Spiders 4th Quarter Comeback falls short, Falls to Wofford 26-19

The Richmond Spiders fell to the Wofford Terriers on Saturday Afternoon by the final score of 26-19 to remain winless on the season. Heading into today's game, the Spiders were ranked 14th in the Stats Peform FCS Poll & 15th in the AFCA Coaches FCS poll. The Terriers were led by Quarterback Amari Odom, who went 16/28, 219 yards, 2 Touchdowns. Ryan Ingram led the Terriers in rushing with 36 Rushing Yards & 1 Touchdown, while Kyle Watkins's seven receptions for 133 yards led the Terriers in receiving. Spiders Quarterback Kyle Wickersham led the team in passing (11/25, 97 yards, 3 Int) & rushing (15 carries, 106 yards).

The Spiders punted after an opening drive of six plays and only gained 14 yards. On the 1st possession for the Terriers, QB Amari Odom was sacked by Wayne Galloway for 8 yards, resulting in a Safety that put the Spiders up 2-0. In the following possession for the Spiders, FG Kicker Brandon Peskin missed a 41-yard FG Attempt.

Spiders added 3 points on the board following a 13-play, 47-yard drive that led to Brandon Peskin's 21-yard FG attempt with 12:16 left in the 2nd Quarter. Isaiah Wadsworth intercepted Spiders Quarterback Kyle Wickersham's at the Wofford 24 with 9:50 remaining in the 2nd Quarter. Bridger Jones put the Terriers on the board with a 36-yard FG to Cut the Spiders' lead to 2, 5-3 with 5:46 left in the 2nd Quarter. Running back Aziz Foster-Powell scored his first career rushing touchdown as he ran for an 8-yard run that capped a 7-play 75-yard drive to put the Spiders up 12-3 with 2:21 left in the 2nd Quarter. Terriers QB Amari Odom connected with J.T Smith Jr for a 10-yard TD in the final seconds before halftime as they cut the Spiders lead. At halftime, the Spiders Led 12-10.

Amir Annoor intercepted Kyle Wichersham's pass at the Spiders' 35-yard line, then returned it for 22 yards to put the Terries at the 13-yard line. Following the turnover, the Terriers capitalized as Amari Odom connected with Jordan Davis to Put the Terriers up 16-12 with 10:09 left in the 3rd Quarter; 2-point conversion failed.

The Terrier added to their lead in the 4th Quarter as Bridger Jones kicked a 41-yard FG w/ 14:54 to put the Wofford up 19-12. Benny Radicia intercepted Kyle Wickersham's pass at the Wofford 30, 10:45 left in the 3rd Quarter. Following the Turnover, the Terriers had an eight-play drive, 70 yards, culminating in Running back Ryan Ingram scoring on a 3-yard run to put the Terriers up 26-12 (8 plays, 70 yards). With 3:48 remaining, Camden Coleman ran for 3 yards on a QB Keeper to lower the Terriers lead to 7, 26-19. The final attempt for a comeback halted was 4th Down Coleman's pass, which was intercepted on 4th Down by Amir Annoor for a 6-yard return to seal the 26-19 win for Wofford.

The Spiders (0-2 ) will return home next week as they face Charleston Southern. The kick-off is at 2 PM EST.

Washington Commanders Suffer 13-6 Loss: 3 Key Takeaways

IMAGE SOURCE BVM Sports

Trace McSorley's incomplete pass intended for Mitchell Tinsley on 4th Down with 10 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter ended the Washington Commanders 4th quarter comeback attempt as they lost to Miami Dolphins 13-6 on Saturday night. The Commanders fall to 0-2 in the preseason. Here are my three takeaways from Saturday's loss

Jayden Daniels continues to improve.

The goal heading into preseason was for Jayden Daniels to show signs of improvement by slowly integrating him into the lineup. Last week, in his preseason debut vs the Jets, Jayden played in 1 drive where he was 2/3 45 yards and one rush for a 3-yard TD. On Saturday, Jayden played the entire 1st quarter and one play in the 2nd quarter. Jayden went 10/12, 78 yards, two rushes, 13 yards. In the two games, Jayden has shown the ability to get the ball out of his hand quickly, hit receivers in spots where they can get YAC, escape the pocket, and make plays with his legs.

WR2 competition is WIDE-open

During Thursday's press conference, Dan Quinn announced that there is competition for the WR 2 Spot.

Before training camp, many assumed Jahan Dotson, a 1st round draft pick in 2022, was a shoo-in for the WR2 slot to play opposite WR1 Terry McLaurin. Coach Quinn stated that wide receivers Olamide Zaccheaus, Dyami Brown, and rookie Luke McCaffrey are battling for the WR2 spot.

After yesterday's loss, the competition remains open, as no one particularly stood out after last night's loss. Next week, it will be pivotal to see who will separate themselves and become WR2 on the depth chart. Here is the stat line from last night's game for the four receivers who are competing for that WR2 Spot :

Dyami Brown 3 Rec, 19 yards

Olamide Zaccheaus 2 Rec, 9 yards

Jahan Dotson 1 rec, 3 yards

Luke McCaffrey 2 rec, 30 yards

Commanders FG Kicker For 2024 is not currently on this Roster.

After Ramiz Ahmed was released this week, the Commanders signed Riley Patterson. Riley Patterson went 2/4 FG. Riley Made a 46-yard FG (2nd 14:13) & 38-yard FG (2nd 0:23 ). Riley missed a 47-yard FG (2nd 10:33 ) & 49-yard FG (1st 11:11). Despite Patterson being the only contributor in the scoring column for the Commanders on Saturday I expect several Kickers heading to Ashburn as the search for the FG Kicker for 2024 continues.

Austin Dillion Takes the Checkered Flag at Richmond in controversial finish

IMAGE SOURCE : Credit: RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - AUGUST 11: Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 11, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

(Richmond, VA) Austin Dillion won his 5th career race & 1st win since 2022 on Sunday in a controversial overtime finish involving Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin at the CookOut400. The NASCAR Cup Series returned Sunday night following the Olympic Break, with only four races left before the playoffs. Austin Dillion's win shook up the playoff standings. Before Sunday's race, Austin was ranked 32nd in the points. With Sunday's victory, Dillion advanced 19 spots to number 13 and clinched a berth in the NASCAR Playoffs.

When asked about Sunday's victory, I spoke with Austin Dillion, and he stated the following :

" Just proud of our guys, the never-quit attitude. Truthfully really proud of our pit crew. They crushed it tonight. We haven’t given them opportunity to have that much pressure on them. I guess they had an average of a 9.7 pit stop. They came to play today. They gave me the opportunity to be where I needed to be on the last lap to make it happen." So yeah, my pit crew did an awesome job. Team did. The car was capable of winning the race. That was our one shot, I feel like, we’ve had all year. We were able to go to Victory Lane."

After passing Denny Hamlin, Dillion was on pace to victory until a caution on Lap 398, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr made contact with Ryan Preece, who spun and forced overtime. In overtime, Logano took the lead, and Dillion made his move in the final corner, where he spun Joey Logano and made contact with Denny Hamlin in turn 4 to take the checkered flag.

Following the Race, Joey Logano, who finished 19th, spoke with reporters and stated:

“It was chicken &*#! – there’s no doubt about it,’’ the two-time series champion Logano said of Dillon’s move. “He was four car-lengths back, not even close. Then he wrecks the 11 [Hamlin] to go along with it.

Denny Hamlin, who led the race for 124 laps and finished 2nd, also spoke with reporters and stated:

“There are no penalties for rough driving, so it opens up the opportunity for Austin to just do whatever he wants,’’

Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and Ross Chastain finished in the Top 5. Here is the complete box score (Source NASCAR Media) :

The Cup Series will resume next week as the drivers head to Michigan International Speedway next Sunday at 2:30 PM.