University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Comes Up Short At Villanova, 21-20
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The No. 9/12-ranked University of Richmond Spiders (7-3, 5-2 CAA) took a late lead at Villanova (6-4, 5-2) but a blocked extra-point proved costly as the last minute drive and score from the Wildcats turned out to be a game-winner rather than a try to tie, 21-20.
Richmond RB Jacobi Green went over 100 yards rushing for the fifth time this season and fourth-straight time with 135 yards on the ground to go with a trio of catches for 31 yards. Reggie Diggs (7) caught the most passes from Lauletta for 73 yards but Brian Brown once again paced the yardage battle with 95 on five catches. Lauletta was 20-31 through the air for 283 yards, no touchdowns and one pick.
On defense it Andrew Clyde collecting a pair of sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to go with three tackles to pace the pressure for Richmond. David Jones had a career-best 12 tackles while Omar Howard contributed seven. Devin Cook added a sack and a career-best six tackles.
Richmond won the toss and for the first time in a long time elected to defer to the second half. The first three offensive possessions however, two for Villanova and one for Richmond, all resulted in short drives and punts. Jacobi Green broke loose for an 18-yard gain on the next Richmond drive but the first quarter came to a close with a sack of Lauletta bringing up a long third down to start the second.
On the first play of the second quarter Lauletta dropped back and hit Porter Abell over the middle for a 22-yard gain and a first down. With the run game struggling Lauletta hit Brown for 13-yards and and Abell again for another third down conversion to move the ball inside the 15-yard line. On second down Lauletta kept the ball and moved towards the left tackle but lost the football. Villanova recovered and returned it to the Richmond 35.
The Richmond defense returned the favor two plays later, forcing a fumble near midfield that was forced by Devin Cook and recovered by David Jones. The subsequent Spider drive brought up a third and long near midfield. Lauletta let loose a long pass to the far sideline that found the open arms of Tyler Wilkins for a first down and more. Back in the red zone, Green carried for seven yards and Collins carried for two to bring up another third down. Green carried and converted to bring up first and goal for the Spiders. David Broadus kept the ball on first and goal and found the end zone to give Richmond the first points of the game with 6:11 to play in the half.
Villanova responded, marching right down the field, getting a big chunk on a 57-yard catch and run that put the ball at the two. A penalty would send it all the way back to the 25 however. That did not stop the Wildcats who continued to work efficiently, even converting on a fourth down inside the 20 to keep the drive alive. Villanova tied the score with a touchdown pass to a tight end on the right side with 1:38 to go in the first half.
Richmond was unable to mount a successful drive in the last minute and a half and the teams would go to the locker room locked 7-7 on the scoreboard. Richmond won the battle on offense, amassing 197 total yards with Jacobi Green accounting for 59 of those on the ground. Lauletta was 10-14 through the air for 126 yards and five receivers caught balls with Diggs and Abell leading the way with 31 yards each.
Villanova kicked off to Richmond to begin the second half but Gordon Collins fumbled the return at the Richmond 14 and the home squad would recover it. The Wildcats needed just one play to score a touchdown and take a 14-7 lead with just 11 seconds gone in the third quarter.
The offense took over from its own 20. Lauletta hit Abell for a long third down conversion but took a sack a couple plays later to bring up another third and very long. The sophomore found Diggs this time in the middle of the field but he would be just short of the marker at midfield. Richmond called timeout and decided to go for it on fourth and one. David Broadus took the direct snap and carried for the first down to keep the drive alive with a six-yard pickup. Lauletta then hit Brown over the middle for a long gain that was compounded by a VU personal foul call, putting the ball at the VU 11-yard line. On second and seven from the eight Lauletta threw an interception, ending the threat.
The Richmond defense stalled the Villanova drive and forced a punt to keep the interception from hurting. Lauletta appeared to shake off the miscue and go to work completing passes. He hit Diggs and Brown on back-to-back plays to pick up 33 yards then handed the ball off to Green who burst for 15 yards to move the ball back into the red zone. Broadus picked up a first down with his legs and Green finished off the drive a couple plays later with a one-yard rush for the score. Yoder converted the extra-point and the score was tied 14-14 with 46 seconds left in the third quarter.
Villanova finished the third quarter in possession and began the fourth quarter near midfield. On third and long Richmond DL Devin Cook came up with a huge sack, beating his mark with a great move to the inside, forcing a punt. The offense would not mount any counter attack and was forced to punt for the first time.
The Wildcat drive looked to be over when an incomplete pass on third and long was erased by a pass interference call. Andrew Clyde had other ideas. On the next third down he beat his man, sacked the quarterback, stripped the ball out and recovered it to give the Spiders possession near midfield. Lauletta hit Brown on the next play for 23 yards and Green carried four-straight times for a combined 23 yards to move the ball to the 10. On second and goal from the seven, Green took the hand off and plowed his way into the end zone for the score. Yoder’s extra-point was blocked, however, leaving the lead at 20-14 with 5:06 to go.
Zach Bednarczyk and the Villanova offense went to work, connecting on a 38-yard pass on the first play of the ensuing drive to move into Richmond territory. The UR D-Line came up with stops on first and second down, bringing up a third down and five from the 35. Bednarczyk completed a pass for six yards to keep the drive alive. With the ball now at the 12, Richmond held the offense to on three-straight downs, bringing up fourth with the game on the line. Villanova took a timeout and drew up a play that allowed the QB to find his receiver on a slant in the end zone for the game-tying score. The extra-point would find its way through the uprights to give Nova the lead with 46 seconds left. Richmond was unable to answer as the Hail Mary with the clock expired fell in the end zone incomplete to give UR a loss.
Richmond will conclude the 2015 regular season next weekend when it welcomes rival William & Mary to Robins Stadium in the 125th meeting for the Capital Cup. The “Oldest Rivalry in the South” will have a bit more added to it this season as it will be for the 2015 CAA Championship and an automatic berth to the FCS Playoffs. Throughout the game there will special 125-themed events including the selection of the greatest game in the history of the rivalry. The game will kick off at Noon and air live on CSN Mid-Atlantic. For more information about the rivalry including, fan and former player/coach testimonials, historic photos and program photos, fans can visit CapitalCup15.com. Tickets are still available and can be purchased in person at the Robins Center ticket office, online at RichmondSpiders.com or by phone by calling 1-877-SPIDER-1.