University of Richmond Athletics
Spider Football Gameday Central - FCS Playoffs Semifinals
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The No. 7 seed University of Richmond football team travels to Fargo, N.D. for a date with the third-seeded and four-time defending National Champion North Dakota State Bison, looking to snap an 19-game playoff winning streak on Friday night, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m. ET.
Live Audio for Friday's game can be found on RichmondSpiders.com with Live Stats available on NCAA.com. The game will be broadcast nationally live on ESPN2 with Anish Shroff and Ahmad Brooks on the call.
For complete gameday coverage of Richmond Spider football, be sure to scroll down for Gameday Central.
| Who |
No. 7 Richmond (10-3, 6-2 CAA) @ No. 3 North Dakota State (11-2, 7-1 MVC) |
| When | Friday, December 18 - 8 PM ET |
| Where | Fargo, N.D. | Weather | Parking Map |
| Venue | Fargodome | Directions | Tickets |
| Radio | RichmondSpiders.com | ESPN 950 AM | HANK 93.1 FM |
| Live TV/Video | ESPN2 |
| Live Stats | NCAA.com |
| Game Notes | Richmond | North Dakota State | CAA |
| Pregame Media | Coach Rocco CAA Teleconference | Coach Rocco Press Conference |
| SpiderTV | Spider Sportsline | Lauletta Talks National Semifinals |
| Social Media | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |
| Hashtags | #OneRichmond | #UnitedInRed | #CAAFB | #FCSPlayoffs |
The Game
The University of Richmond Spiders hit the road for semifinal action in the FCS playoffs, as they face the third-seeded and four-time defending National Champion North Dakota State Bison. The winner of this game will face the winner of No. 1-seed Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State for the national championship in Frisco, Texas on Jan. 9. Richmond is led by head coach Danny Rocco, who guided the team to the FCS Playoffs last season for the first time since 2009. The team defeated Morgan State, 46-24, in the first round of the playoffs before falling at No. 6 Coastal Carolina. Richmond is now 3-1 in the FCS Playoffs under Rocco, and the Spiders are 7-5 all-time in December FCS playoff action, bolstered by a 3-0 mark in the 2008 National Championship season. Saturday’s game will mark the first meeting all-time between the two programs.
Quick Slants
Jacobi Green’s 137 yards rushing against Illinois State was the seventh-straight game in which he has rushed for 100 or more yards (eighth time this season). Green also had a reception for 35 yards and a touchdown vs. the Redbirds. WR Brian Brown had 141 yards receiving vs. Illinois State and now has 1,362 yards on the year, the most ever by a Spider. He is the first Richmond receiver to surpass 1,000 yards in a season twice. QB Kyle Lauletta recorded his fourth 300-yard plus game, passing for 369 yards against the Redbirds. LB Omar Howard had his first interception of the season to stop an Illinois State drive in the 4th quarter.
Last Time Out
Richmond took out second-seeded Illinois State 39-27 in FCS playoff action last Friday. The Spiders used 137 yards rushing, four total touchdowns from Jacobi Green and a stout defense to garner the win. Richmond jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, and took a 19-7 lead into the locker room after Jacobi Green’s first touchdown last in the second quarter. Illinois State closed to within five in the third quarter, but Richmond extended its’ lead to 32-14 in the fourth quarter before holding off a late Redbird charge. The Spider defense held Illinois State RB Marshaun Coprich to just 30 yards rushing. It was the lowest output of the season for the nation’s second-ranked rusher. The Spider defense held Coprich to fewer yards than Iowa (32) in the ISU’s season opener.
Playoff Record
The Spiders have a 13-8 mark all-time over ten appearances in the NCAA playoffs, with a perfect 4-0 in the 2008 National Championship season. Richmond was 1-1 in post-season play in bowl games as a Division I team, prior to becoming an FCS member. Richmond is now 8-2 in its’ first game in NCAA playoff action, and has won its’ last seven opening playoff games. The 48 points scored by the Spiders in the win over William & Mary in the second round are the most a Richmond squad has scored in FCS Playoff action.
Keeping Up With Jones
DB David Jones set a school record for most interceptions in a season (9) with his 100-yard interception return for a touchdown vs. William & Mary in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. Jones set two records on the play, also breaking the mark for longest interception return by a Spider. Jones earlier in the season set a new career-high, CAA and Richmond record with four interceptions against Albany, Oct. 31.
CAA All-Conference Awards
When the CAA announced its annual awards at the conclusion of the 2015 regular season it was revealed that Richmond had 13 individuals selected, headlined by head coach Danny Rocco receiving Coach of the Year honors to go along with seven First Team selections. The 13 selections for the Spiders are the second-most in program history behind only the 2009 team which had 16 players honored. Seven First team choices also match a program record set by the 2010 team.
RB Jacobi Green, WR’s Brian Brown and Reggie Diggs, OL Nick Ritcher, LB Omar Howard, CB Ayo Ogunniyi and DB David Jones all received nods to the 2015 All-CAA Football First Team. QB Kyle Lauletta headlines the Second Team with OL’s Thomas Evans and Nick Vergos, PK Peter Yoder and DL Winston Craig. TE Nick Holloway is the lone Spider featured on the third team.
Green Means Go
Running back Jacobi Green has had a spectacular season since being thrust into the lead back role. Green closed the regular season with 217 yards against William & Mary, his second 200-yard performance of the year with the other coming against James Madison. Green has 278 yards in Spiders two playoff wins over William & Mary and Illinois State and has 1,206 yards in the last seven games, averaging 172 yards per game with 16 rushing touchdowns over that span. He led the CAA in rushing and ranks sixth nationally with 120.2 yards per game.
Scoring Green
Jacobi Green has rushed for 21 scores this season, caught one touchdown and is 1-1 on two-point conversion tries giving him 134 points so far this season which leads all Spiders by a wide margin. The 21 rushing scores rank second in the nation and his 134 points currently rank second in a single season in program history behind Tim Hightower’s 138 points in 2007. Green’s 22 total scores rank second in a single-season in program history behind Hightower’s 23, also in 2007. The senior has racked of 28 rushing scores in his career, which rank fifth all-time and 34 total touchdowns that now rank alone in fourth place.