Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 8, 1995 TAG: 9510090154
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Spiders didn't, though, and their 26-23, double-overtime victory over Northeastern on Saturday in Richmond became the latest step in first-year coach Jim Reid's rebuilding process.
``This has been a game, historically, that Richmond folds, that they give up. It's over,'' Reid said. ``With two minutes left, it's done. Now there's one more skeleton that we can throw away. These guys refused to quit.''
Winston October's interception sealed the victory for Richmond, but not before a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty following a tying score with 10 seconds left caused the Spiders to miss the potential winning extra point.
Greyson Masters' attempt from the 35 yards into a stiff wind sailed wide left.
Richmond (5-0 overall, 3-0 conference) has only been 5-0 three times in its history, the last time when it won its first seven games in 1985 and was ranked No.1 in NCAA Division I-AA. The Spiders won six in a row in 1973.
Reid, who was the defensive coordinator at Boston College last season, when the Eagles upset Notre Dame 30-11 on national television, said Saturday's victory was the biggest in his 23 years as a coach.
``I just went in there and thanked those guys for allowing me to be involved in the greatest game I've ever been involved in,'' he said. ``Take Notre Dame and flush it.''
The Spiders, who committed five turnovers and trailed for much of the game, tied it when Jason Gabrels hit Rodney Bowens with a 17-yard touchdown pass.
Under Yankee Conference rules, each team gets the ball at the 25-yard line in overtime and keeps it until they score or turn it over on downs.
Northeastern (1-4, 0-4) got the ball first and workhorse Brian Vaughan got all the yards on five carries, the last from 1 yard. Brandon Hanes' kick gave the Huskies a 23-16 lead.
Richmond needed eight plays, with Gabrels covering the last 7 yards after Minoso Rodgers converted a fourth-and-one from the Huskies' 15. This time, Masters' extra point was good.
Richmond, taking possession first in the second overtime, settled for Masters' 29-yard field goal into the wind. October, a redshirt freshman, made it stand when he picked off Jeff Pilarcek's pass on the third play.
In other games involving Virginia teams:
James Madison 38, Boston University 31: Mike Cawley hit Macey Brooks with a 36-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds remaining as the Dukes, ranked seventh in NCAA Division I-AA, rallied past the Terriers in a Yankee Conference game in Harrisonburg.
James Madison (5-1, 4-0) got the ball on the Boston U. 47-yard line with 1:46 remaining after Kelly Wiltshire returned an interception 22 yards.
The Terriers (2-3, 1-3) limited Cawley to 11 yards on his first two completions. On second-and-10 from the Boston U. 36 after an incompletion, Cawley lofted the ball to Brooks for the winning touchdown.
The Terriers' hopes of forcing overtime died when John Stein intercepted a pass by Kevin Foley, a transfer from Maryland, at the Dukes' 10 with 37 seconds left.
Cawley was 15-of-24 for 208 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception. Late in the third quarter, Cawley found Brooks for 39 yards and a 31-23 lead. The Terriers came back with a 34-yard pass from Foley to Jim Lippie to cut the lead to 31-29. Foley then hit Chris Woycke on the two-point conversion to tie the score.
Cawley's other scoring pass was a 25-yarder to Juan Dorsey.
Kelvin Jeter led the Dukes with 110 yards on 15 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown. Shaun Marshall returned a kickoff 98 yards for a JMU score.
Julien Dale had 141 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries for the Terriers. Dale scored on runs of 6 and 2 yards.
Foley, a transfer from Maryland, was 31-of-53 for 332 yards with two interceptions.
William and Mary 23, Rhode Island 14: Derek Fitzgerald rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns, and Troy Keen ran for 158 yards as the Tribe defeated the Rams in a Yankee Conference game in Williamsburg.
It marked the third time in the past four games Keen and Fitzgerald have each rushed for more than 100 yards as William and Mary (4-2, 3-1) rolled up 318 yards rushing.
The Tribe defense held Rhode Island (4-2, 3-1) to 90 yards on 27 rushes. W&M was equally effective against Chris Hixson, intercepting the quarterback four times. Hixson was 12-of-27 for 119 yards and a 2-yard scoring pass to Bobby Apgar.
Hampton 51, Delaware State 21: Sekou Wilson threw for 286 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for one - all in the first half - as the Pirates (4-2, 2-1) beat the Hornets (1-4, 0-1) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game in Hampton.
The Pirates rolled up 549 yards of total offense, including 263 yards on the ground. Delaware State was held to 189 yards in offense.
Emory & Henry 17, Hampden-Sydney 0: Andy Stanley, a former Patrick County High School standout, ran for 94 yards and an early touchdown and the Wasps blanked the Tigers in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference game in Emory.
Stanley rushed 3 yards for a touchdown to begin the scoring for E&H (5-0, 3-0), and Hampden-Sydney (2-3, 2-1) was held to 164 yards of total offense.
Kicker Wade Vidal joined Stanley in scoring for the Wasps with an 18-yard field goal, and Aaron Fuller tacked on a score when he caught a 28-yard scoring pass from Aaron Brand.
Gettysburg 27, Randolph-Macon 23: A 1-yard keeper by Brett Lyons with 4:38 left capped a 19-play, 77-yard drive that gave the Bullets (3-2) a victory over the Yellow Jackets (2-2-1) in Gettysburg, Pa.
Mike Hurt led Randolph-Macon with 102 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries.
Methodist 27, Bridgewater 3: Lamont Evans scored on a 54-yard run late in the first half to help put the Monarchs (3-2) up 20-0 and they cruised past the Eagles (0-5) in Fayetteville, N.C.
Bridgewater got on the board late in the game with a 30-yard field goal by Michael Padgett.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB