Spiders raising level of ground game

Wind increases. It rains more often, and starts getting chilly. 'Tis the season to show off quality running games.

Last Saturday on saturated grass, in rain and wind, the University of Richmond's Justin Forte gained 118 yards and scored two rushing TDs in a 34-12 win over Massachusetts. Quarterback Eric Ward scrambled for 62 more yards.

"As [an offensive line] we had one of our best games," said right tackle Michael Silva. "And we definitely see Forte making those cuts that maybe he could have made earlier."

Richmond experienced only moderate running success through the season's first few weeks. The Spiders had a bye in early October. That seems to have been when Richmond's blockers, play-calling and the 5-9, 187-pound Forte meshed. The senior is not 225-pound Tim Hightower, the tailback who led UR in 2007, or 232-pound Josh Vaughan, Richmond's tailback last year.

"You have to look at the stature of the backs, and the plays you use to utilize their talent," said UR coach Mike London. "Justin is one of those guys who's a smaller back. He can hide behind linemen that are pulling, kind of get in the hip pocket there a little bit.

"Justin is adapting to having enough patience to see the hole, or let the hole develop, and then just take advantage of it. That's kind of how the whole thing kind of evolved."

Richmond (5-0 CAA, 7-0), the top-ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision, puts a 16-game winning streak on the line today at Towson (1-3, 2-5), which has allowed more than 200 rushing yards each of the past two weeks. This would appear to be a day for the Spiders to work on their run game as they prepare for No. 4 Villanova next week, No. 5 William and Mary Nov. 21, and, presumably, playoff challenges as they defend their 2008 national title.

Against UMass, Ward scrambled for three first downs in the first half, when the outcome was in doubt. That's part of the plan, according to Silva, a 6-5, 296-pounder.

"You certainly have to account for that," UMass linebacker Tyler Holmes said of Ward's running. "We made adjustments, but he made a couple of great plays."

Rob Ambrose, Towson's first-year head coach and Connecticut's offensive coordinator from 2006-08, has a beat-up, turnover-prone team. After watching the Spiders on video, Ambrose lamented "they are very similar to guys I coached against a year ago. There's a reason they're the No. 1 team in the country. For our kids, it's a tremendous opportunity to go out and play against the best."

The Tigers could catch UR looking ahead to next Saturday's showdown with Villanova. Maybe that's why London reminded his players about the last time Richmond played at Johnny Unitas Stadium. In 2007, the Tigers scored with no time remaining to win 23-21. It was Towson's lone CAA win that season.

"Our focus is always on this year, but we have that in the back of our minds," said Silva.

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