UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Spiders defeated the Morgan State Bears, 46-24, on Saturday afternoon at Robins Stadium to advance to the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
With the victory, the Spiders advance to the second round of the FCS Playoffs and will face the No. 6 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
Richmond QB Michael Strauss had four touchdown passes on the day, while RB Seth Fisher accounted for three scores in the win. WR Reggie Diggs finished with eight receptions for 132 yards and two TDs.
Defensively, DL Evan Kelly had three tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, while DB Justin Grant had eight stops and an interception. LB Eric Wright and DB Tafon Mainsah also had one interception each in the victory.
The Spiders seized control of the contest early, scoring the game’s first 22 points to take a commanding lead after the first quarter. Strauss connected with Diggs on a 16-yard TD to open the scoring, while Fisher added a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs to take the 22-0 advantage.
After Morgan State scored the next 10 points, Diggs’ second touchdown reception pushed the lead back to 19. Strauss notched his third TD pass of the game to begin the third quarter, connecting with Fisher on a 22-yard score.
Leading 36-17 midway through the third quarter, K Peter Yoder connected on a 42-yard field goal – setting the Richmond school record with 19 field goals made this season. Strauss put an exclamation point on the team’s win in the fourth quarter, hitting WR Rashad Ponder on a 38-yard touchdown. Morgan State added a late score, but it would not be nearly enough as Richmond defeated the Bears, 46-24.
The 46 points scored for the Spiders on Saturday is the most in the team’s 18-game FCS Playoff history.
Defensively, the Spiders continued to force turnovers. After forcing the William & Mary Tribe in to three turnovers last week, UR was back at it again, forcing the Bears to turn it over three times as well.
LB Omar Howard had a team-high eight tackles, while four Spiders tallied six tackles a piece.
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