In-Game Blog: Richmond vs. Maine

Final: Maine 23, UR 22.

4th Quarter, 0:16- A Black Bears defender knocks down the deep pass, giving his team the ball back. A kneel-down will end this one.

4th Quarter, 0:22- Maine calls a timeout with Richmond facing a 4th and 21. This play will likely decide the game, as a first down would put the Spiders in field goal range.

4th Quarter, 0:28- Bad play by Corp as he takes the sack for an 11-yard loss. That backs the ball up to the 44.

4th Quarter, 0:48- Edwards gives the Spiders new life, catching a 24-yard pass from Corp to give Richmond the ball at Maine's 33.

4th Quarter, 0:59- Big break for Richmond. Corp's pass bounced off the hands of Finney and into the hands of a Maine defender, but a defensive pass interference is called, giving Richmond a first down at its own 39.

4th Quarter, 1:22- The punt takes a slight Richmond bounce out of bounds, giving the Spider offense its final opportunity, starting from its own 12.

4th Quarter, 1:31- Richmond's defense holds on three straight plays and uses all of its timeouts to conserve time. Maine will be forced to punt from Richmond's 42-yard line.

4th Quarter, 1:50- An incompletion brings up a 4th and 10, which Richmond elects to go for despite having all of its timeouts remaining. The team fails to convert and Maine takes over at the UR 47.

4th Quarter, 2:45- The offensive line problems continue, as Corp gets sacked for a six-yard loss.

4th Quarter, 3:33- The Richmond crowd is booing as a late-hit penalty is waived off because "contact was initiated in the field of play." A completion to Edwards gives Richmond the ball at its own 47.

4th Quarter, 3:42- The focus in this comeback has been on Richmond's defensive breakdown, but Richmond's offense has also been unproductive this half, scoring only six points thanks to Taylor's interception return.

4th Quarter, 3:42- Smith fakes to Hood and runs around untouched into the end zone for the one-yard score. The extra point is good to give Maine its first lead of the game, 23-22.

4th Quarter, 4:49- Hood runs 10 yards down to the 1-yard line for a 1st and goal opportunity.

4th Quarter, 5:52- On 3rd and 13, Smith throws complete for 21 yards to give Maine a first down on the UR 21-yard line.

4th Quarter, 7:19- After shutting out its opponent through three quarters, Richmond's defense is starting to look vulnerable in the fourth, letting the Black Bears get ten to eleven yards consistently. The unit looks like it may need a turnover to be able to stop Maine's offense.

4th Quarter, 7:42- Spiders unable to garner a first down on its drive. Hicks punts, giving Maine the ball on its own 36-yard line.

4th Quarter, 9:14- A short kickoff by Maine bounces out of bounds, giving Richmond the ball on its own 40. This is an important drive for the Spiders to try to stop Maine's momentum.

4th Quarter, 9:14- On 2nd and goal, Maine running back David Hood scores a five-yard touchdown. Richmond still leads, 22-16.

4th Quarter, 11:14- Black Bears putting together another good-looking drive. They have a first down at the UR 36-yard line.

4th Quarter, 13:03- Maine begins its drive on its own 28 after the kickoff.

4th Quarter, 13:07- Turner, returning from his injury, punches it in from two yards out for the touchdown. Kamin's extra point is blocked again, this time recovered and returned all the way to give Maine two points. After the whole exchange, Richmond's lead now stands at 22-9.

4th Quarter, 13:17- Cooper Taylor bails Gaskins out, stepping in front of Smith's pass for the interception. He nearly returns it for a touchdown, but is knocked out just short at the 2-yard line.

4th Quarter, 13:29- Gaskins breaks through a few tackles for his best run of the game, but a Maine defender takes the ball out of his hands at the end of the run. Maine takes over at its own 35.

4th Quarter, 14:49- After the kickoff return, Richmond's offense comes onto the field at its own 34 to begin its first drive of the fourth quarter.

4th Quarter, 14:54- On the first play of the fourth quarter, Smith finds tight end Justin Perillo open in the end zone for the 16-yard touchdown. The play puts the Black Bears on the board and cuts the Spiders lead to 16-7.

3rd Quarter, 0:00- Final play of the third quarter goes for a completion by Smith to the UR 16. Heading to the fourth, Richmond still leads, 16-0. The Black Bears will face a 3rd and 2 to begin the final 15 minutes.

3rd Quarter, 0:54- Richmond defense holds strong on third down, forcing a 4th and 1. Maine goes for it and just barely picks it up on the run.

3rd Quarter, 2:36- Maine forced to punt, and Pettus muffs the ball, nearly recovering it several times, but the Black Bears recover at the UR 34-yard line.

3rd Quarter, 2:51- Maine is getting frustrated with its lack of offensive success. After an incomplete pass, a Black Bears lineman gets an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to back Maine up to its own 16.

3rd Quarter, 3:27- Gaskins is stopped short on 3rd and 3, and Richmond punts, giving Maine the ball on its own 26 after offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after the play. The Spiders offense needs to avoid getting conservative with this 16-point lead against a team capable of putting up big points in a hurry.

3rd Quarter, 5:34- Barnette makes a diving grab near the sideline to give Richmond the first down out to the UR 38.

3rd Quarter, 7:02- Spiders take over at their own 24-yard line following the Maine punt.

3rd Quarter, 9:03- Corp throws incomplete to Edwards on third down and Richmond punts. Punter Casey Dobyns gets his punt barely tipped and is taken down on the play. The ball goes out of bounds at Maine's 29-yard line. Dobyns limps off the field, shaken up on the play.

3rd Quarter, 9:24- Richmond tailback Garrett Turner is down on the field with an injury after a six-yard gain. He's able to hobble to the sideline. Richmond is facing a 3rd and 4.

3rd Quarter, 9:39- Maine was having its best drive of the game, facing a third down at the UR 23. Smith was facing pressure and ran towards the sideline behind the line of scrimmage. Richmond safety Colin Pehanick chases him from behind and knocks the ball loose. Linebacker Derek Mayo recovers to give the Spiders the ball on its own 39.

3rd Quarter, 12:42- Good defensive play by Maine's cornerback on Gray forces the Spiders to punt. The Black Bears will begin its first drive of the half on its own 40.

3rd Quarter, 14:02- After a first down completion to tight end Kevin Finney, Corp gets sacked for a seven-yard loss. That's Maine's second sack of the game.

3rd Quarter, 14:55- Pettus gets taken down at the UR 12 off the kickoff to get the second half under way.

Halftime- Here are some of the more telling statistics of the first half: Gray has 10 receptions for 120 yards (Maine has been unable to cover Richmond's new all-time record holder for receptions and receiving yards), Maine has 39 net rushing yards (Richmond's defense has been vulnerable on the ground in recent games), and Maine is 1 of 5 on third-down conversions (Richmond's defense is getting off the field when it can).

Halftime- Richmond just played its best half of football this season. The Spiders have played great in the first quarter all year, but this was the first time the team carried its momentum into the second quarter successfully. The defense is getting a much-needed boost from Jackson and Wynn's returns, and the offense is picking up where it left off against Towson. This could be a huge victory if the Spiders can continue playing this well into the second half against the ninth-ranked team in the FCS.

2nd Quarter, 0:00- Squib kick gets picked up by a Maine lineman, and he falls on the ground to take this game to halftime. Richmond leads, 16-0.

2nd Quarter, 0:01- Kamin nails it through the uprights to extend Richmond's lead to 16-0. Maine had called two timeouts in an attempt to "ice the kicker," but to no avail.

2nd Quarter, 0:05- Strange play call by Richmond as they run the ball on second down despite the passing game's success. They wait to call their last timeout to set up a 30-yard field goal.

2nd Quarter, 0:26- Defensive holding against Maine keeps Gray from catching another ball, but also gives Richmond another first down at the 14.

2nd Quarter, 0:35- Just as most of Richmond's opponents this year, Maine is having trouble covering Gray. He's made three straight catches on this drive and is already over 100 yards receiving for the game. Richmond calls a timeout with the ball on Maine's 29. The Spiders have one timeout remaining.

2nd Quarter, 1:03- Pass interference call on Maine gives Richmond a first down out near midfield.

2nd Quarter, 4:07- Great catch in between two defenders by UR tight end Sam Roller gives the Spiders a first down out to the UR 23.

2nd Quarter, 5:34- Smith throws short of the first down on a 3rd and 10 play. Return man Wayne Pettus calls for a fair catch at the UR 11 to give Richmond possession.

2nd Quarter, 7:54- The kickoff goes out of bounds, giving Maine the ball at its own 40 to begin its next possession.

2nd Quarter, 7:54- On first down, Corp finds Edwards in the back of the end zone for the six-yard score. Kamin's kick is good this time around and Richmond extends its lead to 13-0.

2nd Quarter, 8:10- A couple nice runs by fullback Kendall Gaskins gives the Spiders a first and goal from the 6-yard line.

2nd Quarter, 10:08- After two first down catches in a row by Gray, he now holds Richmond's all-time receiving yards record. Great Spider career by Tre Gray.

2nd Quarter, 12:10- Wynn sacks Maine quarterback Warren Smith for a 5-yard loss on 3rd and 15. On the punt, Richmond gets a hand on it, but the ball advances past the line of scrimmage. Maine ends up on top of the football, and after some confusion, the refs announce that it was an illegal touching and Richmond has the ball on its own 41 to begin the drive.

2nd Quarter, 13:36- Maine running back David Hood breaks a 26-yard run out to the UR 39-yard line.

1st Quarter, 0:00- First quarter comes to a close with Richmond ahead, 6-0. The Black Bears have the ball on its own 21, facing a 2nd and 6.

1st Quarter, 0:41- A sack by Maine ruins the Richmond drive and the Spiders punt. Hicks is almost blocked, but gets off a deep kick that Maine's return man muffs. Richmond almost recovers, but a Black Bears player falls on the ball at its own 5-yard line.

1st Quarter, 2:37- On 3rd and 4, Richmond safety Cooper Taylor steps in front of a pass and nearly intercepts it, but the ball falls to the ground. Maine fakes a punt on 4th down, but come up short. Richmond takes over at its own 42.

1st Quarter, 5:08- Richmond defensive end Kerry Wynn makes a nice play on the running back in the backfield for a two-yard loss. Wynn is back after missing a few games from injury. Defensive tackle Corey Jackson is also playing his first game in a while.

1st Quarter, 5:57- Spider defense gets fooled on a play action, and Maine is able to gain 25 yards through the air to get out from its own end zone.

1st Quarter, 6:07- Personal foul penalty kills Richmond's drive and the Spiders are forced to punt. Punter Nick Hicks gets a good bounce off his kick and Richmond downs the ball at Maine's 3-yard line.

1st Quarter, 8:02- Corp is picking right up where he left off against Towson University, hitting multiple receivers successfully. This time, he finds Ben Edwards with room to run and Edwards takes the ball across midfield to the 49.

1st Quarter, 8:09- Maine's receiver drops a pass on 3rd and 2, and the Black Bears are forced to punt. Richmond returns the punt to own 35-yard line to begin its second possession.

1st Quarter, 9:39- The Black Bears receive a block-in-the-back penalty on the kickoff return, and will begin its next drive at its own 12-yard line as a result.

1st Quarter, 9:46- Barnette finishes off the drive, catching a 6-yard touchdown from Corp across the middle. Kicker Wil Kamin's extra point attempts is blocked. Richmond leads, 6-0.

1st Quarter, 10:15- Gray sets the all-time receptions record with a catch that gives the Spiders a 1st and goal from the 6-yard line.

1st Quarter, 11:08- Richmond fails to convert on a 3rd and 7 play, but go for it on 4th down from Maine's 36. QB Aaron Corp throws incomplete to receiver Stephen Barnette, but a defensive pass interference is called giving the Spiders a 1st down at Maine's 28.

1st Quarter, 13:04- Great catch by Gray on a 3rd and 9 play, as he jumps up in between two defenders to gain the first down. He then proceeds to catch a pass past midfield which means he has now tied Richmond's all-time receptions record.

1st Quarter, 14:24- On the second play from scrimmage, Richmond cornerback Tremayne Graham steps in front of a deep pass for the interception. Richmond takes over at its own 24-yard line.

1st Quarter, 14:56- Maine takes the opening kickoff to its own 31 to get the game under way.

Pregame- Richmond really needs a win today in front of its home crowd. They've lost three straight coming into this one and all three were against conference opponents. The Spiders hope the week off will help them forget about its losing streak so it can play well today against the team ranked first in the CAA. Another story line to watch is Tre Gray's race for the records. He needs just three catches and 73 yards to break both Richmond records.

Pregame- Welcome back to Richmond football. After its week off, the Spiders are just over 10 minutes away from kickoff against CAA opponent Maine University. This is Richmond's Homecoming Game, and the campus is flooding with alumni. The stadium is beginning to fill with red-shirted fans. A couple story lines for this one to come.

Contact staff writer David Weissman at david.weissman@richmond.edu