UR football notes

Howard given chance to reboot, respond

Andrew Howard, a senior from Hermitage High, will continue as Richmond's placekicker and has the team's support, according to UR coach Mike London. Howard missed a 35-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in last Saturday's 21-20 loss to Villanova. He is 2 for 6 on FG attempts of 30 or more yards, 5 for 5 from less than 30 yards.

"He's a veteran player. He's got to get himself together," London said. "It's a one-kick opportunity and he knows that. He's got to perform when it's his opportunity to do so."

The Spiders have a freshman kicker on scholarship, Wil Kamin, who competed with Howard in preseason. Kamin has been handling kickoffs only. London said of the Villanova loss, "You can point a lot of fingers different places. We've got to do better on third down. We've got to do better on a lot of other issues. [Howard will] be OK. A kicker, everybody sees his errors like they see a [defensive back] who gets beat deep. Sometimes they don't see what happens inside the trenches when a guy misses a block.

"Instead of getting down on him, I choose to bring him up and keep him positive . . . He's going to win a game again for us here in the end."

A Howard field goal of 37 yards beat William and Mary in overtime last season.

Commissioner eyeing Villanova's first TD

Many who watched the game weren't convinced last Saturday that Villanova's first TD should have counted. Dorian Wells caught a pass in the back of the end zone, but were both of his feet not outside the end zone? TV broadcasters believed so after seeing the replay. London chose not to comment after the game, and suggested his assistants in the press box doubted if Wells had possession with at least one foot in, the college requirement.

Jim Maconaghy, the CAA coordinator of officials, reviewed the play and referred questions to CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager. Yeager watched replays, and he said so did officials' observers.

"We basically all concluded that the play would be as called. It was a very close, bang-bang play," Yeager said.

The game was televised, but regular-season FCS games do not use TV replay.

Georgetown's past outshines present

The Spiders (8-1), fourth-ranked in the FCS, play tomorrow at Georgetown, which is 0-9 and 5-36 since 2006. The Hoyas used to be a power. They played Mississippi State in the 1941 Orange Bowl, and Texas Western in the 1950 Sun Bowl.

Football was discontinued at Georgetown 1951-63, and a club team began play in 1964. The Hoyas were Division III 1969-93, then went Division I-AA. They won the 1997 and 1998 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships, but have struggled since joining the Patriot League in 2001.

Capital Cup on line in UR-W&M rivalry

Gone is the I-64 Trophy, which was awarded to the winner of the UR-William and Mary game. The winner in next Saturday's 119th meeting, and subsequent winners in the series, will take home the Capital Cup, a trophy that stands nearly three feet tall.

Williamsburg, home of W&M, was the capital of Virginia (colony and state) 1699-1780. Then Richmond became the state capital. A Capital Cup most valuable player will also be selected following the games. - John O'Connor