Spiders Edge Rams in Thriller: Richmond Secures Crucial 17-14 Victory Over Fordham in Patriot League Clash (11-1-25)
By: Xavier Jones
Headline Photo Credit: Richmond Spiders
In a gritty, turnover-plagued battle that came down to the wire, the Richmond Spiders clawed their way to a hard-fought 17-14 win over the Fordham Rams on Saturday afternoon at E. Claiborne Robins Stadium. The victory improves Richmond to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League, keeping their postseason hopes alive with two games remaining. For Fordham, now 1-8 (1-4 PL), the loss stings as a missed opportunity to build momentum heading into their home finale against Bucknell next week.
The game kicked off with Richmond asserting early dominance. On their opening drive, quarterback Kyle Wickersham orchestrated a methodical 75-yard drive, capping it with a precise 5-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Ja’Vion Griffin at the 9:52 mark of the first quarter. Kicker Jayden Alsheskie’s extra point gave the Spiders a 7-0 lead after just 5:08 off the clock. Fordham, however, refused to fold. Capitalizing on a Richmond fumble deep in Spiders territory, the Rams needed just three plays and 40 seconds to respond. Gunnar Smith, Fordham’s senior signal-caller, lofted a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jack Freeburg, tying the game at 7-7 with 5:14 left in the opening frame. The quick-strike response energized the Rams’ sideline, but penalties began to mount—Fordham drew three for 18 yards, while Richmond absorbed five for a costly 42. Both teams traded possessions to close the quarter, with defenses settling in amid a slew of incompletions and stalled drives.
The second quarter saw Richmond regain the edge through the leg of Alsheskie. After a 13-play, 56-yard grind that chewed up over six minutes, the Spiders lined up for a 36-yard field goal, which Alsheskie drilled at 14:13 to put Richmond up 10-7. Fordham’s defense, led by a stout front seven, forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, but the Rams couldn’t capitalize offensively as Smith misfired on a pair of deep shots. Drama ensued at the half’s buzzer. Richmond, poised for another field goal attempt to extend their lead, saw the kick blocked by a swarming Fordham rush—the Rams’ second block of the day on Spiders’ kicks. The whistle blew with Richmond nursing a slim three-point advantage, but the blocked bot symbolized Fordham’s resilience, keeping the game squarely in doubt. Halftime adjustments favored the Spiders’ ground game entering the third. After forcing a Fordham punt, Richmond’s drive stalled near midfield, leading to another field goal setup. But once again, the Rams’ special teams unit rose, swatting away the attempt at the 9:15 mark and taking over at the Richmond 33-yard line. Fordham pushed into the red zone but faltered on a crucial third-down sack, settling for a field goal try of their own that sailed wide right.
Seizing the momentum swing, Richmond’s defense delivered the game’s turning point moments later. On a third-and-medium, Smith sailed a pass under pressure, intercepted by Spiders’ defensive back Lee Bruner IV. The offense wasted no time: three plays and 53 yards later, Wickersham busted a 4-yard touchdown run at 3:47, extending the lead to 17-7. His versatility highlighted the Spiders’ balanced attack, which leaned on short passes and inside runs to control the clock. Fordham entered the fourth quarter desperate, trailing by 10 with 15 minutes to play. The Rams’ offense finally found rhythm on a 10-play, 69-yard scoring drive, marching 4:33 off the clock. Running back Jack Kaiser, who had been bottled up for much of the afternoon, powered in from 4 yards out at 8:18, pulling Fordham within 17-14 on Bennett Henderson’s PAT. But Richmond’s defense, battered but unbowed, dug in for the final stand. After forcing a three-and-out, the Spiders bled the clock with a pair of first downs on conservative runs. Fordham’s final possession ended with another interception by Bruner IV, sealing the deal for Richmond to walk away with the victory.
For Fordham, the defeat drops them to 1-8, their lone win a gritty upset over Lafayette three weeks prior. Statistically, the game was a defensive masterpiece: both teams combined for under 500 total yards, with Richmond holding a slight edge in first downs. Defensively, Richmond’s secondary snagged two interceptions, while Fordham’s front four notched three sacks. The five total turnovers underscored the sloppiness, but Richmond’s edge in ball security proved pivotal. With the win, Richmond leaps over .500 and sets up a pivotal road tilt at Georgetown next Saturday. A victory there could punch their ticket to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2019. Fordham plays host to Bucknell next week. In the end, this was Patriot League football at its finest: low-scoring, high-drama, and defined by a single bounce—or in this case, a blocked kick that didn’t quite swing the outcome. The Spiders crawl no more; they’re biting back.
