Defense, rushing attack lead Richmond to 28-6 win

The University of Richmond defeated Towson University 28-6 on Saturday in the first homecoming game played at Robins Stadium.

The Spiders jumped on top in the first quarter with a six-yard ran by Jovan Smith with 6:10 remaining and never looked back.

On the following kickoff, senior linebacker Eric McBride recovered a fumble, giving Richmond the ball on Towson's 24-yard line. Two plays later, freshman quarterback Montel White completed a three-yard pass to sophomore tight end Kevin Finney to give Richmond a quick two-touchdown lead.

Richmond's defense forced two turnovers in the first quarter and held Towson scoreless until 1:58 left in the third quarter.

"I'm extremely proud of the defense," said Richmond head coach Latrell Scott.

Scott said a key for their defense was keeping Towson quarterback Chris Hart from making big plays.

"He's one of the best athletes in this league," he said.

Hart was 8-18 for 154 yards and ran for 82 yards, but he was sacked four times. Many of the passes Hart did complete, including a 56-yard play that set-up Towson's only score, were thrown under enormous pressure from the Spider pass rush.

Scott called the game a quality win and an improvement over last week's win over the University of Massachusetts.

Towson head coach Rob Ambrose said that Richmond played especially strong on special teams and defense.

"When you have two physical teams that are beat up, it's going to come down to turnovers and penalties," Ambrose said. "The first quarter really hurt us."

This week was Richmond's second consecutive week with White starting at quarterback. There was doubt as to which quarterback Scott was going to start in the game, but quarterback Nick Hicks did not dress because of a concussion.

White was 6-10 for 73 yards and a touchdown, but it was Richmond's ground game that really wore down the Tiger defense.

The trio of Gaskins, Smith, and sophomore running back Garret Wilkins combined for 217 yards of offense and two touchdowns.

Contact staff writer Zak Kozuchowski at zak.kozuchowski@richmond.edu