Late game heroics fall short as Spiders drop home opener

For the second-straight year, the University of Richmond football team finds itself 0-2 through its first two games of the regular season, as the Spiders lost a one-score game to Wofford College in their home opener Sept. 7. 

An attempt at a late game comeback spearheaded by sophomore quarterback Camden Coleman ultimately fell short in the final minute, and the Terriers walked away with the 26-19 victory.

In the first quarter, even with UR struggling to get its offense going, it looked as if the Spiders had the upper hand. After their first possession resulted in a punt, the Spiders immediately got to work in their first defensive series to counter any pitfalls on offense.

UR’s first defensive drive saw redshirt senior linebacker Wayne Galloway sack Wofford’s quarterback in the Terriers’ endzone, which resulted in a safety that gave the Spiders a rare 2-0 lead. Suffice it to say, from the looks of the scoreboard through the first 15 minutes of gameplay, one would have thought there was a soccer or baseball game taking place instead. 

It wasn’t until the first of redshirt junior quarterback Kyle Wickersham’s eventual three interceptions that Wofford finally turned a possession into points with a field goal, which at that point, brought the score to 5-3 in the second quarter, still in favor of the Spiders.

From there, UR jumped out to a nine-point lead with its first touchdown of the game, which came late in the second quarter with a handoff to redshirt first-year running back Aziz Foster-Powell. Given how spotty the Spiders’ offensive production was to start the game, a 12-3 lead with 2:21 to go before halftime made it seem like UR was in the driver’s seat.

That is, until Wofford scored just as time expired in the first half, putting the Terriers just two points behind the Spiders heading into the break, 12-10. Wofford was also slated to receive the ball to start the third quarter, which did not bode well for UR’s lead. 

Luckily for UR, though, nothing came of Wofford’s first possession of the second half. But that didn’t end up mattering for the Terriers, as they got the lone score of the third quarter, heading into the fourth with a 16-12 advantage. 

Down two touchdowns, the Spiders found a way to score thanks to Coleman’s immediate impact off the bench that resulted in a rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter. On UR’s final drive, a sack and an interception on subsequent plays, however, gave Wofford the ball and, with that, the go-ahead to kneel and drain the rest of the game clock. 

In the same fashion as last season when the Spiders lost their first two games of the campaign to Morgan State University and Michigan State University, UR ultimately dropped its second-straight game this season. 

That 0-2 blemish on the Spiders’ record in 2023, however, ended up turning into a 9-3 finish to go along with not only a piece of the Coastal Athletic Association championship, but a second-straight trip to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. 

“I told our team, our backs are against the wall already, but I also asked ‘em how many conference losses we have, and they all answered ‘zero,’” UR Head Coach Russ Huesman said in the postgame press conference. “So we’re in this thing and we just gotta get a win.”

While Wickersham did not throw a touchdown or score one on the ground like he did against the University of Virginia in the season opener on Aug. 31, he did tally 85 rushing yards in the first half, proving his abilities on the run. Wickersham finished with 100 rushing yards on the day. 

What did ultimately put a damper on the Spiders’ efforts were his three interceptions, however, which gave the Terriers more chances offensively. When all was said and done, UR totaled four turnovers compared to Wofford’s zero.

“We gotta play better,” Huesman said. “I mean, we’re not playing good enough, by any stretch of the imagination, so we have to play better. But our guys, they didn’t quit last year, they’re not gonna quit this year, so we’ll figure out a way to get ‘em back and get going.”

Through two games, the Spiders have yet to find their identity, and until they do, it will be difficult to establish themselves as a contender for a third-straight appearance in the FCS playoffs. The last time UR pulled off three consecutive trips to the playoffs was when the Spiders qualified in 2014, 2015 and 2016.  

UR’s next game is against Charleston Southern University at 2 p.m. on Sept. 14. 

Contact sports editor Jimmy James at jimmy.james@richmond.edu.