Spiders surge past Tigers

TOWSON, Md. -- Top-ranked UR surges to romp of Towson

Underdog Towson took the lead in the third quarter. That seemed to be the needle in the rear to the University of Richmond during its 42-14 win yesterday before 4,396 at Johnny Unitas Stadium.

The Spiders, top-ranked in the FCS, scored 22 points in 2:33, turning a 14-13 deficit into a 35-14 lead.

"I don't think we ever feared that we didn't have control of the game," said UR tight end William Bischoff, who scored the first touchdown on the overcast afternoon via a 10-yard reception. "We just put our heads down and said 'Let's get this done.' And we did."

The Spiders's rally: a 62-yard TD drive and two-point conversion, a blown fake punt by the Tigers that allowed UR an easy TD, and a 32-yard scoring interception return from Tremayne Graham. So much for the underdog's threat.

Richmond (6-0 in the CAA, 8-0) has won 17 straight, the longest string ever by a Division I program in Virginia, and is 8-0 for the first time in 127 years of football. True freshman fullback Kendall Gaskins scored three times (1-yard run, 3-yard run, 10-yard catch), and tailback Justin Forte rushed for 121 yards after gaining 118 last Saturday against Massachusetts.

Two UR errors helped Towson (1-4, 2-6) go ahead 14-13 with 10:54 left in the third quarter. A high snap in punt formation allowed the Tigers to take possession at Richmond's 34, and safety Darryl Hamilton soon after on fourth and 5 was called for roughing the passer. Towson was still in the game at that point primary because of an energized defensive effort.

"Anytime you go on the road and you're playing against a team that basically has nothing to lose, then you're going to get their best effort," UR coach Mike London said. "And we got it from them."

Said TU coach Rob Ambrose, reciting his pregame speech to the Tigers: "Nobody expects anything of you outside of the people in this room. That makes you extremely dangerous."

After Towson went ahead, Richmond responded with a six-play scoring drive to lead 21-14.

"Everybody on the offense knew that was a very important drive for us," said UR's Eric Ward, the senior who completed 11 of 14 for 177 yards and two TDs. "They had the momentum, and they were a scrappy bunch. We knew they were going to fight the whole day."

The Tigers on their next possession tried a fake punt on fourth and 5 from their 18, a gamble that blew up with miscommunication. UR's Jonathan Mayfield recovered the errant snap at Towson's 3. Richmond scored for a 28-14 lead. Graham's interception return came about 30 seconds later. UR led 35-14.

"I knew [the ball] would be coming out quick because of the pressure we had with our defensive linemen," said Graham. It was the fifth time this season the Tigers threw an interception that was returned for a TD.

Towson started true freshman quarterback Tommy Chroniger, the fifth Tiger to take snaps this season because of injuries and ineffectiveness. Towson also used Jeremy Jayne, mostly in passing situations. TU quarterbacks have thrown 23 interceptions.

The Tigers, with only nine seniors, were missing a handful of starters because of physical problems. "Adjustments, as far as our personnel, is not a weekly thing. It's not daily thing. Here, it's an hourly thing," Ambrose said. He added that his offensive line was "a bunch of guys that are taped together with paper, rubber bands and glue."

UR led 13-7 at halftime. "There was no yelling or screaming in the locker room," London said. "It was 'Let's just execute.' And that's what happened in the second half."

The Spiders entertain Villanova on Saturday at 3:30. It's Richmond's homecoming. The Wildcats (4-1, 7-1), ranked fourth in the FCS, were off yesterday.

Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233

Richmond ------------------------- 0 13 22 7--42
Towson ------------------------- 0 7 7 0--14
Second Quarter

Rich--Bischoff 10 pass from Ward (Howard kick), 10:42.

Tow--Godlasky 19 pass from T.Chroniger (Magas kick), 8:27.

Rich--Gaskins 1 run (kick failed), 3:17.
Third Quarter

Tow--T.Chroniger 12 run (Magas kick), 10:54.

Rich--Forte 10 run (Mitchell pass from Ward), 8:01.

Rich--Gaskins 3 run (Howard kick), 6:15.

Rich--Graham 32 interception return (Howard kick), 5:28.
Fourth Quarter

Rich--Gaskins 10 pass from Ward (Howard kick), 11:37.

A--4,396.

 Rich

Tow
First downs-------------------------24

10
Return yards-------------------------42

3
Punts-Avg.-------------------------1-(-12.0)

5-38.8
Rushes-yards-------------------------58-243

30-80
Passing yards-------------------------177

84
Comp-Att-Int-------------------------11-14-0

10-19-1
Fumbles-lost-------------------------2-2

3-1
Penalties-yards-------------------------1-14

0-0
Time of possession-------------------------36:55

23:05
RUSHING

Richmond (58-243) , Forte 22-121, Kirchoff 7-36, Wilkins 9-30, Gaskins 9-27, Laub 2-22, Keating 2-4, Ward 6-3, Team 1-0. Towson (30-80) , Dameron 14-53, T.Chroniger 14-20, Tucker 1-4, Smith 1-3.
PASSING

Richmond (11-14-0--177) , Ward 11-14-0-177. Towson (10-19-1--84) , T.Chroniger 6-13-1-38, Jayne 3-4-0-33, Tucker 1-2-0-13.
RECEIVING

Richmond , D.Boston 3-74, Gray 2-58, Mitchell 2-14, Grayson 1-18, Bischoff 1-10, Gaskins 1-10, Wilkins 1-(minus 7). Towson , Godlasky 3-39, Cegles 3-24, Moore 2-10, Ryan 1-6, Newsom 1-5.
TACKLES

Richmond: McBride 11, Parker 7, McConaghy 7, Miles 6, Turner 5, Weldon 4, McMillan 4, Hamilton 4, Graham 3, Williams 2, Battle 2, Mayo, Kamin, Rogers, Goss, Pehanick, Horton, Sullivan, Cooley, Jackson, Bischoff, Hatcher. Towson: D. White 16, Collins 12, Smith 9, Tucker 9, R. White 8, Hill 7, Thomas 6, Beltre 5, Gardner 5, Ibia 5, Patterson 3, Butt 3, Valentine 3, Price 2, Osborne 2, Melikian 2, Chroniger, Blake, Magas, Avolio, Booker, Morgan.
SACKS

Towson: Tucker, Beltre.
INTERCEPTION

Richmond: Graham.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES

Richmond: Mayfield. Towson: D. White, Smith.