Final Score: University of Richmond- 39, University of Rhode Island- 0
What Happened: After a slow first quarter in which neither team scored, Richmond exploded in the second and third quarters for 36 unanswered point, 23 of which came in the the third. The Rams never got going offensively, as Richmond picked up its first shutout of the season. Spiders sophomore quarterback Michael Strauss continued to be impressive in his second collegiate start, throwing for 174 yards and two touchdowns in less than three quarters of action, as backup Montel White was brought in with a few minutes left in the third quarter. UR fullback Kendall Gaskins was also impressive, adding two rushing touchdowns and 94 yards. Richmond's defense took advantage of Rhode Island being forced to go with its backup quarterback, Danny Fenyak, intercepting him 5 times, once for a touchdown by lineman Justin Williamson. Richmond's kicking game again struggled with Remington Hinshaw missing a field goal in the first quarter and Wil Kamin missing two extra point attempts in the second quarter. Hinshaw took over extra point responsibilities in the second half, though, and made all his opportunities, including two field goals. The win moves the Spiders to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the CAA.
Spider Positives: The defense was stout the entire game, keeping the Rams under 100 yards rushing and applying constant pressure on Fenyak, forcing him into those throws that resulted in interceptions. Shutouts are very rare in the high-scoring CAA conference, so Richmond coach Danny Rocco has got to be happy with effort on that side of the ball all around. Richmond also proved, as it had trouble with last year, that it can beat opponents that it should by a significant margin. Strauss continued his development as a passer, again avoiding any mistakes, which is important for a young quarterback. The offensive line also continued its dominance, not allowing any sacks, keeping their season total at one, which leads the FCS. Rocco also loves to get all his players into the game, and I saw UR players touching the ball late in the game that I haven't seen all season.
Spider Negatives: As anticipated, Richmond came out a little flat following its bye week. The kicking game, as mentioned above, is in flux, and I'm interested to see what Rocco does with it going forward because the Spiders can't afford to be missing extra points.
Up Next: Richmond is at home again to take on another CAA opponent, Delaware. Delaware is the toughest opponent left on the schedule, as the Blue Hens were ranked in the top 10 nationally before their loss this weekend.
Contact staff writer David Weissman at david.weissman@richmond.edu
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