Live Football Blog: Richmond at NC State

4th Quarter 0:00- Thanks for reading The Collegian's live blog. I will post a Rapid Recap as soon as I can.

4th Quarter 0:00: Strauss completes the pass to the NC State 40. Time ran out as Rocco was screaming for a timeout. NC State's bench emptied on to the field, but the refs put time back on the clock. NC State knocked down the hail mary. Final score: 23-21 NC State.

4th Quarter 0:07- Strauss' pass to Ponder is incomplete.

4th Quarter 0:11- Strauss barely gets the pass off and Ponder makes the catch at Richmond's 46.

4th Quarter 0:19- Strauss' pass is picked off but NC State was called offside.

4th Quarter 0:28- Strauss just misses Savage on 1st down.

4th Quarter 0:33- NC State hits the field goal. 23-21 Wolfpack.

4th Quarter 0:37- NC State runs for one yard on 2nd down and Wynn knocks down the 3rd down pass. NC State has a 48 yard field.

4th Quarter 1:11- Richmond is called for pass-interference in the endzone. NC state picks up one on the ensuing completion. Ball on the 33.

4th Quarter 1:24- The ruling on the field stands.

4th Quarter 1:24- Remember, NC State already kicked a 46 yard field goal today. The Wolfpack are not far away from being in field goal range.

4th Quarter 1:24- Great catch by Smith on the sideline and NC State is in Richmond territory on the 49. The play is now under review. To me, the catch looked good.

4th Quarter 1:52- NC State gets 11 on the reception and gets out of bounds.

4th Quarter 1:59- Gulli gets another good roll on his 51-yard-punt. NC State gets the ball on its own 21. Remember, NC State has no timeouts.

4th Quarter 2:10- Richmond runs that exact play but someone knocked Roller over and Strauss had to throw it away.

4th Quarter 2:14- Greene picks up three yards and NC State uses its final timeout. 3rd and 5 from the 28. How about a play action pass to Roller right now?

4th Quarter 2:19- There's no better time to assess Richmond's running game than now. Everyone in the stadium knows Richmond will run the ball. Let's see how effective Richmond is.

4th Quarter 2:19- Fisher runs for two yards and NC State used its 2nd timeout. Richmond has a 2nd and 8 on the 25.

4th Quarter 2:40- Richmond has an opportunity to run out the clock. Greene picks up 10 on the 1st down carry.

4th Quarter 3:04- Ayo Ogunniyi picks off Thomas' pass. Richmond takes over on the 12.

4th Quarter 3:40- Nothing doing on 1st and 2nd down for the Wolfpack. 3rd and 6 from the 44.

4th Quarter 4:12- NC State picks up a 1st down on a pass in the flat. The ball is on Richmond's 47. Kerry Wynn is the latest injured Spider.

4th Quarter 5:02- Thomas takes a big hit and completes a 21 yard pass.

4th Quarter 5:09- Gulli gets a nice roll on his 55-yard-punt. NC State gets the ball on the 20.

4th Quarter 5:55- Strauss drops the shotgun snap and falls on it at the 25 yardline. Ugly few plays from the Spiders.

4th Quarter 6:30- Another screen to Savage. He gets five and its 3rd and 20.

4th Quarter 7:05- False start moves the Spiders back to the 35. 2nd and 25.

4th Quarter 7:05- Richmond gets called for holding and that ignites a loud, sarcastic cheer from the crowd. Strauss scrambles and gets nothing on the 1st carry. He will have some bruises after tonights game.

4th Quarter 8:29- Jacobi Greene gets nothing on his 1st down carry. NC State gets hit with an unnecessary hit penalty after the play. The crowd doesn't like the call and they are letting the refs know that. I think they have a case.

4th Quarter 9:00- Play-action pass to Roller is enough for the 1st down.

4th Quarter 9:06- Incomplete pass sets up a 3rd and 1.

4th Quarter 9:47- Strauss finds Savage for a gain of 9. Savage reminds me of Wes Welker because of his quickness.

4th Quarter 9:57- Tonight's attendance is 50,554, which is about 7,000 short of a sellout.

4th Quarter 9:57- Dominique Miller botches the punt but recovers his own fumble. Spider ball on the 21.

4th Quarter 10:15- Thomas tries to scramble for a 1st down on 3rd and 3 but he only gets two. The punt units come on to the field.

4th Quarter 11:25- Thomas scrambles for another 1st down. I couldn't have been more wrong in my analysis of his mobility as he has been a running threat all game.

4th Quarter 12:34- Walt Sparks is back. He light sup Thomas on the six yard run. Kelly stayed down after the play but walked off the field on his own power. 3rd and 6 from the 18.

4h Quarter 13:10- Wright and Kelly stop the running play in the backfield for a one yard loss.

4th Quarter 13:29- Great punt by Gulli gives NC State the ball on the 13.

4th Quarter 13:36- Strauss under-threw an open Savage. The Spider punt team comes on to the field and NC State uses a full timeout. Both teams have two timeouts remaining.

4th Quarter 14:06- Richmond runs a shovel pass to Fisher that picks up one. 3rd and 2 from the 47.

4th Quarter 14:53- Seth Fisher showed both quickness and strength on that first down carry. He picked up seven.

4th Quarter 15:00- It seemed crazy to me before the game that the betting line has the Spiders getting 23. And now I know the line is indeed crazy.

3rd Quarter 0:00- A screen to Shane Savage picks up 14.

3rd Quarter 0:10- Strauss was forced to throw the 1st down pass away as he was under heavy pressure. 2nd and 10 from the 25.

3rd Quarter 0:35- Handoff goes to TJ Moon. He picks up just enough for the 1st down.

3rd Quarter 0:55- Richmond faces a 3rd and inches from the 24.

3rd Quarter 1:45- A quick throw to Savage is good for seven. Savage juked his defender out of his shorts on that play.

3rd Quarter 2:23- A very pretty play action pass to Seth Fisher is good for nine yards and a 1st down.

3rd Quarter 2:27- Richmond uses its 1st timeout. It didn't look like there was miscommunication at the line. My guess is Rocco just wants to talk over this 3rd down with his offense.

3rd Quarter 3:03- Fisher with another 1 yard carry. 3rd and 8. The crowd is making a lot of noise now.

3rd Quarter 3:39- Greene picks up 1 on 1st down. 2nd and 9.

3rd Quarter 4:00- Shirreffs fumbles the QB keeper and Pettus recovers. Spider ball on its own 4.

3rd Quarter 4:20- Two yard run for the Wolfpack. 2nd and goal from the 5.

3rd Quarter 5:06- Add Walt Sparks to the growing list of injured Spiders.

3rd Quarter 5:19- Three running plays to Creecy lead to a Wolfpack first down. 1st and goal on the 7.

3rd Quarter 6:16- More bad news: verteran lineman Nick Ritcher was injured on the lat play.

3rd Quarter 6:16- The O-line is getting bullied so far this half. Giving NC State the ball in the red zone twice in two minutes is also a cause for concern.

3rd Quarter 6:16- Strauss is hammered and he fumbles. NC State recovers on the 18.

3rd Quarter 6:46- Greene picks up 3 on the 1st down carry. Strauss is hurried and can't hook up with Barnette. 3rd and 7. The crowd's energy here has really picked up this half.

3rd Quarter 7:09- Another kickoff, another touchback. Richmond ball on the 25.

3rd Quarter 7:09- Shirreffs, who played all three plays under center this series, throws an 8 yard TD pass. NC State kicks an extra point rather than going for two. Richmond still leads 21-20.

3rd Quarter 7:24- TJ Moon fumbles the handoff and NC State recovers on Richmond's 8 yard line. Richmond cannot afford to make mistakes like this against NC State.

3rd Quarter 7:29- Thomas completes the pass to Valdes-Scantling but a poor spot from the refs (I thought he had the 1st) make the Wolfpack short of a 1st down. Richmond calls for a fair catch at its own 16.

3rd Quarter 8:53- After a 9 yard run on 1st down, Eric Wright makes a great play in the back field. 3rd and 5 from the 40.

3rd Quarter 9:23- Thomas runs for a first down. He's really making me eat my words.

3rd Quarter 10:12- NC State has a 3rd and 2 after two running plays to start the drive.

3rd Quarter 11:08- This time Gulli gets off a great punt and NC State will begin its drive from the 18.

3rd Quarter 11:49- NC State's D-line sacks Strauss and Richmond is forced to punt. Richmond's punting was poor in the first half.

3rd Quarter 12:32- Richmond faces a 3rd and 7 after an incomplete pass and 3 yard run.

3rd Quarter 12:49- Announcer in the press box just referred to Richmond as the Spartans. I think I prefer the Spiders.

3rd Quarter 12:52- Wayne Pettus intercepts Thomas' pass. NC State is called for a facemask and Richmond will get the ball on its own 45.

3rd Quarter 13:20- a 13 yard carry gives NC State a first down at the Richmond 49. NC State runs for 4 yards on the ensuing first down. Thomas passes to Smith on 2nd down and Brian Underwood on 3rd down. NC State gets a 1st down. Ball on the 35.

3rd Quarter 14:53- Smith returns the kickoff to the 34.

3rd Quarter 15:00- NC State is set to receive the 2nd half opening kickoff. The crowd has been quiet for sometime but there seems to be a little more life coming out of halftime.

Halftime- Remember to follow @URCollegian on twitter for live updates from David Weissman, who is at field level.

Halftime- Penalties were a huge factor in the first half. Richmond had a fair share of its own dumb penalties but NC State's three roughing the passing penalties, on top of a couple pass-interference penalties, have helped the Spiders keep drives going. NC State cannot keep making these mistakes if it wants to come back.

Halftime- Other players who stood out include Savage and Barnette. Barnette had 94 yards on 5 receptions and Savage has made a couple of big catches on 3rd downs. Aaron Roane and Kerry Wynn have led the defensive effort. The Spiders defense kept the NC State rushing attack at bay. The Spiders offensive line has handled NC State's strong defensive fairly well and is giving Strauss time to see the field.

Halftime- Michael Strauss (19-26 for 218 yards and 2 TDs) just played one of his best halves in a Richmond uniform. Strauss picked apart the Wolfpack defense for much of the half without Ben Edwards and while constantly being under pressure. Strauss was the clear MVP for the Spiders in the first half.

2nd Quarter 0:00- Kickoff goes out of the endzone. Richmond takes a knee. I'm sure Rocco will be happy with an 8 point lead at the half.

2nd Quarter 0:10- Roane puts pressure on Thomas and forces the poor throw. Roane has played great thus far. NC State kicks a field goal to cut into the Spiders' lead. 21-13 UR.

2nd Quarter 0:18- NC State tries to power the ball through the Richmond line, but Richmond stuffed NC State at the line. NC State uses its final timeout. 3rd and goal.

2nd Quarter 0:23- Incomplete pass sets up 2nd and 10. Thomas finds Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the 2 yard line. NC State hurries to the line and spikes the ball. 2nd and goal.

2nd Quarter 0:29- NC State picks up the first down and gets out of bounds on a pass. Thomas finds Smith on the 1st down play for a 1st down. Thomas finds Smith again on the next play and Smith gets out of bounds. Ball on the 22.

2nd Quarter 1:03- An incomplete pass sets up a 3rd and 5 from the NC State 47.

2nd Quarter 1:08- NC State picks up 5 yards on a completion in the middle of the field. NC State uses its 2nd timeout.

2nd Quarter 1:15- Great pass from Thomas to pick up 16 yards. Ball on the 42. NC State has two timeouts.

2nd Quarter 1:20- Trevor Jones levels Rashard Smith on the return. NC State picks up 2 yards on the 1st down carry. NC State has a 2nd and 8 from its 26.

2nd Quarter 1:33- Touchdown Spiders. Richmond was called for an illegal formation penalty on 1st down. Greene took the handoff and scampered 7 yards into the endzone. 21-10 Spiders.

2nd Quarter- 2:07- Strauss got hit hard once again. Three roughing the passer penalties in the first half? That could qualify this Wolfpack defense as dirty.

2nd Quarter 2:07- Pass interference and roughing the passer are both called on the Wolfpack. Richmond has a 1st and goal from the 2.

2nd Quarter 2:50- Strauss finds Ponder on the screen and he picks up 15. 3rd and goal from the 9.

2nd Quarter 3:00- TJ Moon runs into the endzone but the play is called back for a chop block. 2nd and goal from the 24.

2nd Quarter 3:30- 10 yard gain from TJ Moon on the 1st down handoff. Strauss finds a wide open Roller on the next play for a 13 yard gain. 1st and goal from the 9.

2nd Quarter 4:52- Great catch by Shane Savage for a 1st down. NC State gets another roughing the passer penalty. Strauss is slow to get up but he stays in the game. 1st and 10 from the 32.

2nd Quarter 5:38- Richmond comes out in a pistol formation. They have used this formation frequently today. TJ Moon picks up 5 on 1st down. That's what Richmond needs from its running game.

2nd Quarter 5:38- Richmond will take over on the 38. Taking advantage of this great field position and getting some points before halftime would be huge for the Spiders.

2nd Quarter 6:10- Thomas scrambles but picks up nothing. NC State to punt.

2nd Quarter 7:01- NC State faces a 3rd and 4 after two runs by Tony Creecy.

2nd Quarter 7:33- NC State drops the kickoff and is forced to fall on the ball at its own 13.

2nd Quarter 7:35- With Edwards out, guys like Barnette and Savage are showing how deep this Spiders receiving group really is. Strauss has played great so far (16-22 for 180 yards and 2 TDs) and he will need to continue to play well if Richmond wants to win.

2nd Quarter 7:35- The ruling on the field stands. 14-10 Spiders

2nd Quarter 7:35- Touchdown Spiders. Barnette makes a fantastic catch in the back of the end zone and it looks like he barely stayed in bounds. The play is under review.

2nd Quarter 7:52- Richmond picks up 25 on the pass to Roller.

2nd Quarter 8:28- Strauss is pressured again but this time he finds Savage for a gain of 7. 4th and 1 from the 39. Richmond goes for it.

2nd Quarter 8:40- NC State pressures Strauss and forces him to throw the ball away. 3rd and 8 from the Wolfpack 45.

2nd Quarter 9:08- Greene gets the carry and picks up 2. Richmond needs more out of their running game.

2nd Quarter 9:41- Strauss' pass to Barnette is on the money. Gain of 27.

2nd Quarter 9:47- Rashad Ponder drops Strauss' pass. 3rd and 9.

2nd Quarter 10:20- Greene gets his first carry of the game and picks up a yard.

2nd Quarter 10:36- That NC State kickoff nearly went into the stands. Spider ball on the 25.

2nd Quarter 10:36- NC State ran right through the Spiders on that scoring drive.

2nd Quarter 10:36- Touchdown Wolfpack. Shirreffs replaces Thomas at QB for one play and runs 28 yards for a touchdown. 10-7 Wolfpack.

2nd Quarter 10:56- Thomas must have read my preview. He scrambles for another 1st down.

2nd Quarter 11:31- Thomas scrambles again but this time he does not pick up the 1st down. 4th and 2 from Richmond's 33. NC State is going for it.

2nd Quarter 12:25- Roane makes a tackle in the backfield on 1st down and BJ Scott makes a good tackle on 2nd down to force a 3rd and 9.

2nd Quarter 13:07- Thomas scrambles for a 1st down on a 3rd and 3. Maybe I was wrong about his mobility.

2nd Quarter 14:53- Quintin Payton legs out a 16 yard reception for a Wolfpack 1st down.

2nd Quarter 15:00- Ben Edwards Update: He does not have a concussion but he did receive nine stitches, per the Richmond Athletic Department.

1st Quarter 0:00- NC State will face a 3rd and 13 when the 2nd quarter begins. A stop here would be huge for the Spiders. They already have a lot of momentum from that touchdown drive and a three and out would only add to that momentum.

1st Quarter 0:50- NC State is called for holding on 1st down. The Wolfpack pick up 1 yard on 1st down. 2nd and 19 from the 16.

1st Quarter 1:20- The scoring drive was 11 plays for 75 yards. All but two yards were picked up through the air.

1st Quarter 1:20- Touchdown Spiders. Strauss rolls out to the right and finds a wide open Sam Roller. Strauss looked great throughout the drive. 7-3 Spiders.

1st Quarter 2:21- Strauss finds Barnette for a big gain. Richmond had a 1st and goal from the 2 and Seth Fisher got stuffed on 1st down.

1st Quarter 3:03-Strauss finds Sam Roller for another 1st down. Strauss has spread the ball amongst his receiving weapons on this drive.

1st Quarter 3:49- Shane Savage, who did not do much against VMI, jukes a defender to pick up a 1st down.

1st Quarter 4:20- Strauss finds Seth Fisher in the flat for 7 yards. 3rd and 3.

1st Quarter 4:53- Fantastic throw from Strauss to Barnette for a 29 yard pick up. Strauss misses Westfall on a 1st down throw. 2nd and 10 from the Wolfpack 40.

1st Quarter 5:15- Strauss finds Barnette and the Spiders now face a manageable 3rd and 4. Richmond uses its 2nd timeout.

1st Quarter 5:30- Strauss picks up a yard on a designed keeper on 1st down. Richmond's running game has been nonexistent thus far.

1st Quarter 6:21- False start on Richmond. 1st and 15 from the 20.

1st Quarter 6:21- Aaron Roane sacks Thomas on 3rd down. NC State nails a 46 yard field goal on the next play. 3-0 Wolfpack.

1st Quarter 7:20- Thomas threw the ball into Eric Wright's hands but he can't make the pick. 3rd and 6 from Richmond's 27.

1st Quarter 8:05- Bryan Underwood makes a great catch on 3rd down to give the Wolfpack a 1st down.

1st Quarter 8:25- Tony Creecy runs for 18 yards and then catches a pass from Bryant Shirreffs, who replaced Thomas for one play.

1st Quarter 9:42- NC State is called for a block in the back on the punt return. The Wolfpack take over on the 25.

1st Quarter 9:54- Hunter Westfall drops Strauss pass, which would have been a 1st down. The pass was behind Westfall but he still could have had it.

1st Quarter 9:59- Rocco calls a timeout.

1st Quarter 9:59- Strauss overthrows Barnette. NC State is called for offsides so Richmond will get another shot. 3rd and 6 from the 28.

1st Quarter 10:12- Edwards is heading towards the locker room.

1st Quarter 10:12- Ben Edwards got hit hard once again and this time he stayed down. The Richmond training staff seem to be focusing on Edwards head. 3rd and 11 for the Spiders from the 23.

1st Quarter 10:17- The NC State d-line has put a lot of pressure on Strauss already. That pressure just resulted in an intentional grounding penalty.

1st Quarter 10:30- Strauss finds Edwards for 9 yards and a 1st down. Edwards got hit hard and fumbled the ball but Richmond recovers.

1st Quarter 10:55- After a short run from TJ Moon and an incomplete pass from Strauss intended for Ponder, Richmond faces a 3rd and 9.

1st Quarter 11:38- Thomas finds Smith for a third time for a big gain but Reggie Barnette ripped the ball right out of Smith's hands. Richmond takes over on the 14.

1st Quarter 12:02- Thomas finds Smith again for another Wolfpack 1st down.

1st Quarter 12:40- As expected, Pete Thomas is under center for the wolfpack. Thomas completes a pass to Rashard Smith on the first play for a gain of 11.

1st Quarter 12:51- Strauss finds Edwards again but Edwards couldn't get to the 1st down marker. Joe Gulli shanked the punt and NC State will take over on its own 30.

1st Quarter 13:37- The refs rule the ball was tipped prior to the penalty. Richmond now faces a 3rd and 9 from the 36.

1st Quarter 13:37- The refs are reviewing the previous play, but I'm not exactly sure what they are looking for. Maybe they are checking the spot?

1st Quarter13:37- Strauss has targeted Edwards on the first three plays. On this most recent play, Edwards was dragged down and NC State was called for pass interference. Spider ball on its own 47.

1st Quarter 14:45- Richmond takes a knee on the opening kickoff. Strauss was forced out of the pocket on the first play from scrimmage but he found Edwards for a 10 yard gain.

Pregame- Richmond wins the coin toss and choose to receive.

Pregame- The atmosphere at Carter Finley Stadium is really something. The student section has been on its feet making noise for the past hour. The NC State pep band has been on the field putting on a show for the past 10 minutes. It will be interesting to see how Richmond responds to playing in a big time environment. My guess is the players will rise to the occasion.

Pregame- You can check out my thoughts and predictions on today's game here. I will also being tweeting throughout the game from my personal twitter and The Collegian's twitter.

Pregame- Welcome to The Collegian's coverage of Richmond football. Today the Spiders have their hands full as they take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack. If you have any questions or comments during the game please feel free to post a message below. I will do my best to respond through this blog.

Contact staff writer Jack Nicholson at jack.nicholson@richmond.edu

Follow him on twitter at @URJackNicholson