Richmond simply gets job done

By Paul Woody

Published: December 20, 2008

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Can you say overpowering?

Can you say overwhelming?

Can you say stunning performance?

The Richmond Spiders didn't have to say any of those things because they did all of those things to the Montana Grizzlies last night.

The Spiders won the Football Championship Subdivision title, dominating the Grizzlies 24-7.

The Spiders picked the biggest game of the season to play their best game. They knocked the Grizzlies off the ball from the opening drive of the game.

Their offensive line opened holes for running back Josh Vaughan and protected quarterback Eric Ward.

The defensive line, especially defensive end Lawrence Sidbury, was too quick and powerful for the Grizzlies to contain.

Little went wrong for the Spiders. When they drew a penalty, the Grizzlies would get caught doing something wrong as well, offsetting the Spiders' infraction.

Richmond's punts hit and almost always bounced down the field, sometimes hugging the sidelines. Montana's punts invariably bounced backward, giving the Spiders five or 10 extra yards in field position.

The Spiders' victory was engineered by Mike London, their rookie head coach. London took over a healthy program from Dave Clawson, who left to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee.

London did not coach like a rookie. He displayed his common sense and football sense immediately after taking the job.

He met with every player to soothe any anxiety that might have been felt with a stranger in charge.

He seamlessly blended in four new coaches with six returning coaches.

And most important of all, he did not make major changes in a program that was heading in the right direction.

London brought his brand of leadership, enthusiasm and knowledge to the job. He is in charge of the program, there is no doubt about that. But he has enough confidence in his ability that he can step back and let his assistant coaches do their jobs.

Everyone in a Spider uniform did his job last night. Vaughan ripped through the Grizzlies for 162 yards. Often, the Spiders' line provided ample running room. Sometimes, fullback John Crone threw lead blocks to spring Vaughan.

At other times, Vaughan simply ran over or bounced off tacklers to rack up substantial gains.

Quarterback Eric Ward did what he has done so well the past two seasons. He played error-free football. Ward does not look impressive when he passes. He is not the fastest quarterback in the country. But play after play, game after game, he gets the job done. He runs the offense effectively and never gets rattled.

The defense more than did its job. It held the Grizzlies scoreless through three quarters. It left Montana quarterback Cole Bergquist battered and bruised.

Sidbury was nearly unstoppable. The Grizzlies knew he was quick. What they did not realize was that he had the strength to push a blocker back, compress the pocket and bring down the quarterback.

Bergquist never gave up. He stood in the pocket under relentless pressure, holding the ball as long as possible, searching for an open receiver.

But when the game still was within the Grizzlies' grasp, Bergquist rarely found an open receiver. The Spiders linebackers and secondary covered receivers as closely as the Grizzlies pull their blankets on sub-freezing Montana nights.

The Spiders earned this championship. But they owe a debt of gratitude to their conference foes in the Colonial Athletic Association. Richmond is the fifth CAA team in the past six years to play in the FCS title game.

If a team can make it through a CAA season, it is well prepared for the postseason.

The Spiders had to win three games on the road just to reach this game. The challenges don't get much bigger than that.

But then, a team with overpowering, overwhelming ability can handle such challenges.

The Spiders are such a team.
Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or .