Richmond at #7 Coastal Carolina, Saturday, 1:00
So far Richmond is making the most of their first playoff appearance since 2009. The Spiders must have liked their draw with Morgan State in the first round. The Bears snuck into the playoffs as part of a five way tie in the MEAC. Richmond running back Seth Fisher rushed for two first quarter touchdowns and Richmond took an early 22-0 lead and never looked back. Fisher also added a receiving touchdown later in the game, but the Richmond offense was all about Michael Strauss. The quarterback threw for 272 yards and four scores.
The draw for the Spiders could have been worse for the second round too. Coastal Carolina did go 11-1 on the season, but they are coming off of their only loss, a 15-14 defeat at the hands of Liberty in the regular season finale. The Chanticleers have an amazingly balanced and potent offense and scored at least 30 points in every game until the Liberty contest. Quarterback Alex Ross threw for over 3,000 yards during the regular season and running back De’Angelo Henderson rushed for 1,257 yards. Even the best defenses in the FCS can struggle against Coach Joe Moglia’s offense.
And Richmond does not have the best defense around either, especially in the secondary. A lack of a consistent pass rush should give Ross plenty of time to find receivers Bruce Mapp, John Israel and Tyrell Blanks. The key to this game will likely be Fisher. Coastal Carolina will get into Strauss’ face and disrupt the passing game, but Richmond can neutralize the Chanticleers defense with a well-established ground game. That is easier said than done with Quinn Backus lurking in the middle of the Coastal Carolina defense. At this point in the playoffs, just about every game is competitive, but this one seems like it could either way.
Projected Score: Richmond 28, Coastal Carolina 24
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