The Collegian
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Spiders hold on late to upset second-ranked JMU, 35-29

Beating the second-ranked team in the country seemed unbelievable for unranked Richmond, and a fourth-quarter James Madison comeback nearly left the Spiders with a heartbreaking loss.

After building a lead with less than seven minutes remaining in the game, Richmond needed two failed JMU heaves toward the end zone from 30 yards away as time expired to finish off the upset, 35-29.

"I'm really excited about the outcome of the game," Richmond coach Danny Rocco said. "I knew [James Madison] would make a run, and they certainly did.

"To our credit, we were able to extend the lead significantly enough that we were able to hold off the charge there at the end."

After Spider fullback Kendall Gaskins' 40-yard touchdown run put the Spiders ahead 35-16, the Dukes struck quickly, scoring a touchdown on two plays in less than a minute. A failed two-point conversion left JMU down by 13 points.

After Richmond's offense took some time off the clock, JMU got the ball back with less than three minutes left to play. The Dukes would go on to score another touchdown with 35 seconds left to make the score 35-29. JMU then recovered the ensuing onside kick to give the offense one last shot.

This comeback was orchestrated by backup quarterback Michael Birdsong, who replaced starter Justin Thorpe toward the end of the third quarter. The change was made because JMU just felt it needed one, Dukes coach Mickey Matthews said.

The Spiders used their backup quarterback for the whole game. Sophomore Michael Strauss made his first collegiate start because fifth-year incumbent starter John Laub broke his ankle last Saturday.

His first start went well, as Strauss finished with 271 passing yards and four touchdowns, the first time a Richmond quarterback has thrown for four TDs since Eric Ward in 2009. Rocco had a feeling Strauss swould step up, he said.

"I told the team last night, 'Protect your quarterback.' If you protect your quarterback, he'll play real well,'" Rocco said.

Richmond did just that, holding JMU to zero sacks, a big change from the seven sacks the Dukes piled up against Richmond in last season's contest, a 31-7 JMU victory.

"I wouldn't rather have any other five guys in front of me protecting me," Strauss said.

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With all that time, Strauss was able to find open receivers, and he found sophomore receiver Stephen Barnette most often. Barnette finished with a career-high nine receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown.

"Going into the game, we knew that Strauss was a baller," Barnette said. "He was definitely poised in the huddle, and it's just nice to see him do well."

Strauss' favorite red-zone target was tight end Kevin Finney, who finished with five catches for 38 yards and three touchdowns, the last of which came on a deflection off teammate Rashad Ponder's hands.

The Spider defense was able to limit the explosive Thorpe to just 36 yards rushing

They also forced two interceptions, the second of which pushed momentum in the Spiders' favor.

Ahead 10-9 with just more than a minute remaining in the first half, JMU got the ball on its 16-yard line. Wanting to extend their lead before halftime, the Dukes started throwing the ball. After moving the ball quickly to midfield, Thorpe made an errant throw into the hands of Richmond safety Doug Howell.

Richmond used the remaining time to move down the field swiftly and take the lead on a Strauss to Barnette touchdown.

Richmond headed into the half ahead for the first time, 15-10, after kicker Remington Hinshaw missed the extra point. He missed three in total, and backup Wil Kamin was brought on to successfully kick after the Spiders' final score.

As a result of this win, the Spiders were ranked 25th in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 poll that was released on Monday.

Looking ahead, Richmond has a bye week next Saturday before returning home to Robins Stadium to play the University of Rhode Island on Nov. 3. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

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

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