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2021 Richmond Spiders Football - Countdown - Villanova

Inability to get a first down twice late set the stage for Villanova comeback. Can we please recruit a 225-235 pound power back for these ball control situations? Please.
The play calling was atrocious,...no doubt. But, we lost the game because our defense gave up 21 points in less than five minutes. In the fatal three drives (76, 51, 68) that produced three consecutive touchdowns, we gave up 182 yards passing (for the rest of the game in it's entirety we only allowed 168). For 54 minutes and 58 seconds, our defense was stellar, limiting the Wildcats to 13 points. Then in four minutes and 23 seconds the same defense gives up 21 points when everybody and their grandmother knows that they have to throw the ball?

Most always tend to place the blame for the team's woes on the offense and/or coaching, but, I guess I see yesterday's collapse a bit differently.
 
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Think the concept is that you can’t just go 3 & out repeatedly and ask your defense to make stops. Would make a difference to allow them to catch their breath and recover. Particularly after putting the defense in bad situations the whole first half. We don’t have 90 scholarships to have enough depth to handle that.

we hired an offensive coordinator that most felt was the weakest link when he was at JMU with a penchant for doing less with more. And it has been nothing but the same story here. Fix that and I think we’re a playoff team. And for Huesmann, when you’re the head guy, it rightly or wrongly falls on you. You haven’t made the change. I get it hands may be tied but it’s why people feel like we need to see something else

as for the AD, I understand part of the reason is that we’re short on funding and RH may not be able to make a change or pay enough to have a decent OC. And the driving reason behind that is because our revenue expense ratio hasn’t met projections in men’s basketball…which has sat idle for nearly a decade. That’s what’s on the AD.

sorry for long post but just feels like we should be able to do better. But if the AD doesn’t care, eventually I’ll find my way to spending time & money elsewhere. I’ve been cutting back but still have more to cut.
 
Think the concept is that you can’t just go 3 & out repeatedly and ask your defense to make stops. Would make a difference to allow them to catch their breath and recover. Particularly after putting the defense in bad situations the whole first half. We don’t have 90 scholarships to have enough depth to handle that.

we hired an offensive coordinator that most felt was the weakest link when he was at JMU with a penchant for doing less with more. And it has been nothing but the same story here. Fix that and I think we’re a playoff team. And for Huesmann, when you’re the head guy, it rightly or wrongly falls on you. You haven’t made the change. I get it hands may be tied but it’s why people feel like we need to see something else

as for the AD, I understand part of the reason is that we’re short on funding and RH may not be able to make a change or pay enough to have a decent OC. And the driving reason behind that is because our revenue expense ratio hasn’t met projections in men’s basketball…which has sat idle for nearly a decade. That’s what’s on the AD.

sorry for long post but just feels like we should be able to do better. But if the AD doesn’t care, eventually I’ll find my way to spending time & money elsewhere. I’ve been cutting back but still have more to cut.
This post requires more than a simple 'like. Well said. I agree totally.
 
This post requires more than a simple 'like. Well said. I agree totally.
Again, the defense gives up 21 points in 4:23 (when it counts most and you know they are going to the air) after giving up 13 points in the first 54:58, and somehow some want to hang the loss on the offense. SMH

Someone should ask Justin Wood if he thinks the offense lost yesterday's game.
 
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They can't score if they don't have the ball. Granted, the defense sucked. Collectively they lost the game. But the offense needs to close out games because YOU have the damn ball. Give it away and you get yesterday's result.
Please let it sink in. We just gave up 21 points in four minutes and 23 seconds knowing well that the Wildcats had to throw the ball. I didn't like the offensive play calling either, but come on man; blaming yesterday's debacle on the offense is like saying the military deaths incurred in Afghanistan during the withdrawal was Trump's fault.
 
The offense doesn’t get off the hook for yesterday. They turned it over twice inside our 20 in the first half. It was a gift that we were still in the game. And really the kick return TD was a huge part of that.

the defense definitely isn’t off the hook but I don’t see how you can lay the hands at their 2 miscues and let the offensive miscues slide. I don’t think anyone is saying that the defense didn’t make mistakes but I think you’re missing some context looking only at those plays. With the modern college football rules, teams with an above average QB will score points.
 
The offense doesn’t get off the hook for yesterday. They turned it over twice inside our 20 in the first half. It was a gift that we were still in the game. And really the kick return TD was a huge part of that.

the defense definitely isn’t off the hook but I don’t see how you can lay the hands at their 2 miscues and let the offensive miscues slide. I don’t think anyone is saying that the defense didn’t make mistakes but I think you’re missing some context looking only at those plays. With the modern college football rules, teams with an above average QB will score points.

I certainly gave the defense props for the first 54:58 seconds...even called their play 'stellar' during that stretch. But, what most consider to be the strength of the team, Wood's defense, was atrocious when the chips were on the line. That doesn't excuse the offense miscues or the boneheaded play calling or Graves' Unsportsmanlike Penalty or anything else. It's just a matter of fact that when it counted the defense collapsed.

You claim that in modern college football, this sort of thing is to be expected. That sure seems like, yet, another excuse for the poor defensive play when everything was on the line yesterday.
 
Please let it sink in. We just gave up 21 points in four minutes and 23 seconds knowing well that the Wildcats had to throw the ball. I didn't like the offensive play calling either, but come on man; blaming yesterday's debacle on the offense is like saying the military deaths incurred in Afghanistan during the withdrawal was Trump's fault.
So you're okay with giving Nova 3 possessions in 4 minutes and 23 seconds? At that rate we probably won't win another football game. When the chips were down, we couldn't get a first down. We pretty much sucked on both sides of the ball down the stretch.
 
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So you're okay with giving Nova 3 possessions in 4 minutes and 23 seconds? At that rate we probably won't win another football game. When the chips were down, we couldn't get a first down. We pretty much sucked on both sides of the ball down the stretch.
Not at all; the play-calling was, as I said, 'boneheaded'. On the other hand, some, such as yourself, seem compelled to makes excuses for the defensive collapse yesterday. Your very first post in this thread reads....

"If Russ wants to save his job, Durden must go."

I may agree with you, but whether he stays or whether he goes has absolutely nothing to do with the defensive collapse in yesterday's game. I'm just trying to keep it real.
 
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if we have to debate after every game , who is worse offense or defense , what does that tell us? the buck stops with the head coach.
 
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Agreed, a defense shouldn’t give up 3 TDs in a quarter. the late game collapse is on BOTH sides but seems like offense has been the culprit for 4 years. Will admit I wasn’t trying to full exclaim the defense so apologies if it came across as that. I know all of this is sort of moot since we won’t make any changes. Which is the real problem.
 
Hey, on the last two 3 and out possessions, at 5:01 and 2:02, we couldn't get a first down. At the 5:01 mark had the O got one, hopefully two, the game is over with us strutting. Not taking the defense off the hook for not getting the job done, but without a power back the O couldn't keep our defense off the field.

The O, the D, the coaching staff all bear a measure of responsibility for the total meltdown, but if can't get a first down when a game is on the line, twice,
it is going to be a long season. Hate to say, but believe this will be a game we look back at and say it cost us a post season appearance. Sincerely, hope I am wrong.
 
Didn’t see the game, did we run out of the shotgun the whole time, even when running the ball in the 4th Q?
 
Not at all; the play-calling was, as I said, 'boneheaded'. On the other hand, some, such as yourself, seem compelled to makes excuses for the defensive collapse yesterday. Your very first post in this thread reads....

"If Russ wants to save his job, Durden must go."

I may agree with you, but whether he stays or whether he goes has absolutely nothing to do with the defensive collapse in yesterday's game. I'm just trying to keep it real.
Yes the defense collapsed. No excuses here. If they're not on the field because we have the ball and make a first down or two then we avoid the collapse. Chicken/egg. I just fundamentally know it's easier to score when your team has the ball and harder for the other team to score.
 

Coming off loss at Villanova, Richmond's focus will be on finishing​



incriminating statement about UR from Nova coach-

“...On that drive, UR attempted three consecutive passes. Villanova coach Mark Ferrante was ready to use his timeouts to stop the clock if the Spiders ran the ball, but didn’t have to.
“They did us a huge favor at the end of the game, throwing three passes and stopping the clock,” Ferrante said...”
 
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Throughout history, Spiders Football has had epic meltdowns. This is no different. Why get upset about it?
 
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Not sure which game most of you were watching. UR got beaten for 3 quarters. Villanova dominated in the first two quarters on both sides of the ball. They dominated on both sides of the ball when it counted in the fourth quarter. This game was not stolen from UR. The score did not reflect how badly UR lost. UR can still go 8-3 or 7-4 and have a great season. Calm down.
 
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The loss has taken out of the playoff discussion.3 CAA teams are in with UNH on the outside looking in.

At this stage we will have to go 8-3 to get in which basically means we’ll need to go 6-2 in the CAA.
It’s a very tall order but doable.Our margin for error is very small.
 
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Russ said we were behind for 3/4 of the game but still had a chance to win.

Lets look a little closer at the last 9 mins of the 4th Q.Russ is technically incorrect.

We were up 27-13 at 8:56.It took Nova 10 plays to go 76 yards for TD.

We were up 27-20 at 5:01.It took Nova 2 plays to go 49 yards for TD.

We were tied at 27-27 at 1:41.It took Nova 4 plays to go 68 yards for TD.

Nova gained 205 yards over that 8:56 span and 3 of its scores.Before that,Nova had gained only 275 total yards on 55 plays.

UR gained 326 total yards on 57 plays.

UR outplayed Nova except for the LAST 8:56 mins.
 
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