As has been the case for most of its conference games this season, Richmond had battled its opponent into the fourth quarter with the game on the line.  The Spiders scored a touchdown to tie their game with Old Dominion at 28 points apiece early in the final stanza.  However, Richmond would experience the same fate as in their other conference games when ODU pulled away for a 42-28 victory.

Richmond gave up the short pass to Old Dominion all day and QB Taylor Heinicke took it. Heinicke completed 34 of 47 passes against the Spiders.

Freshman Taylor Heinicke threw for 373 yards and completed touchdowns to three different receivers as the Monarchs amassed 587 yards of total offense.  Twelve of Heinicke’s 34 completions went to wideout Reid Evans, and Colby Goodwyn led the Monarchs with 83 rushing yards.  With its eighth win against Division I teams, the Monarchs have seemingly secured a playoff spot in their third season of football.

In the Zone’s preview of the game, there were three areas identified that would impact the outcome of the game – Richmond’s passing attack, ODU’s special teams, and red zone effectiveness.  While the Monarchs blocked one punt in the third quarter and converted a two-point attempt, its kicking unit was otherwise neutralized by Richmond.  The two other areas are examined below.

Richmond’s Passing Attack

Coming into Saturday’s game, Richmond’s quarterback Aaron Corp was averaging almost 250 passing yards per game.  Against Old Dominion he met that average as he threw for 256 yards to go with three touchdown passes.  Each touchdown was to a different receiver – Stephen Barnette, Kevin Finney and Ben Edwards.  Barnette’s leaping, one-handed 14-yard catch tied the game at 28-28 and was so acrobatic that it was selected as one of ESPN’s Top Plays.

Spiders WR Stephen Barnette making an improbable touchdown reception to tie the game with ODU at 28.

Richmond’s offensive line mostly played a superb game, allowing only one sack against the CAA’s most productive pass rush.  However, it failed to pick up blitzing defenders on two key plays.  The Monarchs’ lone sack came at the end of the first half as Richmond had reached ODU’s 13.  Safety Devon Simmons blitzed around left tackle, and his sack pushed the Spiders back eleven yards.  Richmond then missed a field goal attempt into the wind as the half expired.

The line also failed to pick up a blitzing Craig Wilkins in ODU territory on Richmond’s final drive.  The hit by the junior linebacker from Corp’s blind side resulted in an incompletion and knocked the senior out of the game.  Richmond’s reserve quarterback John Laub subsequently threw an incompletion on what would prove to be the Spider’s final offensive play.

While Richmond’s passing game did engineer three touchdown drives, it was not productive enough to offset seven scoring drives by ODU.

Red Zone Effectiveness

Entering Saturday’s game the two teams were at the top of the CAA in red zone efficiency.  They were converting nearly 90% of their red zone trips into points.  On Saturday, three of Richmond’s four red zone possessions resulted in touchdowns.  The fourth possession ended in the missed field goal following the lone sack of Corp at the end of the first half.

Defensively the Spiders came into the game first in the CAA in allowing offenses to score on only 66% of their red zone possessions.  Their red zone defense kept the team in the game thanks to a turnover in the second half.  After blocking a Richmond punt in the third quarter and already leading 28-15, the Monarchs drove the ball inside the Spiders’ 20.  But Richmond’s Doug Howell recovered a Heinicke fumble and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown, bringing the score to 28-22 late in the third quarter.

Still, Old Dominion’s offense proved to be too much for Richmond, as they would score two red zone touchdowns in the fourth quarter.  Facing third-and-goal from Richmond’s 1 with the game tied at 28-28, Heinicke scrambled to complete a touchdown pass to Antonio Vaughan over the middle for the decisive points.  The Monarchs would add another late red zone touchdown to arrive at the final score of 42-28.

With the Monarchs on the verge of icing the game late in the third quarter, Spiders LB Doug Howell recovered a fumble and raced 96 yards for a touchdown. Howell's score reduced ODU's lead to six points.

All told ODU had eight red zone opportunities and scored on six of them.  While the Spiders did convert a Monarch red zone turnover into a touchdown of its own at a crucial juncture, simply allowing the CAA’s highest-scoring offense eight red zone opportunities proved to be too much to overcome.

Next week Richmond (3-6, 0-6) travels to Delaware to take on the Blue Hens, while Old Dominion (8-2, 5-2) travels to William and Mary for its season finale.

See all the photos from the Richmond @ ODU game by selecting the link below:

http://sportsspotlight.smugmug.com/College-Sports/Football/Richmond-Old-Dominion-CAA-FB/19933164_sjhkRn#1569071148_WzBhJ5M