Head Coach: Russ Huesman
2017 Record: 6-5
Conference: Colonial Athletic Association
The winter of 2016 was a tough one for Spiders' fans. Just days after leading Richmond to the FCS-Quarterfinals, Danny Rocco announced that he was leaving UofR to take the head coaching job at the University of Delaware. It's been 15 years since the Spiders had a head coach last more than four seasons, and the departure was a blow to a program that is desperate for stability.
After Rocco stepped away, Richmond hired Russ Huesman from Tennessee-Chattanooga. Russ spent eight seasons with the Moccasins, so this was viewed as a move for the long term. While Huesman certainly brings promise, it also took him six seasons to get Chattanooga to the FCS playoffs. And considering last season was led by 4th round draft pick, Kyle Lauletta, a 6-5 record was rather disappointing.
Key losses from 2017:
Kyle Lauletta - QB
Prior to the season, Lauletta's draft projection was 7th round to undrafted. He quickly made his way up draft boards and threw for over 3,700 yards, 28 passing TD's, and four rushing TD's. Instead of going undrafted, the Giants took him in round 4. The Spiders offense ranked 10th in all of FCS, and 4th in passing thanks to Lauletta. What's most impressive about Kyle is that he really didn't have any help from a running game last year. The Spiders ranked 93rd in rushing, yet 10th in overall offense and Lauletta averaged 40 pass attempts per game. His performance was the one constant during the roller coaster season.
Garrett Hudson - TE
There were multiple games last season where the Lauletta to Hudson connection literally changed the course of games. With over 200 receiving yards and 2 TD's, Hudson certainly contributed in the passing game. However, his true value was as a blocker. His performance earned him a spot on the first-team ALL- CAA.
Alex Light - OL
You're starting to see a theme here, right? The Spiders had an awfully talented offense in 2017. While Lauletta stole the headlines, and Huesman directed the team, Alex Light quietly fueled every play of Spiders offense. While in high-school, not many programs paid much attention to Light but his career in Richmond turned the heads of several NFL teams.
Key returnees from 2017:
Andrew Clyde - DL
Andrew Clyde had at least one sack in all but just three games last season. The Spiders lost all three of those games. In those three games, the defense allowed 37 points per game. Yet, when Clyde had at least one sack, they allowed just 21 points per game and compiled a 6-2 record. To go with Clyde's 9 sacks, he also had 14 tackles for a loss. If he continues to improve this year, the Spider's defense will be a force in the CAA.
Cortrelle Simpson - WR
After transferring from Temple, Cortrelle Simpson established himself as a key piece of the Spiders offense and earned a spot on the all-CAA second team. During Richmond's spring game, they tested a RPO (run-pass-option) offense and Simpson caught a 40 yard touchdown. In his second year and the change in offensive styles, expect Simpson's productivity to significantly increase this autumn.
Gus Lee - Safety
Moving Lee from wide out to safety sounded like a risky move at the time, but his speed will be very valuable to this defense. In fact, it's already paying dividends as Lee was named MVP during the UofR spring game. Despite being red-shirted last year, Lee fills a major hole.
2018 Schedule:
September 1, @ UVA
September 8, vs Fordham
September 15, vs St. Francis
September 22, @ Stony Brook
September 29, vs JMU
October 6, vs Delaware
October 13, @ Albany
October 20, @ Elon
November 3, vs Villanova
November 10, vs Maine
November 17, @ William & Mary
Richmond last played UVA in 2016 and walked away with a dominating 37-20 victory . That was Bronco Mendenhall's first season though and the Spiders had an incredibly experienced squad. Considering the changes on offense, and the improvements made by UVA last season, don't expect a similar result to that of two years ago. That said, Richmond has a history playing close games with FBS opponents. The rest of this schedule is quite workable, save Stony Brook and James Madison. All of that said, the key game for UofR will be their home match on October 6th against former head coach, Danny Rocco. Both teams are projected as bubble teams and the winner has a great chance of sneaking into playoffs.
Offensive Outlook:
Whenever you lose your starting QB, starting TE and key OL, your obviously going to take a step back. That said, Jarmal Bevels returns after missing all of 2017 due to injury. His presence along with a shift to a RPO offense will at least make this offense a fun watch. However, Huesman has to choose a quarterback and implementing a new system is never easy through the first year. When Huesman ran this system in Chattanooga, they finished the 2016 season with the 11th ranked rushing offense. Last year, the Spiders ranked 96th in rushing yards, so expect a drastically different offense this year.
Defensive Outlook:
Last year, Richmond's defense ranked 97th on 3rd down. If Spider fans want playoffs, that number has to improve. Yet, Richmond only returns 5 starters from last year's defense. Even though this will be a young group, players like Gus Lee fills a need and Andrew Clyde provides a legitimate pass-rush. There is enough talent to make the Spider's defense formidable but can they fix their issues on 3rd down?
Prediction:
Russ Huesman is in a tough spot. Many fans were disappointed with last season's result but he's fielding a rather young team this season and implementing a new offense. On top of that, the CAA is not a forgiving conference. There are few cupcakes and the conference typically produces anywhere from 3-5 playoff teams. The meat of this schedule is the September 22nd through October 6th stretch. If Richmond can win just one of those games, they could finish 8-3 and secure a spot in playoffs.
Breakdown:
September 1, @ UVA - Loss
September 8, vs Fordham - Win
September 15, vs St. Francis - Win
September 22, @ Stony Brook - Loss
September 29, vs JMU - Loss
October 6, vs Delaware - Loss
October 13, @ Albany - Win
October 20, @ Elon - Win
November 3, vs Villanova - Win
November 10, vs Maine - Win
November 17, @ William & Mary - Win
Record: 7-4
