Wofford downs #14 Richmond 26-19

RICHMOND, Va. – On Saturday afternoon, the Wofford College football team used a complete team effort to earn a 26-19 road win over the University of Richmond at Robins Stadium. The Spiders took advantage of good field position to take a 12-3 lead before a Terrier touchdown as time expired in the first half made it 12-10. Wofford scored the next 16 points for a 26-19 lead in the fourth quarter. The Spiders scored with under four minutes remaining, but the Terriers held on for the victory.

Wofford opens the season at 2-0 for the first time since 2018. Richmond, ranked #14 in the nation, is 0-1. The Terriers were led by Amari Odom, who was 16-of-28 passing for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Kyle Watkins had 133 receiving yards, while touchdowns were scored by Jordan Davis, Ryan Ingram, and J.T. Smith, Jr. The Wofford defense had four interceptions on the day and two sacks. The Spiders were led by Kyle Wickersham with 100 rushing yards, along with 11-of-25 passing.

“We are winning as a team right now which is gratifying,” said head coach Shawn Watson. “I felt like we had some really great plays on offense, defense and special teams. Amari Odom is special and has great instincts and wills things to happen. The defense played really well. The four interceptions saw the back end do a great job in coverage, but the other part of it is the pressure that the defensive line put on the quarterback. It was a total effort by everyone. It feels great to head back home for the opener at 2-0 with a four-game win streak.”

The Spiders had the ball first and had one first down before punting. On the first play from scrimmage for the Terriers, Amari Odom was sacked in the endzone for a safety with 11:47 on the clock. Richmond began their next series at midfield and had one first down, however a 41-yard field goal attempt was wide left and Wofford took over. The Terriers went three-and-out and punted. The Spiders had one first down and had third-and-short when Jalen Marshall tipped a pass that went incomplete and forced a punt. After Wofford went three-and-out and punted, the Spiders had three first downs to move inside the ten-yard line. The Terrier defense forced a 21-yard field goal as the Spiders led 5-0 with 12:16 left in the second quarter.

Wofford went three-and-out and punted, with the Spiders taking over near midfield. After one first down, Isaiah Wadsworth intercepted a pass on the far sideline and Wofford took over at the 24-yard line. After a first down run by Ryan Ingram, Kyle Watkins had a 24-yard reception, and a roughing the passer call moved the ball another 15 yards. Bridger Jones got the Terriers on the board with a 36-yard field goal with 5:46 left in the first half. The Spiders drove 75 yards in seven plays and scored on an eight-yard touchdown run to take a 12-3 lead at the 2:21 mark of the second quarter.

With the ball back, Kyle Watkins had a 25-yard reception for a first down and then on fourth-and-one, Bryce Corriston ran nine yards for the first down with 1:36 left in the half. On fourth-and-two, the Terriers lined up for a 40-yard field goal. A pass by Bridger Jones to Jordan Davis picked up 14 yards and the first down at the ten-yard line. While falling out-of-bounds, Amari Odom threw across the field and found J.T. Smith, Jr. in the endzone for a touchdown. The point after made it a 12-10 game at the end of the first half.

The Terriers went three-and-out on the opening possession of the second half. The Spiders had one first down, and then Amir Annoor picked off a pass and returned it 22 yards. Taking over at the ten-yard line, on third down, Amari Odom found Jordan Davis for a 12-yard touchdown reception. The two-point pass was incomplete, but the Terriers had a 16-12 lead at the 10:09 mark of the third quarter. The Spiders had one first down before punting back to the Terriers.

Wofford had a pair of first downs before punting, The Terrier defense forced another three-and-out and took over after the punt. Ivory Aikens ran for a first down and Kyle Watkins added a receiving first down to move across midfield. Facing fourth-and-two, a 41-yard field goal by Bridger Jones gave the Terriers a 19-12 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Spiders had two first downs and converted a fourth-and-one. A pass was tipped by Jalen Marshall and intercepted by Benny Radicia, giving Wofford the ball at the 30-yard line with 10:45 left in the game.

Kyle Watkins had a 12-yard reception for a first down and on the next play gained 36 yards on a reception to move inside the red zone. Bryce Corriston ran for a first down to give Wofford first-and-goal. Ryan Ingram capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run for a 26-12 lead with 6:03 remaining. The Spiders had a 39-yard kick-off return to begin their next drive and added 15 yards on a pass interference call. They had two more first downs and capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run as the Wofford lead was trimmed to 26-19 with 3:48 remaining in the game.

The Terriers went three-and-out on the ensuing drive and punted with 2:09 left on the clock. The Spiders began at the 29-yard line and had a rushing first down. A passing first down moved the ball across midfield with just over a minute remaining. A sack by freshman Caleb Oliver made it fourth-and-16 for the Spiders. On the fourth-down play, Amir Annoor picked off his second pass of the day and Wofford took over at the 30-yard line with 49 seconds left. Wofford took a knee twice to secure the win.

Wofford had 304 total yards, with 233 receiving yards. Richmond had 318 total yards, with 189 of those rushing yards. Wofford had 15 first downs to 22 for the Spiders. Wofford was 4-of-14 on third down and 2-of-2 on fourth down. Richmond was 11-of-18 on third down and 0-of-1 on fourth down. Richmond was called for four penalties, while Wofford was called for six. Richmond had a 32:28 to 27:32 time of possession advantage.

Wofford vs. Richmond Post-Game Notes
This was the second meeting between the two teams. Richmond won in the 2007 NCAA FCS Playoffs, while Wofford won in 2024.

Wofford has won four straight games, three of which were over teams that were in the 2023 NCAA FCS Playoffs.

Kyle Watkins had seven catches for 133 yards, marking his second 100+ receiving game of the season.

Isaiah Wadsworth’s interception in the second quarter was the first of the season for the Terriers and the second of his career. Amir Annoor had his third career interception in the third quarter and added his fourth in the fourth quarter. Benny Radicia had his first career interception in the fourth quarter.

The safety allowed in the first quarter by Wofford was the first since October 14, 2017, by The Citadel.

Wofford will host William & Mary on Saturday, September 14, for the home opener at Gibbs Stadium.