Boston College 2019 Opponent Preview: The Richmond Spiders
During the summer months and as we prepare for the upcoming season, BC Maven will be doing weekly previews of all of Boston College's opponents. The second week of the season the Eagles will face off against the Richmond Spiders, a team that at one time was a pretty solid FCS school, but that was a while ago.
Previous Previews: Week 1 Against Virginia Tech
Last matchup: BC has actually played Richmond five times in the school's history, the last being in 1973 when the Eagles won 24-0 on the road. Just for your own knowledge BC also won in 1965 35-7, 1952 14-7, and 1951 21-7. Their lone loss was 1953, when they were shut out 14-0 at home.
Head Coach: Russ Huesman, 3rd season with Richmond where he holds a 10-12 record, along with a 6-10 record in his home conference the CAA. Before coaching at Richmond, Huesman was a head coach at Chattanooga where he was 59-37, including four trips to the FCS playoffs.
2018 Season: Huesman's Spiders ended the '18 season 4-7, including an absolute drubbing at the hands of the UVA Cavaliers who won 42-13. The Spiders didn't have any really impressive wins, even for FCS standards as they lost to Stony Brook, Delaware, and James Madison by a combined score of 143-48. Their offense was pretty paltry, averaging only 22 points per game, 100th best in the FCS. Even without scoring points they were able to throw the ball pretty effectively, averaging 264 yards per game led by a trio of quarterbacks who each had a run at it the offense. Their defense wasn't anything to write home about either as they ranked 86th in the FCS allowing 33 points per game.
2019 Outlook: Honestly, who knows/cares, instead here is a fun fact about the University of Richmond. ESPN analyst Todd McShay is a graduate of the school.
BC Game Date: September 7, 2019
Location: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chances of BC Victory: 99%.
S&P Chances of BC Victory: 92%
Not to be disrespectful to Richmond, but they won't be much of a matchup for the Eagles. For a team that last year struggled on both sides of the ball, I don't see how they will stop AJ Dillon and Anthony Brown, and I imagine BC's defense will be too strong for the Spiders. I imagine this game will be more competitive than Holy Cross was last year, but BC should be cruising at half time and hopefully some freshman will see the field in the second half.