Nov. 8, 2008

Box Score | Notes

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - It was all Josh Vaughan Saturday in Hempstead. The senior continued the remarkable second-half of his season with a career-high 240 yards and two touchdowns as No. 7 Richmond rolled to a 34-14 win over Hofstra in CAA Football play.

Vaughan averaged 9.2 yards on his 26 carries to post the fifth-best single-game rushing performance in school history. With career-high outings in his last three games, Vaughan has vaulted to fourth on the Spiders' all-time rushing list with 2,618 yards and Saturday's 240 put him over 1,000 yards (1,123) for the first time in his career.

The victory improved the Spiders to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the CAA, while ensuring the team's fourth-consecutive winning season. That hasn't happened at Richmond since the 1937 through 1940 seasons.

Junior Eric Ward was 11-of-20 passing for 158 yards and freshman Tre Gray was on the receiving end of six catches for 80 yards. Richmond played its third turnover-free game of the season (3-0).

In a driving rain for most of the game at Schuart Stadium, the Spiders scored on their first five possessions of the game to put the visitors comfortably up 27-0 with 3:09 remaining in the first half.

Richmond wasted little time making it a 7-0 game as the Spiders marched 68 yards in three plays, scoring 52 seconds into the contest. Justin Rogers returned the opening kickoff 29 yards, Kevin Grayson reeled in a 35-yard pass over the middle, Vaughan ran 32 yards on the next play and Ward finished it off with a one-yard keeper.

Ward's scored on a second one-yard run to make it 14-0 and followed by a pair of field goals from Andrew Howard - the second of which was a career-long 53-yarder - and the first of two TD runs by Vaughan, it was 27-0 at the break.

Behind 166 yards from Vaughan in the first half, Richmond out-gained Hofstra 313-71 in total yards, including a 216-30 advantage on the ground. The Spiders finished the game with a 460-288 edge in total offense (302-66 in rushing).

Linebackers Eric McBride and Collin McConaghy led the team with eight tackles each, while senior end Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. made four tackles (2.5 for loss) and had 1.5 sacks. Junior S Seth Williams also had four tackles and intercepted the team's 14th pass of the season.

But Hofstra (3-7, 1-5) pieced some momentum together in the second half and scored on its first possession with an 11-yard TD pass from Steve Probst to Christian Dennis.

In the adverse conditions, Probst finished the day 21-of-33 passing for 222 yards and the TD - 141 yards came in the second half. Aaron Weaver made nine catches for 132 yards and rushed for the Pride's final TD that capped the scoring with 4:16 left in the game.

Both of the Prides' second-half scoring drives were 80-yard sequences (eight plays and 15 plays, respectively).

Richmond returns to action next Saturday, hosting South Division rival Delaware at UR Stadium. The kickoff on Senior Day is set for 3:30 p.m. and can be seen live on CN8.