Short-term memory and a physical resolve to stop the run will be the University of Richmond's best tools today.
The Spiders (3-4) have dropped four consecutive, but were overwhelmed in only one of them, a 31-7 loss at James Madison. Otherwise, UR lost 45-43 to New Hampshire, 31-28 at Towson, and 23-22 last Saturday vs. Maine.
"As a team, we've got to finish. Got to finish the game," said defensive tackle Corey Jackson.
Maine scored all 23 of its points in the fourth quarter.
"They've been through an awful lot, but they keep hanging together, and they keep working hard," UR coach Wayne Lineburg said of the Spiders. "If we keep doing that, it's going to pay off for us.
"I tell them, 'We've kind of been knocking at the door. Now we've just kind of got to knock it down.' I think we're right there at the edge of it."
Jackson, a senior from Halifax County, and UR's other defensive linemen are part of today's pivotal matchup. The lightest of UMass' starting offensive linemen weighs 290 pounds, and the Minutemen feed senior Jonathan Hernandez, a 195-pounder who averages 107.4 rushing yards. That leads the CAA, though UMass (4-3) is ineligible for the league title and FCS playoffs because it is transitioning to the FBS.
On defense, UMass features inside linebacker Tyler Holmes, a Blacksburg High graduate who shared the 2010 CAA defensive-player-of-the-year award with Spiders linebacker Eric McBride. Blacksburg High is coached by David Crist, whose son, Brian, is a member of the UMass staff. Brian Crist is a 1994 Hampden-Sydney graduate, and was a two-year starter at quarterback for the Tigers.
"He's a heck of a player," Lineburg said of the 6-foot, 224-pound Holmes, who averages 10.6 tackles. "He's got real good instincts and a lot of power. He's what you look for in a linebacker."
UR seeks continued production from Aaron Corp, who passed for 301 yards last Saturday vs. Maine, and for 353 yards the week before at Towson.
"If we continue to play well and take care of some little things each game, I think we can go on a run here," Corp said.
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