Boston College's quick strikes knock out Richmond 45-13; Spiders (1-1) open CAA play Saturday vs. Elon
JOHN O'CONNOR·2 hours ago
Two games ended with expected results for the University of Richmond. UR couldn't contain the quick-strike element of Boston College's offense Saturday, falling 45-13 after opening the season with a 38-19 win over non-scholarship Jacksonville.
The Spiders arrived at BC, which defeated visiting Virginia Tech 35-28 last weekend, trying to prohibit long-gainers that often sink FCS teams when they meet Power Five opposition. Richmond (1-1), which opens CAA competition Saturday evening against Elon (1-1) at Robins Stadium, failed to do so.
The Eagles (2-0) stung UR with explosive plays on the way to a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, and a 35-10 halftime advantage. Each of Boston College's five, fast touchdown drives before the break included a big play: a 46-yard jet sweep (TD), a 36-yard reception, a 30-yard run, a 42-yard completion (TD), and a 55-yard completion (TD).
Those Eagles' scoring drives lasted 1:25, 2:06, 2:24, 1:58, and 1:42. BC's Anthony Brown threw for three touchdowns in the first half.
"Defensively, way too many mistakes, blown coverages, some misfitted gaps. I don't know if we tackled great," said UR coach Russ Huesman. "I'm not real sure if we played great in the secondary. But there were some positives out there."
Joe Mancuso, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound redshirt junior quarterback, got Richmond moving with his rushing (10 carries for 70 yards) and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Duke graduate transfer Keyston Fuller (six catches for 60 yards) with 13:13 left in the second quarter. Mancuso also threw two interceptions before halftime.
Freshman Jake Larson kicked field goals of 36 and 45 yards for UR.
"I liked what we did offensively all game. We threw it and caught it pretty good. I thought Joe played really well," said Huesman. "He ran the ball effectively and our receivers made some plays for him. We ran the ball really well.
"If we can clean some things up, not shoot ourselves in the foot, not turn the ball over, we've got a chance offensively, I think, to move the ball. We've got good players, man. We've got guys who can catch it and make (defenders) miss."
The Eagles were led in rushing by the powerful combination of 240-pound sophomore David Bailey (13 carries, 97 yards) and 250-pound junior AJ Dillon (17 carries for 86 yards, two touchdowns). Freshman Zay Flowers opened the BC scoring with a 46-yard TD run.
Dillon's 2–yard touchdown run early in the third quarter gave BC a 42-10 lead and Richmond headed into the fourth quarter trailing 45-10. At that point, redshirt sophomore Beau English replaced Mancuso. Both also played against Jacksonville in the Spiders' opener.
Richmond's financial guarantee for this trip was $410,000. Starting UR tailback Xavier Goodall (Henrico High) did not play in the second half because of a knee issue. Goodall has twice torn his right ACL. Huesman called Goodall's removal "precautionary." Receiver Charlie Fessler (seven catches for 65 yards) left the game after absorbing a strong hit to the chest. "He's going to be OK," said Huesman. Milan Howard, part of Richmond's rotation at tailback, did not play because of an ankle injury.
Elon, Richmond's guest for Saturday's 6 p.m. CAA opener for both teams, began the season with a 24-21 loss at North Carolina A&T, which is ranked No. 15 in the FCS. The Phoenix won their home-opener Saturday, beating The Citadel 35-28.
