | |
| Who | No. 11/12 Richmond (5-1, 3-0 CAA) vs. No. 3/4 James Madison (7-0, 4-0) |
| When | Saturday, October 24 - 3:30 PM |
| Where | Harrisonburg, Va. | Weather | Campus Map |
| Venue | Bridgeforth Stadium | Directions |
| Radio | RichmondSpiders.com | ESPN 950 AM | HANK 93.1 FM | Sirius 118 | XM 202 |
| Live TV/Video | JMUSports.com | CSN-Mid-Atlantic PLUS |
| Live Stats | JMUSports.com |
| Game Notes | Richmond | James Madison | CAA |
| Pregame Media | Coach Rocco CAA Teleconference | Coach Rocco Press Conference |
| SpiderTV | Andrew Clyde Feature | Spider Sportsline |
| Social Media | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |
| Hashtags | #OneRichmond | #UnitedInRed | #CAAFB | #GetUp4GameDay |
Last Time Out
Richmond jumped on Rhode Island early and rolled to their fifth-straight win, picking up a 37-12 result on the road last Saturday. Quarterback Kyle Lauletta set a new career high in yards passing with 312 and Reggie Diggs also surpassed his career-best with 142 yards receiving. Lauletta collected a rushing score in the game on a 14-yard run and threw for a touchdown marking the second time this season the QB has run for and thrown a TD in the same game (Maine, Oct. 3). Linebacker Omar Howard matched a career-high in tackles vs the Rams with 18. Linebacker Trevor Jones recorded the first interception of his career.
National Ranking Streak
The Spiders move up two spots in the STATS FCS Poll this week 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.
Rank and File
Richmond is 41-54 vs nationally ranked teams over the last 20 years. The Spiders have had greater success vs. ranked opponents over the last 10 seasons however, with a record of 28-25 in that span. The highlight of Spider success during that time was a 20-8 record from 2007-2010, including a 7-2 mark against the Top 25 during the 2008 National Championship season.
CAA Power Struggle
Richmond and JMU have had a number of high-profile duels including 10 instances from 2005 through 2014 when both programs were ranked in the Top 25. The series in that situation is currently tied 5-5.
Lauletta Remains Steady
Quarterback Kyle Lauletta established a new career high in passing yards with 312 vs. Rhode Island. Lauletta set a career high with four touchdowns against Maine. He is currently second in the CAA in passing efficiency with a rating of 162.2 and second in passing with 251.7 yards per game.
FCS on ESPN College GameDay
2008’s FCS GameDay appearance was Nov. 15 when Hampton and Florida A&M matched up. Hampton finished that season 6-5 while Florida A&M finished 9-3. GameDay visited North Dakota State in 2013 and 2014. NDSU went a combined 30-1 during those two seasons, collecting a pair of national championships.
Notable National Rankings
Richmond QB Kyle Lauletta has been a picture of efficiency so far this season and currently sits 11th in the nation with a 162.2 rating. WR Brian Brown has been the sophomore’s favorite target in the five games he has been active, collecting 98.9 yards per game through the air which ranks 12th in the nation.