Jones leads Spiders over Albany in homecoming game

In honor of David Jones intercepting four passes and recovering a fumble in Richmond's homecoming game yesterday, I decided to start this story with the words of my favorite NBA announcer, Mark Jackson. 

Mama, there goes that man. 

Jones was everywhere last night. He caught as many passes from Albany quarterback Neven Sussman as anyone. He now has seven interceptions this season, as many as anyone in the FCS. And in a Richmond win decided by seven points, his presence was essential in minimizing Albany's late comeback and preserving the 38-31 win. 

Jones admitted he's never quite had a game like he did on Saturday. 

"It's something about homecoming that I just come ready to play," Jones said, citing his two-interception game last year on homecoming weekend. "I was reading (the quarterback's) eyes."

Jones' speed, length and ability to read and react give him the chance to dominate a game from his safety position any given week. And because he plays the middle of the field most of the time, it's hard for quarterbacks to avoid throwing the ball his way.

"I think there's a lot of pictures on film when coaches are showing their quarterbacks... They're saying, 'You should throw the ball in there,'" Richmond coach Danny Rocco said. "(Jones) just covers so much ground that he shows up in those places and makes plays on the ball."

Although it was Jones' day, those 38 points on the other side of the scoreboard came courtesy of Jacobi Green and Brian Brown. They weren't the only players to score for Richmond, but they certainly led the offense on Saturday. Green followed last week's five-touchdown performance with two more and 186 yards, while Brown continued to run past defenders for a touchdown and 178 yards. 

Green's play is fairly simple--run with patience, find holes and burst through them. Brown's game, though, is more complex, and his combination of route-running ability and strong hands allows him to catch passes despite double coverage. 

Brown focuses on running all of his routes the same way so defenders never know where he's going to go, he said. He's so good at it that it looks unfair sometimes. 

"He is so smooth that his speed is deceptive," Rocco said. "There's days where I'll freeze the film and I'll say, 'How do you play corner?'"

After taking a 38-10 lead with nine minutes left in the third quarter, the Spiders began to slip and make mistakes that allowed Albany to climb back into the game. The play after scoring the touchdown to build the 28-point lead, Dione Alston returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown and the Great Danes stole all of the momentum. 

Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta would be the first to tell you he played a shaky game on Saturday. It was the first time he looked out of sync since the first game against Maryland. He threw two interceptions and Green fumbled on the next three drives, but Albany scored just seven points off those turnovers thanks to two of Jones' interceptions. 

Rocco said he was pleased with the victory despite Albany's comeback effort, saying he expected a hangover from last week's "gut check" of a game against James Madison. 

The Spiders are now 7-1 and undefeated in conference play. Richmond will have to play better football next week in order to beat New Hampshire on the road. 

Contact Sports Editor Charlie Broaddus at charlie.broaddus@richmond.edu