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don't look now, but from my seat it looks like our defense is playing as effectively as our offense...yesterday capped three pretty outstanding defensive efforts to start the CAA season...

these amateur video clips are selected plays highlighting the pressure the Spiders put on Watkins all afternoon...after the game Coach Huesman credited this for limiting the Wildcats explosive "chunk" plays...

we have become particularly strong in the last three quarters of the game...we have not given up a TD in the 2nd, 3rd or 4th quarter of our three CAA games...that pretty damn good!

I'm just a fan, but appears someone on the coaching staff is preparing the guys well and then making in game adjustments to shut down the opponent...hat's off to the coaches and congrats to the players for executing well...but as Marlem Louis said after the game the defense needs to keep getting 1% better in each practice...I don't doubt they will!

Go Spiders!

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it certainly looked and felt different watching the Spiders offense yesterday at The Brick House...the first five games of the season had heavily featured our controlled passing attack...apparently Nova Coach Ferrante noticed and decided to focus the Wildcats defense on controlling, or stopping it...seems logical

enter the rushing side of OC Billy Cosh's Richmond offense...52 carries for 227 yards...four ball carriers were led by Aaron Dykes 23/96 yds...Savon Smith 7/74 yds...Milan Howard 7/49 yds. and Udinski 11/32...there were no fumbles among the bunch...it seemed like our offensive line wore down the Wildcats as the game went on...I don't recall a holding penalty...

if you missed the game you can get a taste of what was different in the amateur video clips of selected rushing plays...

I must confess it took a few series to get used to our offense featuring the run, but it worked and we're still in the CAA battle...I'll take some of whatever the defense will give us!

Go Spiders!

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Nova comes into the season as defending CAA Champion, preseason CAA Championship favorite, an FCS preseason Top 10 team and holding three straight wins over the Spiders...this is where the Richmond program used to be...

defeating the Wildcats at The Brick House on October 15 could be a big step back towards those aspirations...a Spiders win won't be easy and the game will mean much less if we do not come into it with wins and losses that reflect what many believe is our positive potential for the season...

the players and coaches have emphasized "finishing strong" during the offseason work...this fan will never forget the shocking collapse and loss to Villanova in the final nine minutes last season...I'm sure the players and coaches haven't forgotten either...this would be a great opportunity reap the rewards of their work...

this game ends a very tough opening stretch of CAA games...since 2017 we are a combined 2-10 versus Stony Brook, Elon and Villanova...turning this around to begin the season would certainly pump some energy and passion back into the program that we need badly...and put us in position to battle for a Championship in the 2nd half of the CAA schedule... just like the good ole days...

enjoy episode six of the Countdown...

Go Spiders!

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Wonder if recurring photo op means that CAA picks up tab for his travel expense to see his son’s team play.Son is 2nd team LS for Nova.Curious.Maybe there is a provision in FLO TV contract that they pick up D’Antonio’s weekend travel expenses.

The FBI has become completely weaponized against President Trump and Republicans and anyone Democrats disagree with. The worst corruption comes at the hands of a corrupt cabal who worked to undermine a sitting United States President. The FBI relied on the Steele Dossier to erode the foundations of the Republic, by upholding its veracity to a FISA Court.

"It is thus breathtaking that the FBI would offer an informant $1 million to corroborate his allegations — which is tantamount to an admission that the information is not even supported, much less verified — and yet rely on that unverified and likely false information, not once but four separate times over the course of a year, under oath in applications to the FISC...

The FBI did not seek to interview these sources [in the dossier] before portraying the president of the United States as a Russian asset. The bureau depended solely on Steele, notwithstanding that agents knew his anti-Trump bias was virulent and his information was uncorroborated — hence, the $1 million offer, which the FBI knew it hadn’t had to pay because Steele was unable to support his claims."

Given its magnitude, this deserves its own thread. All told, this will result in almost $600B in student loan reduction.

"The government will cancel $10,000 for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year and $20,000 for those who received Pell grants. The Administration estimates that about 27 million will be eligible for up to $20,000 in forgiveness, and some 20 million will see their balances erased....

The Penn Wharton Budget Model estimates that canceling $10,000 for borrowers earning up to $125,000 will cost about $300 billion. The Pell grant addition could increase this by as much as $270 billion. The four-month freeze on payments will cost $20 billion on top of the roughly $115 billion it already has."

Here is something fun to talk about in the off season. This list (see below) has not been updated since 2013. We have had many great players since then and good stats are much harder to get in A10 verses previous leagues. Who should be added and removed? If you add someone, you need to also take someone off. Only 16 total on the team. Also who would start?

I would add. TJ Cline, Jacob Gilyard and Grant Golden. I might also add Tyler Burton if he has a strong season. I would remove Greg Beckwith, Dave Gonzalvez and Johnney Moats.

1st Team
PG Jacob Gilyard
SG Kevin Anderson (I think he is better at this position)
C TJ Cline
F Johnny Newman
F Bob McCurdy

Kevin Anderson 2007-11 - Second all-time scorer (2,165 points); A-10 and Virginia State Rookie of Year (2008); A-10 Player of the Year (2010); A-10 Tournament MVP (2011); 2-time 1st Team All A-10; most minutes played in a career (5,041; 36.3 mpg); AP Honorable Mention All-American (2010); 2 NCAA's; jersey No. 14 retired.
Ken Atkinson 1986-90 - Ninth all-time scorer (1,549 points); UR Hall of Fame; CAA Rookie of Year (1987); CAA Tournament MVP (1990); 2-time 1st Team All-CAA; 1st Team All-State (1990); member of school's first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 team (1988); UR record 8 three-pointers in game (1990); 2 NCAA's, 1 NIT.
Greg Beckwith 1982-1986 - UR Hall of Fame; All-time career leader in assists (573) and steals (227); nine of top 12 assists in a game, including top three (16, 14, 13); two of top three steals in a season (77 in '86 and 70 in '84); Robins Center record for assists in a game (14, 1985); CAA All-Tournament Team ('84); member of school's first two NCAA Tournament teams.
Curtis Blair 1988-92 - Seventh all-time scorer (1,630 points); UR Hall of Fame; CAA Player of Year (1992); 2-time 1st Team All CAA; 3-time All-CAA Tournament Team; 2-time All-CAA Defensive Team; member of '91 NCAA Team first No. 15 seed to defeat No. 2 (Syracuse); 2nd round NBA Draft pick Houston Rockets; NBA official.
Tony Dobbins 2001-04 - 1,026 points; only 2-time and back-to-back Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year (2003, 04); hit game-winning shot in victory at 12th-ranked Kansas 2004.
David Gonzalvez 2006-10 - Fifth all-time scorer (1,727 points); Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team (2010); ESPN National Player of the Week (2010); as a senior helped lead Spiders to first national ranking in 25 years and NCAA at-large bid.
Justin Harper 2007-11 - 1,457 points; 1st team All Atlantic 10 and A-10 All-Tournament Team (2011); 32nd pick in 2011 NBA draft pick by Cleveland; member of 2 NCAA Tournaments teams and final Top-25 rankings; 2011 Atlantic 10 Championship and Sweet 16.
Ed Harrison 1952-56 - Fourth all-time scorer (1,843 points); UR Hall of Fame; 4-time 1st Team All State; 1st Team All Southern Conference (1956); two-time captain; most free throws made career (633).
Bob McCurdy 1973-75 - 1,347 points; UR Hall of Fame; AP Third Team All-American; Citizens Helms Foundation All-American 1975; nation's leading scorer 1975 (32.9 ppg); top three scoring games in UR history (53 pts., 46 pts., 44 pts.); Robins Center record for most points in a game (53, 1975); most points in a season (855 in 1975); most field goals in game (21) and season (321) in 1975.
Warren Mills 1951-55 - 1,233 points; UR Hall of Fame; 1st Team All State (1953); jersey No. 23 retired; two-time captain; scored 17 points in UR's 87-82 double overtime victory against North Carolina at the Benedictine High School gym in 1955.
Johnny Moates 1964-67 - 1,440 points; UR Hall of Fame; Southern Conference Player of Year (1967); two-time 1st Team All-Southern Conference; two-time 1st Team All State; two-time captain.
John Newman 1982-86 - All-time leading scorer (2,383 points); UR Hall of Fame; Virginia Sports Hall of Fame; jersey No. 20 retired; '83 CAA Rookie of Year; '84 CAA Player of Year; member of school's first two NCAA teams; leading scorer all four years; two-time captain; three-time AP Honorable Mention All-American; 29th overall NBA draft pick by Cleveland; played 17 NBA seasons with 12,740 points.
Michael Perry 1977-81 - Third all-time scorer (2,145 points); UR Hall of Fame; two-time All-ECAC South 1st Team; Converse All American (1980); 1st Team All State (1981); three-time captain; drafted in 9th round by NBA's Kansas City Kings (1981).
John Schweitz - 1978-82 - Sixth all-time scorer (1,723 points); UR Hall of Fame; two-time 1st Team All-ECAC South; 1st Team All State (1982); played in NBA with Detroit, Boston and Seattle.
Aron Stewart - 1972-74 - 1,237 points; UR Hall of Fame; Southern Conference Player of Year (1973); two-time 1st Team All Southern Conference; two-time Citizen Helms Foundation All American; second and third highest single season scoring average (30.2, 26.5ppg); averaged double-double 26.5 ppg and 12 rpg in 1974.
Dick Tarrant - Head Coach - 1981-1993 - UR Hall of Fame; Virginia Sports Hall of Fame; all-time winningest coach (239 wins); coached UR to school's first nine post-season appearances (5 NCAA; 4 NIT); NCAA Sweet 16 (1988); NCAA wins include Auburn, Indiana, Georgia Tech, and Syracuse - first No. 15 seed to beat No. 2; CAA Coach of Decade (1995); Five-time conference Coach of Year; two-time State Coach of Year; five-time National Association of Coaches District 4 Coach of the Year; Nike College Basketball Coach of the Year (1988).
Peter Woolfolk - 1984-88 - Eighth all-time scorer (1,604 points); UR Hall of Fame; CAA Rookie of Year (1985); 1st Team All CAA (1988); 1st Team All State (1988);two-time captain.

Tristan Wheeler on list:



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For those of you awaiting your annual UR wall calendar, I got an email from the alumni association today telling me they should be on the way shortly. One of my favorite Christmas "gifts."

Our vendor let us know that that there is a delay in the shipment of calendars. We will do our best to get your calendar to you as soon as possible, hopefully sometime in December.​