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isn't it great to be back in the FCS Playoffs again?...the joy of victory fans saw in Williamsburg after our last play win was something I'll never forget...it was very reminiscent of a similar win in the very special 2008 season...

the Eagles may well be the toughest first round Playoff opponent we've faced in quite a while, but I don't believe that will matter...our defense is unlike anything NCCU has faced this season in FCS...our offense just keeps getting better...our special teams have been very solid...I'm confident these Spiders will find a way to win

with the CAA Championship and Playoff bid in pocket what else could be the goal now, but to get to UAlbany...we've gotten pretty good at these 'elimination" games...there's no way we stop now...

enjoy the Prologue!

I swear next season, Playoffs, or not, I will eat less on Thanksgiving Day...

Go Spiders!

Should be a good early season measuring stick. Looks to be a bottomed dweller ACC team. Beat Roche less Citadel team by 4 last time out. But it is an ACC team and on the road . Fully expecting we can take this one.

JMU has gone 10-0, yet the NCAA has refused to allow them to play in the post season. There is a mandatory 2 year waiting period. JMU has requested a waiver several times. The NCAA has denied every request. The travesty is that they could go undefeated this season and still be denied.

There are several players exceeding expectations this season, and one standout is Dji Bailey. He's showcasing phenomenal defensive skills, currently ranking 5th in the A10 for steals despite limited playing time. Equally noteworthy is his offense, as he's impressively holding the 2nd spot in the A10 for shooting percentage at an outstanding .708%.

Dji is one of the reasons this team will exceed most people’s preseason expectations.

He also has a dad who seems like a wonderful father and great guy.

Spiders winning tomorrow night 73-66 which will more than offset the pain of another Flo monthly membership.

Big opportunity here. I approach every game as a must win game. I know, that is taboo with our program, we like to compete and show well to OK, and that is OK for our leafy campus.

Having a hard time getting a real read on Colorado - I am sure Flyder will provide us some nice metrics. They are ranked #18 KenPom. They underachieved big time last year, but have a lot of talent back, and added the NO. 7 player in the country Cody Williams, an expected NBA player very soon. Three pretty much blowout wins, but have not played anyone of note. KenPom predicts 11 point Colorado win. Sounds like they have sizable, physical guards. This seemed to be an issue last game. Need to see King step up to the competition level this game for 35 minutes.

Going to need impact from Noyes / Dji / Bigs. I think Quinn and even Walz showed last game they should be able to go toe to toe. Would really like to see Noyes and Dji really try to impact the game.

Great opportunity, I think this will show a lot about our team's ability to step up and play vs the top teams.

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most agreed the Indians defense would be the Spiders biggest obstacle in winning the CAA Championship yesterday...they were right...almost every one of the 371 yards the Spiders gained was extremely hard earned...nothing came easy!

if you didn't see the game the selected offensive plays will give you a sense of how tough it was to move the ball and how hard both teams battled...

my guess is the Indians defense woke up today feeling that the UR offensive line was one of the toughest, if not the toughest they faced this season...

it wasn't often pretty but it was tough, persevered and got the job done...on to the Playoffs...

Go Spiders!

Got to watch my two favorite teams last night (Eagles and Spiders) at the same time and to me the defining difference between these teams is all mentality. What do the Eagles do best? They don't have the best defense, their offense can run hot and cold, they can be outplayed for 75% of the game, but they know how to win, and they make winning plays at critical times. As a fan, I expect that when the game is on the line, the Eagles are going to make the defining play to win that game. The Eagles call this the "dog" mentality, that eventually the dogs are going to exert their influence.

Our Mooney coached Spider teams are the exact opposite. This is a team (not just this year's version) that when you need a big bucket or a big stop, they just can't get it. They can control a game for 75% of the game as they did last night and when it comes down to winning time, they fade. It is probably the single most consistent trait of Mooney coached teams. As a fan, I expect that when the game is on the line, the Spiders are going to fade, they are not going to make the play or plays need to win. They are going to miss the shot, not get the stop, foul a guy in the wrong situation, you name something that could go wrong in the last 5 minutes of a game and Mooney's team have done that.

Overall, the defensive effort from the Spiders yesterday was valiant, but we have to be better offensively to pull out these wins. 25% shooting from 3 is unacceptable and cannot help us win these key games. Hope we can shake that off before A-10 play.

King was excellent once again, making some tough shots when we needed him most through most of the second half. Unfortunately, Colorado singled him out and started to shut him down, minus some miraculous makes from him. Once they did that, they really started to pull away as King took some ill advised 3's. Dji also had an excellent game, and excelled off the bench defensively, especially when Bigs was in foul trouble (again) and Noyes was completely ineffective (credit to Mooney for taking him off the court early when he could see it wasn't working). Don't know how he's not starting over Noyes, absolutely absurd.

Tyne impressed me defensively, but he's going to take some time to compete offensively, and a matchup like this is not great for is smaller frame, he was just throwing up bricks. Pleasantly surprised overall with Tyler Harris, I think he has some good stuff and should've had more than the two points he got. His defensive tenacity was impressive.

Not a bad result by any means, but this team is showing flashes of greatness but can't produce, let's hope that reverses.

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with the Spiders leading 27-20 this was William and Mary's last play of regulation from Richmond's 10 yard line...

QB Darius Wilson passes to the deep right corner of the Richmond end zone.. the Tribe's Hollis Mathis and the Spiders defensive back are stride for stride battling for position when Wilson's pass arrives...they go up together for the ball...it falls incomplete...the clock read 00:00...ball game over...Spiders win CAA Championship...

but a late flag comes in...the call is pass interference on the Spiders...the Indians get an "untimed" final play on which they score a TD...you know the rest of the story...

unless the call is brutally blatant an official should not make a call that potentially changes the outcome of the game...this was terrible and barely edged out the replay reversal earlier in the drive for 2nd place on the all-time list...how in the devil can you call what you see irrefutable evidence if it takes you five minutes to make up your mind!!!

awful glad these calls didn't rob our squad of the Championship and Playoff bid...

ha! alas, the amateur video is not high quality...the sun field at that end of the stadium totally overwhelms my equipment!...but you should be able to see enough to grade this call!

Go Spiders!

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still tying up loose ends from W-Burg...

for most of the game the Spiders defense did a pretty good job of controlling the Indians vaunted rushing attack against a stout offensive line...63 yard TD run aside W&M averaged only 3+ yards per carry...the Spiders had 7 tackles for loss and 3 sacks...

of course you can't ignore the big plays that plagued the Spiders on W&M's first TD and again in the 2nd half...that'll be something we need to correct for the Playoffs...our front four got good pressure on Wilson throughout the game, but had a hard time getting him down on his scramble...several times he was able to escape and make a big play downfield...this was a particular problem in the Tribe's four quarter comeback...

but as another poster said in another thread this defense did not let the controversy at the end of regulation keep them from getting the job done...they stopped the two pointer...

if someone asked me what the biggest play of the year was, I'd say stopping the two point conversion...kudos to Marlem Louis for leading the pressure on Wilson and Aaron Banks for defending the WR during the scramble...

I expect the Spiders defense to give us a chance in any upcoming Playoff game...

Go Spiders!

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if both teams live up to their preseason potential, and get a little luck along the way, this historic rivalry could be one of the biggest games in FCS football this season and once again the biggest game of the CAA season... for the 2nd year in a row a game to determine the CAA Championship...

I'm sure most fans have already heard all they need to hear about the Indians, but they are loaded with 17 starters returning (9 offense and 8 defense)...they are everyone's CAA preseason favorite and I believe I've seen them ranked as high as #5 in national FCS preseason polls...Coach London described the Indians as "humble and hungry" on CAA Media Day...he also spoke of having unfinished business...as in bringing an FCS Championship to The Reservation...

I really enjoy these games at Cary Field and have had the pleasure of watching the Spiders earn and finalize CAA Championships and FCS Playoff bids several times since 2007...the Spiders know how to win there and have good mojo!...a second chance would make this game even more special...

now all we have to do is go out and make it happen...not easy, but certainly doable...

enjoy the Countdown...ha! I'm awful glad the Countdown and "dog days" are over and it's time for some real football...let the season begin!

Go Spiders!

Now that the pairings are out, it's a good time to make predictions for this year's playoffs.
South Dakota State is expected to win it all.

The Spiders have the most favorable draw for the CAA. The Spiders could go as far as the semis. I have the good guys beating North Carolina Central in round 1, defeating Albany in Round 2, and playing the Salukis in the Quarter finals.

Villanova beats Youngstown State in Round 2 and loses to SDSU.

Delaware beats Lafayette and loses to Montana.

We came within 46 seconds of giving him his only win this season.

He was under contract for two more seasons.

I say we are in and that probabilty has gone from zero many said couple weeks back to much closer to 90%. Rocco helped us today with VMI eliminating Western Carolina and Northern Iowa was eliminated at 6-5 with loss to N. DAKOTA State. Nc Central may sneak in and steal a bid with a weak resume but Furmans loss today to 2-9 Wofford makes Southern Conference lose some of their glitter and they will now only get two teams in. How many MVFC teams get in will be something to watch as many think they will get 6 spots. I am hoping Southern Illinois gets left out with losses in 2 of their last three games at 7-4 but both losses were to playoff bound teams one of which is #1 in country. Our resume is not as strong with power rankings but a co-conference championship in CAA which may get 2 seeds in top 8 and finishing with six game winning streak has to help as we are trending in right direction at the right time. If we get in we will be a dangerous team no matter where our power ranking ends up. We will all know by 1pm tomorrow. Hope to be in Robins Stadium next Saturday as word is UR put in attractive bid to host.

11/4:
———

Nova @ UNH

WM @ Albany

Elon @UDel


11/11:
———

Towson @ Nova

WM @Hampton

UDel @ Campbell

Albany @ SBU

Elon @UR



11/18:
———

Monmouth @Albany

Nova @UDel

UR @WM

Hampton @Elon

Quick starts . That’s something different.
8 new players seem to mesh well .
Moon is excellent X & 0’ coach. Bench
coach not so munch . There’s going to
be something to like with this team.
Not a micro manager

Nice game by Quinn, except at FT line.
Baffled by some rotations. Tyne made 1 awful play and was never seen again, classic Moon.
Where were the adjustments ince BC sloughed off a big guy into the lane to take away cutting lanes and amped up pressure on King? The BC coach even said as much in his halftime interview.
How could King get so few looks?
Much as some doubted it, lack of bulk at forward really hurt UR. It’s okay if the flipside is on offense we mismatch and hit 3s with those forwards in a 4-out, but none did save an early Noyes 3.

Was a very winnable game. First 12 minutes were very good, last 28 were fairly disastrous offensively.

Won’t go player by player in a loss as most everyone had ups and downs but some wider than others.

Got punched in the fave. Ran the offense. 14 point lead turned i to a double digit deficit. Ran the offense some more.

6'8" PF out of Bowling Green, KY. Offers from EKU, SEMO, and Robert Morris.


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don't forget your sun glasses, or welder's mask Saturday...the Indians use all their resources in this rivalry and have for year's...yes, even the ticket office!...Spiders fans will be in one of the worst sun fields in college football...

but that's all part of the experience of traveling to the Reservation for a game with Championship and Playoff implications...it's been super fun and rewarding for most of the last couple of decades...

I have very little doubt that the Spiders will play their best football Saturday at Cary Field...and little doubt that Coach London will have his guys stoked to kill our Championship and Playoff hopes...it should make for another in the long line of memorable battles...anyone remember the 1971 game? or the 2008 game? or the 2012 game? or the 2014 game?

the Spiders best football should be enough to bring back an unlikely Championship that fans will be talking about for years...

enjoy the final regular season Prologue...

Go Spiders!

Offense / Ball Movement- This was mentioned by a few on the board. Of course when you have a guy making shots like King, everything works better and looks better.

However, I did think that the ball moved much quicker on the perimeter, and guys were looking to catch the ball and drive or move the ball, and looking at the basket. Last season we saw way too much of the run the offense just to run the offense, weave, look for the next pass to run the weave, and then watch Nelson, or Burton take a contested shot at the end of the clock. Last night, I was guys using the offense to find shots and attack.

I will give credit, from Mooney's interviews he has praised King and Hunt's aggressiveness, and stated that they were pushing the entire team to follow. So far, game 1 - it does seem contagious and guys are applying it on the court. Maybe it was Nelson and Burton taking on too much last year - but in general we were moving the ball and getting shots much quicker in the clock. Good start. Hopefully a little more down low from Quinn or Walz in the next game.

Click Here to Register!

I know we have a game in between, but just wanted to get the word out about the Spiders coming to Boston! The alumni association is doing a get together starting at 5pm down the street.

I was able to grab tickets for all of $11 a piece through BC athletics and BC called me yesterday looking for me to buy more (I had only bought 8…). When I told them that I’m a Richmond fan, they told me “more Richmond fans isn’t a bad thing…”. I suggest we take them up on the offer!

Hope to see you there!

Unfortunate result after such a strong start to the game. As mentioned in the lead up, Richmond was going to have to make 3's to win this game, and failed to do so....hard, despite keeping Post quiet for the first half. Quinn was a major bright spot in this one, showing he has what it takes and leveling up from last season. Pun intended, he unexpectedly owned Post in the post, especially early on, but maintained well throughout the game. Dji was also a bright spot, and was quite efficient when Bigs was in foul trouble (which he can't get into). He's turning into an excellent 6th man, though I expect him to be in the lineup soon enough. Noyes also continues to have solid performances offensively.

Now for the downs. King had a tough game, which can only be expected knowing his inconsistency and how BC contains down low. For someone his size, the matchup wasn't great, but he did miss some shots he should make. Roche really blew this one, it was his shot to show his 3 point shooting prowess and Mooney and the team put a lot of faith in him, and he couldn't produce. Look to see his minutes decline as a result. Also, I know Hunt is known to be inconsistent, but this inconsistent? Love his leadership, but he has to shoot better than that.

Tough loss, though can't say it was completely unexpected. Unfortunately, I think we were clearly the better team but just failed to execute, which makes it sting more. Not all bad, some positives to take, and competed against (bottom) ACC talent. Huge test next against ranked Colorado, so let's use this as a "tune up" of sorts and hope we shake those shooting woes in the next one

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over 400 yards of total offense...235 on the ground...185 through the air...done against a pretty good Elon defense...

I'd say our offense is gelling at just the right time...most football experts believe Championship teams have to be able to run the ball effectively in November and December...

Savon Smith and Kyle Wickersham had a giant games on Saturday behind an offensive line that was getting some "push" even in short yardage situations...

I expect the vaunted Tribe defense will be the ultimate CAA test for the Richmond offense...we'll need every bit of push the offensive line can give to control the ball and sustain drives on Saturday...I think we'll rise to the challenge!

Go Spiders!