In a preseason poll, prognosticators picked Spider football to finish fifth in the conference. It ended up one of the four best FCS teams in the nation.
A quartet of Associated Press All-Americans led the Spiders to the national semifinal game at the legendary Fargodome, where the team fell to four-time defending FCS national champion North Dakota State. It was Richmond’s third appearance in the national semifinal since 2007.
The offense rolled all season long. Among the All-Americans was junior wide receiver Brian Brown, who became the first Spider to surpass 1,400 receiving yards in a single season, piling up a program-record 1,450 yards. Running back Jacobi Green, also an AP All-American, finished his career with 2,969 yards rushing, fifth-most in program history, and quarterback Kyle Lauletta’s 3,598 passing yards rank second-highest in a single season in program history. A powerful offensive line protected them both all season long, led by AP First Team All-American offensive lineman Nick Ritcher.
While the offense gave, the defense took. Junior David Jones, also an AP All-American, snagged a program-recond nine interceptions during the season, including a sensational 100-yard pick-six vs. William & Mary in the second round of the playoffs. He paced a Richmond defense that led the FCS in interceptions, with 22, the second-most in program history. Redshirt junior linebacker Omar Howard knocked opponents down on the ground, recording 136 tackles on the season, eighth-most in program history.
The best news? A number of the top players on both sides of the ball were underclassmen — they’ll be back next year.