UR to open title defense against Elon

Elon (9-2) will play at the University of Richmond (10-1) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

UR and Elon, of the Southern Conference, played in the opening game for both teams last season at Elon, which is located near Burlington, N.C. UR won 28-10 in Mike London's debut as the Spiders' coach. Richmond, which shared the Colonial Athletic Association championship with Villanova, is seeded No. 4 in the 16-team field, which has only four seeded teams.

"I remember they were a pretty good team last year, and just from what I've heard, they're even better this year," Spiders quarterback Eric Ward said of Elon.

William and Mary (9-2) also will play a first-round home game. The Tribe, which fell at UR 13-10 Saturday, will play Weber State (7-4) at 1 p.m.

Elon's Phoenix lost only to Wake Forest and Appalachian State.

"They've got to travel. That can always wear you down mentally. It's a different schedule a little bit when you travel," said junior Eric McBride, a linebacker for UR, the defending FCS champion. "For us, it's going to be more of a routine, and we're going to be able to just settle down and take our time getting ready for them, whereas I feel like sometimes when you travel, you feel a little rushed.

"I expect they're going to be motivated, and they're going to remember when we did play them. I think it helps [the Spiders] just knowing that we are capable of winning this game and moving on to the next round."

UR will play at home through the playoffs until it meets a higher-seeded team. Tickets for Saturday's game are $22 for adults and $10 for 12-and-under.

FCS pairings, Page C7