Football team hosts annual Spring Football Game

The University of Richmond football team played its spring football game at E. Claiborne Robins Stadium April 15. In a defensive-heavy intrasquad scrimmage, the white team won 6-3.

Following an uneventful first quarter, redshirt junior kicker Andrew Lopez made a 38-yard field goal to give the white team a 3-0 lead. The offense was sparked by redshirt junior quarterback Jackson Hardy and his elusiveness to get out of the pocket and gain yards by foot downfield. First-year quarterback Camden Coleman advanced the ball with short quick throws for the blue team. However, the white team’s defense caused several incompletions in the red zone to force redshirt sophomore kicker Jayden Alsheskie to kick a 36-yard field goal, tying the game at halftime 3-3.

The tie remained until midway through the fourth quarter when Hardy found redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ja’Vion Griffin for a 32-yard reception, leading to a Lopez 22-yard field goal to give the white team the lead 6-3. Coleman and the blue team had a three-and-out after committing a holding penalty, and the white team ran the clock out to eventually get the victory.

“We could have had a better day, but overall I think we had a great spring. I think the young guys really developed into their own. Parker [Mitchell], Trae [Tomlinson], Gabriel [Carbajal], I think they all had really good springs, so it was good to see the young guys get some reps,” said redshirt senior offensive lineman Tom Elia.

Griffin stressed the importance of younger players in the program stepping up during the coming season.

“We got a young core this year. Jasiah [Williams] just got hurt, so with Leroy [Henley] leaving and Jakob [Herres] leaving, we just feel we got to step up as a whole and just come together and just keep progressing day by day,” Griffin said.

Seventh-year head coach Russ Huesman said the offense was not as crisp as he would have liked. 

“We missed some throws obviously out there. But they’ve had a pretty good spring, so it was a little tough for today. I think defensively; we’re probably ahead of our offense right now just because of who we got playing,” Huesman said.

The Spiders have six home games starting Sep. 2 when they face the Morgan State University Bears.

Contact sports writer Jimmy Conley at james.conley@richmond.edu.