Despite Early Lead, Football Falls At Richmond, 27-10

RICHMOND, Va. – While the University at Albany football team held a lead into the second quarter of play Saturday evening at Robins Stadium, the hosting University of Richmond Spiders battled back to take a 27-10 victory. Richmond improved to 3-6 on the season and 1-4 in the CAA, while UAlbany fell to 1-8 overall and 0-5 in conference.

“I was proud of how we battled in the first half and a little disappointed in the second half,” said head coach Bob Ford. “Maybe we ran a little bit out of gas because of a depth situation, but that's the hand we have been dealt.”

Leading the Great Danes' offense, quarterback Will Fiacchi totaled 212 passing yards, completing 17-of-27 attempts. Running back Omar Osbourne led the squad with 18 carries, totaling 56 rushing yards and a touchdown, while senior wide receiver Kevin Chillis caught a team-best four passes for 39 yards.

Defensively, Randall Exantus totaled a career-high 14 tackles, including eight unassisted, as well as nabbed an interception. Redshirt freshman Michael Nicastro brought down eight, while Tramaine Wilson totaled seven tackles and logged a fumble recovery.

Winning the coin toss, the Great Danes deferred and kicked off to the hosting Spiders to start the conference clash. Richmond made its way down the field, but missed a 32-yard field goal on their opening drive, hitting the upright.

Taking advantage of the Spiders' miscue, UAlbany answered with a successful 80-yard drive, capped by Omar Osbourne's 2-yard touchdown rush. In the 12-play drive, Fiacchi connected a 35-yard pass to Jameel Gay down Richmond's sideline, and Osbourne's 12-yard rush on 2^nd-and-11 put the Great Danes on Richmond's 21-yard line. Facing 3^rd-and-6, Fiacchi converted, finding Cole King 10-yards down field, making it 1^st-and-goal. Again, the Great Danes were successful on third-down, as Osbourne rushed to the right and into the end zone, giving UAlbany a 7-0 lead with 5:03 remaining in the first quarter.

Richmond answered on their next possession with a 43-yard field goal by Brandon Jordi. The Spiders drove 57-yards on 12 plays, cutting the margin to four, 7-3, with 26 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

Despite a 39-yardpass to redshirt freshman Nic Ketter, the Great Danes turned the ball over on downs after a pass interference penalty set UAlbany back 15 yards.

Taking over on their own 32, the Spiders then took advantage on their first possession of the quarter, driving 65-yards to the three-yard line. Facing 4^th-and goal, Jordi kicked a 20-yard field goal, making it a one-point game, 7-6, with 7:59 remaining in the half.

UAlbany looked to answer but a fumble on their third play put the ball back into Richmond's hands at UAlbany's 40 with under seven minutes left in the stanza. The Spiders then used seven plays to drive 40-yards into the end zone on Seth Fisher's three-yard run. Going for two, the hosts converted as Strauss connected a short pass to Thomas Evans up the middle, giving Richmond its first lead of the game, 14-7, with 2:58 on the clock.

Undeterred, the Great Danes marched 68-yards down the gridiron, setting up Tom O'Riordan's 24-yard field goal with 58 seconds remaining. The successful kick cut the deficit to four, 14-10.

However, Richmond's Brandon Jordi made an astounding 48-yard field goal as time expired to send Richmond into the break leading 17-10.

The third quarter featured a defensive battle and a scoreless stanza for just the second time this season. The Great Danes forced the Spiders to turn the ball over twice. The first being Exantus' interception in the end zone at the 9:03 mark. However, UAlbany was unable to take full advantage after the touchback and was forced to punt. With 30 seconds remaining in the quarter, junior Tim Kologrivov stripped the ball out of Fisher's grasps and into the hands of teammate Tramaine Wilson. The Great Danes took over on their own 40, but again were forced to punt in the drive.

While the Great Danes defense stifled every offensive attempt in the third, Richmond finally struck with 8:12 remaining in the fourth. Strauss connected a 30-yard touchdown pass to Rashad Ponder, giving the Spiders a two-touchdown lead, 24-10.

Richmond quickly put the game out of reach with 4:54 remaining, as Jordi's 34-yard field goal sailed through the uprights, making the score 27-10. The Spiders gained possession as a result of a Mylon Blueford's interception at UAlbany's 39-yard line.

UAlbany attempted to get a few final points on the board, but O'Riordan's 40-yard attempt fell just short, and the Spiders ran out the remainder of the clock.

The Great Danes return to Bob Ford Field for their final two home games of the season, hosting Maine on November 9^th and New Hampshire on November 16^th. Both contests will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Scoring Summary (Final)
2013 Spider Football
Albany vs Richmond (Nov 1, 2013 at Richmond, Va.)

Albany (1-8,0-5) vs. Richmond (3-6,1-4)

Date: Nov 1, 2013  • Site: Richmond, Va.  • Stadium: Robins Stadium  •  Attendance: 8700

Team Statistics (Final)
2013 Spider Football
Albany vs Richmond (Nov 1, 2013 at Richmond, Va.)

Individual Statistics (Final)
2013 Spider Football
Albany vs Richmond (Nov 1, 2013 at Richmond, Va.)

Drive Chart (Final)
2013 Spider Football
Albany vs Richmond (Nov 1, 2013 at Richmond, Va.)

Drive Chart (By Quarter)

Defensive Statistics (Final)
2013 Spider Football
Albany vs Richmond (Nov 1, 2013 at Richmond, Va.)

Participation Report (Final)
2013 Spider Football
Albany vs Richmond (Nov 1, 2013 at Richmond, Va.)