RICHMOND, Va. — Senior Aziz Foster-Powell rushed for 125 yards on 25 carries, as No. 19 Richmond survived a Hail Mary pass attempt into the end zone on the final play to escape with a 13-9 victory over Furman Saturday afternoon at Robins Stadium.
After taking over possession with under a minute to go in the fourth quarter at its own 15-yard line, Furman marched to the Richmond 29, but Connor Ackerley’s heave to the middle of the end zone as time expired was tipped up into the air and fell harmlessly to the turf.
The Paladins (2-3) trailed 10-9 at the half before Richmond extended its advantage on Kyle Bitsko’s 30-yard field goal with 5:34 left in the third quarter.
Furman denied the Spiders by forcing a fumble at the goal line on Richmond’s next possession. Following an exchange of punts, Caleb Easterling dove to secure Furman’s third interception of the game and give the Paladins the ball at the Spider 27, but Richmond forced a turnover-on-downs to stop the Paladins at the 20 yard line with 2:28 left.
After picking up a first down, Richmond’s possession was halted and Joshua Tarver called for a fair catch on the punt at the Furman 15 with 53 seconds remaining. Ackerley scrambled for 13 yards on the first play of the drive and connected with running back Ben Croasdale for 13 yards two plays later.
A pass completion to Jackson Pryor got the Paladins into Richmond territory and Luke Shields hauled in a pass to reach the Spiders’ 31-yard line with nine seconds to go before back-to-back incompletions ended Furman’s attempt to rally.
The Spiders (4-1) sacked Ackerley five times while limiting Furman to just 215 yards of total offense, including only 78 rushing yards. Foster-Powell led a Richmond rushing attack that compiled 188 yards as the Spiders totaled 355 yards of offense.
Placekicker Nathan Chapman converted on field goal attempts of 33, 42, and 49 yards to provide all of Furman’s points. Ackerley, making his first start as a Paladin, connected on 15-of-30 passes for 137 yards and led Furman with 14 rushes for 35 yards.
The Paladins return home next Saturday to host instate rival Wofford for a 2 p.m., kick at Paladin Stadium.
–photo and story courtesy of Furman Athletics
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | FUR | RIC |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 215 | 355 |
| Pass Yards | 137 | 167 |
| Rushing Yards | 78 | 188 |
| Penalty Yards | 6-70 | 5-50 |
| 1st Downs | 13 | 24 |
| 3rd Downs | 2-13 | 4-13 |
| 4th Downs | 1-2 | 1-2 |
| TOP | 23:03 | 36:57 |
| Scoring Play | Visiting Team Score | Home Team Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
 05:44 – RIC – Bitsko,Kyle 26 yd field goal 8 plays, 49 yards, TOP 03:42 | 0 | 3 | |
 00:00 – FUR – Chapman,Nathan 33 yd field goal 7 plays, 33 yards, TOP 02:08 | 3 | 3 | |
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| 09:22 – RIC – Derey,Carson 6 yd pass from Snelsire,Ashten (Bitsko,Kyle kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:38 | 3 | 10 | |
| 03:20 – FUR – Chapman,Nathan 42 yd field goal 11 plays, 50 yards, TOP 04:30 | 6 | 10 | |
| 00:00 – FUR – Chapman,Nathan 49 yd field goal 7 plays, 35 yards, TOP 00:36 | 9 | 10 | |
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| 05:34 – RIC – Bitsko,Kyle 30 yd field goal 6 plays, 14 yards, TOP 03:08 | 9 | 13 | |