Spiders take on Great Danes this Saturday

The Spiders will travel to New York this weekend to battle the Albany Great Danes in a game that has conference implications.

Richmond is coming off of an emotional overtime road win against Liberty, while Albany lost its first game this year by three points to James Madison last weekend.

The Spiders have played only one conference game so far—the heartbreaking loss they suffered to New Hampshire three weeks ago. Were the Spiders to lose to Albany and fall to 0-2 in conference play, it would be tough to climb back into contention for a conference championship and a playoff spot.

The Great Danes will be tough to beat on their homecoming night at Bob Ford Field. Albany, 4-1, has been successful this year because of a disruptive defense that creates turnovers.

In fact, the Great Danes have already recovered ten fumbles and intercepted four passes, giving them 14 total takeaways. Even more impressively, they have turned the ball over themselves only twice.

Turnovers will be a key for the Spiders this weekend. Richmond has not been effective forcing turnovers this year, only totaling four takeaways so far. Nevertheless, the team learned the importance of the turnover battle last weekend, when an interception (the only turnover by either team all game) sealed the victory for the Spiders. If Richmond forces more turnovers than Albany does, they should win this game.

The Spiders have some serious advantages over this Albany team. Richmond has earned more than 2,500 yards of offense this season, while Albany has earned only about 1,900 yards. Despite Albany’s slightly more effective defense, this discrepancy on offense will bode well for the Spiders. As long as quarterback Michael Strauss can continue to spread to ball to his many playmakers at receiver, Richmond’s offensive success should continue.

Special teams could be a major factor in this game. Neither kicker has been able to consistently force touchbacks, and both teams have seen kickoff returners be successful against them. Also, the middle of the season is about the time that teams begin to fall asleep on special teams, which should leave opportunities for big plays.

A few Richmond players to watch during this game include running back Seth Fisher, receiver Rashad Ponder and cornerback Tafon Mainsah.

Fisher had a career game last week, scoring four touchdowns to help lift his team over Liberty. If he continues to run the ball effectively and catch passes in the redzone, expect head coach Danny Rocco to rely on the running game down the stretch.

Ponder, a senior receiver who has had a handful of breakout games in his career, has not had a big game in a while. Fellow receivers Stephen Barnette and Brian Brown will warrant Albany’s attention, which should leave Ponder with opportunities for some big plays.

Mainsah has played periodically this season and was thrust into the lineup last week after cornerback Mylon Blueford injured his arm. Mainsah, a redshirt freshman, played sound defense for most of the game against Liberty, but did allow a touchdown pass in overtime to soar past him. Expect Albany to target this young player—his success in coverage will likely have a big impact on this game.

The game will begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Albany’s Bob Ford Field.