By Nick Place
Richmond running back Josh Vaughan rolled over the Hofstra defense for 240 yards rushing in the Spiders’ 34-14 win over the Pride on Saturday.
Seventh-ranked Richmond set the tone early with scores on their first five possessions. Hofstra’s offense was as ineffective as Richmond’s was productive, failing to secure a first down until well into the second half.
Sophomore wide receiver Aaron Weaver defied the wet weather, snaring nine balls for 132 yards. “I thought, for the third week in a row, Aaron Weaver was the best skill player on the field,” Hofstra head coach Dave Cohen said.
It took the Spiders two plays to traverse the field to the one-yard line from their own 32 after receiving the opening kickoff. Junior quarterback Eric Ward took the ball the final yard for the opening score of the game.
Ward would register another rushing touchdown to cap the Spiders’ second drive after Hofstra went three-and-out. Richmond’s second drive went 81 yards in 9 plays.
“We always look to establish the running game early,” said Vaughan, “and then we feed off the running game.”
Hofstra punted again after only three plays and nine yards gained, setting up a 55-yard drive that ended in a field goal by Richmond’s Andrew Howard. Richmond led 17-0 at the start of the second quarter.
The second quarter began with yet another three-and-out for the Pride. Richmond took the ball on their own 35 yard line and moved it 29 yards to Hofstra’s 36, where the Pride made a stand after an eight-yard rush by Vaughan on a first and fifteen. After two incomplete passes, Howard came on to kick a field goal. Howard’s kick skipped over the crossbar and through the uprights for a 53-yard hit, tying for the second-longest kick in Richmond history.
At 8:13 in the second quarter, Hofstra finally got a first down when freshman quarterback Steve Probst scrambled down the right sideline for a 14-yard gain. The very next play, Probst hit Weaver for 13 yards and another new set of downs. After that the Pride offense ran out of gas and hit a fourth-down situation with four to go. Cohen seemed prepared to go for it, but instead called a timeout. When play resumed, Hofstra punted it away.
Richmond marched back down the field, capping a 7-play drive with a three-yard dash by Vaughan around the left tackle for a touchdown with two and a half minutes remaining in the half. Hofstra would get a first down on the ensuing possession but nothing else, and Richmond’s two-minute drive attempt after regaining possession faltered when linebacker Said Gaida sacked Ward. Richmond led 27-0 at the end of the first.
Vaughan rushed for 166 yards in the first half. Richmond had 16 first downs to Hofstra’s 3, and 313 yards of total offense compared to the Pride’s 71.
Hofstra scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half after an 80-yard drive, fueled by two consecutive receptions by three Weaver receptions for a combined 32 yards.
Richmond returned the kickoff to their own 37, and marched down the field until they had a first and goal at Hofstra’s four-yard line. After an incomplete pass and two failed rushes by Vaughan, The Hofstra defense held Richmond fullback John Crone at the goal line to save the touchdown.
A 22-yard reception by Weaver dug the Pride out of the hole, but Hofstra was unable to advance past midfield, punting from their own 40. The third quarter ended mid-drive, with Richmond leading 27-7.
The Spiders continued their drive and ended with a one-yard run by Vaughan, putting them up 34-7. The two teams traded unsuccessful possessions before Hofstra orchestrated a 15-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a rushing touchdown for Weaver from the one-yard line for the final score of the game.
“Today, I think we got physically beaten on both sides of the ball,” Cohen said after the game. In addition to praising Weaver, he credited Probst for a solid second-half performance. Probst went 21-33 passing for 222 yards.
Weaver himself was slightly more upbeat. “We have a lot of young players, and we’re starting to get it, but we haven’t put a full game together yet.”
Richmond moved to 7-3 for the season, 4-2 in the CAA. This fourth-straight loss puts Hofstra at 3-7 overall and 1-5 in the conference going into its final game versus Northeastern next Saturday at home.