Rapid Recap: Richmond 47, VMI 6

Final Score: University of Richmond- 47, Virginia Military Institute- 6

What Happened: Richmond got just the pep talk they needed the locker room, coming out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter. After keeping the game close with the score 16-6 going into half time, VMI allowed Richmond to score four touchdowns in the third quarter, turning the game into a blowout, the third such game in which Richmond has been involved in to open this season. Richmond was expected to win this game fairly easily, but not many predicted the score would be so one-sided, especially on the road against a team that often gives the Spiders trouble.

Spider Positives: Everything in the third quarter. Richmond quarterback John Laub was able to do whatever he wanted with the ball throughout the game, with the exception of in the red zone during the first half. Ben Edwards had his best game as a Spider, finishing with 11 receptions for for 122 yards. Even the running game got going in the second half, with tailback Jovan Smith putting up 94 yards and a touchdown, including a 50-yard rushing TD. On defense, the entire line played a strong game against the rush, and safety Cooper Taylor re-announced his presence since returning from his injury last week, intercepting two VMI passes and returning one for a touchdown.

Spider Negatives: A couple more miscues in the special teams game, including a botched punt return and a missed field goal, but they made up for that with touchdown on the opening kickoff return. The red zone deficiency was a problem in the first half, but again, that was addressed well in the second half.

Up Next: The Spiders hit the road again, this time all the way down the east coast for their furthest game of the season, traveling to Atlanta, Ga., to face off against Georgia State University in both team's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener.

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