The Richmond Spiders cruise past Delaware State in dominating fashion

The University of Richmond football team cruised past Delaware State University with a dominating final score of 38-6 on Sept. 16. 

UR’s squad entered the game coming off of a 45-14 loss at Michigan State University last week. The Spiders had a rough start to the regular season with a record of 0-2 headed into the contest. 

“We gotta have a better mindset obviously than what we had going into Morgan State [University],” UR Head Coach Russ Huesman said in the football weekly press conference on Sept. 13. 

The Spiders were looking to regain control of their home field as they were up against the Delaware State Hornets. The Hornets visited Robins Stadium with an 0-2 record as well, and both teams were seeking their first win of the season. 

“We’re looking at it as a fresh start right here coming into week three,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Ryan Coll said in the weekly press conference. “We’re going to stay together, and we’re just going to keep working.” 

As the first quarter commenced, the Spiders began rolling down the field on their first drive and settled with a 40-yard field goal by redshirt junior kicker Andrew Lopez with 10:40 remaining in the first quarter. The Spiders were first to get on the scoreboard to make the score 3-0. 

The Spiders’ defense responded with a three-and-out right after to send a message that they came to handle business. There were multiple penalties by the Spiders, which did cost them a touchdown on their first drive, but it was not enough to lose momentum.

The Hornets started off the second quarter near the Spiders’ end zone. The Hornets came up short of a touchdown but capped off the drive with a successful 36-yard field goal to tie up the score 3-3. Minutes later, graduate student running back Milan Howard rushed for a 3-yard touchdown, followed by a successful point-after-touchdown kick by Lopez, to put the Spiders up 10-3. 

The Hornets failed to respond as their quarterback mishandled the snap, which they recovered. On the subsequent play, their quarterback was sacked by redshirt junior defensive lineman Zander Barnett. 

Once the Spiders offensive unit got back on the field, they were able to capitalize on their drives. With 1:35 on the clock, redshirt senior running back Savon Smith ran for a 2-yard score, followed by a Lopez extra point kick to make the score 17-3.

After another failed Hornets drive, redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Wickersham connected with junior wide receiver Jerry Garcia Jr. for a 56-yard touchdown, with 10 seconds on the clock, to close out the half at 24-3.

The third quarter was a defensive and stagnant quarter. The Hornets were able to score a field goal, but other than that, both teams were unable to make any significant progress offensively. With 10 seconds left in the third quarter, redshirt junior defensive back Jabril Hayes caught a leaping interception.

The Spiders continued to put pressure on the Hornets on both sides of the ball during the fourth quarter. Redshirt junior wide receiver Nick DeGennaro caught a 44-yard touchdown, which made the score 31-6. 

The Spiders continued to nail the hammer on the Hornets with an electrifying interception returned for an 81-yard touchdown by redshirt junior linebacker Wayne Galloway. After an extra point by Lopez, the score was 38-6 and the game was pretty much a wrap at that point.

The Spiders will travel to Stony Brook, New York to play Stony Brook University at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 23.

Contact sports writer Waleed Said at waleed.said@richmond.edu.