by Sharon Thorsland
North Carolina fans are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief – the Tar Heels got their first win of the season last week, beating Charlotte 20-3. Next up for UNC (1-1) is the Richmond Spiders, who are also 1-1 on the year after loss to Lehigh and a win over Wofford. Kick-off is set for 3:30 at Kenan Stadium.
Neither one of these teams has generated a lot of offense so far this season. The Spiders have scored a combined 28 points with 453 total yards through two games. Dual threat quarterback Kyle Wickersham leads the Spiders, he’s thrown for one touchdown and two interceptions this season. The senior leads the Spiders with 124 rushing yards and scored the game winning touchdown at Wofford on the ground. He’s also a big guy at 6’4 and 260 pounds and is a load to brig down. The Tar Heels struggled with dual-threat quarterbacks last season and will need to be disciplined to prevent Wickersham from extending plays with his legs. Receivers Ja’Vion Griffin, Quayne Veney and Isaiah Dawson are his top targets, Griffin is averaging over 31 yards per catch! Sophomore running back Andrew King caught a touchdown pass against Wofford and has 100 rushing yards on the season.
Richmond’s defense is aggressive, they had four sacks last week. The Spiders have a stout front seven, led by senior defensive end Camden Byrd, who had two sacks last week against Wofford. Senior linebacker Carter Glassmyer is the team’s leading tackler, he starts alongside Wake Forest transfer Tayshaun Burney. Cornerback De’Angelo Stocker anchors a secondary that has allowed just 247 total passing yards this season. They’re stingy against the run as well, allowing 104 yards per game on the ground. The Tar Heels haven’t had a lot of success running the ball this season, they’ve only managed 198 rushing yards and will need to get the ground game going to have success against the Spiders..
Richmond might be at FCS opponent but the Spiders are no push-over. They went 10-3 last season, and have won 28 combined games over the past three seasons, reaching the FCS playoffs each year. But after a humiliating season opening loss to TCU and a less than impressive win over Charlotte last week, the Tar Heels need to not only beat Richmond, they need to dominate them. This is their first meeting since 1978, and UNC is 12-2 overall in the rivalry and 8-0 at home. Look for the Tar Heels to add another W to that total and get it done in Kenan on Saturday. Go Tar Heels!