The Collegian
Friday, March 29, 2024

Richmond earns 4th seed, faces Elon in first round

The University of Richmond football team earned the fourth seed in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and will face Elon University during the first round at 1 p.m. this Saturday at UR Stadium.

The Spiders, who finished the regular season 10-1 and won a share of the Colonial Athletic Association title, join Villanova University, Southern Illinois University and the University of Montana as the four seeded teams in the 16-team field.

The seed gives the Spiders home-field advantage until at least the semifinal round if they continue to win.

The match-up against Elon during the first round will mark the second time in as many seasons that the Phoenix have played Richmond. Last year, Richmond beat Elon 28-10 during its first game of the season. The Phoenix finished second in the Southern Conference this season with a 9-2 record.

"I remember they were a pretty good team from last year," Richmond senior quarterback Eric Ward said. "Just from what I heard, they were better this year."

If the Spiders beat Elon during the first round, they would host the winner of a game between Appalachian State University and South Carolina State University during the quarterfinals. Richmond has faced Appalachian State during each of the past two NCAA playoffs.

Richmond was one of four CAA teams to qualify for the postseason, joining Villanova, the College of William & Mary and the University of New Hampshire.

Richmond head coach Mike London said that his team had accomplished many of its goals, but that it was determined to win another National Championship.

"The goals were to have a winning season and to win a conference championship and to have a chance to play further and go on," London said. "Two of them have definitely been met but there are still other goals out there."

For the full NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoff bracket, visit ncaa.com or richmondspiders.com.

Contact staff writer Reilly Moore at reilly.moore@richmond.edu

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