.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
(STATS) - It was hard to tell which team was from the FCS and which was from the FBS.
The Richmond Spiders, fourth-ranked in the STATS FCS Top 25, simply want to be recognized as a terrific college football program.
Richmond looked in midseason form Saturday as junior quarterback Kyle Lauletta threw three touchdowns and the defense forced four turnovers in a 37-20 rout of Virginia, which spoiled the Cavaliers' coaching debut of Bronco Mendenhall.
The win was the CAA Football program's first over an FBS team since it beat Duke 23-21 in 2011. The Spiders have won four times against an ACC opponent in the last 11 seasons.
Richmond controlled the ball for 39 minutes, 46 seconds. Lauletta, under little pressure, made good decisions as he completed 24 of 35 passes for 337 yards, throwing two touchdown passes to wide receiver Tyler Wilkins and one to All-American Brian Brown. Gordon Collins broke off a 55-yard touchdown run while gaining 114 yards on 13 carries.
Three of Virginia's turnovers occurred in Richmond territory. Cornerback Tafon Mainsah had one of Richmond's three fumble recoveries and intercepted a pass.
Richmond, with 16 returning starters, is primed for a banner season after winning a share of the CAA title and reaching the FCS semifinals. But Virginia had entered the game with a 28-2-2 series lead and the Spiders hadn't beaten the Cavs since 1946.
Adding to the upset was Spiders coach Danny Rocco and four of his assistants have spent time coaching at Virginia and two other assistants are former Cavaliers players.
---=
SATURDAY, SEPT. 3=
STATS FCS TOP 25
ALL TIMES ET
No. 7 Charleston Southern (1-0) 57, Kentucky State (0-1) 7
Starting quarterback Kyle Copeland suffered a right knee injury in Charleston Southern's easy win, adding to a bad week for the defending Big South champion in which coach Jamey Chadwell and an assistant coach were both suspended for a future game following a minor NCAA recruiting violation on social media.
In a 405-yard ground assault, Alan Barnwell had a game-high 108 yards and a touchdown on four carries, and Mike Holloway carried the ball three times for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Kelan Fraise and Darius Hammond combined for 248 yards on seven punt returns, including Fraise's 70-yard score.
---=
Pittsburgh (1-0) 28, No. 23 Villanova (0-1) 7
Villanova didn't score an offensive touchdown and managed only 172 yards in losing the opening game of coach Andy Talley's 32nd and final season with the Wildcats.
Rob Rolle scored on a 3-yard fumble return off a Drew Wiley sack in the third quarter after Villanova trailed 21-0.
Sophomore quarterback Zack Bednarczyk completed 16 of 31 passes for 119 yards and an interception. Ryan Bell caught six passes for 52 yards.
---=
Central Washington (0-0) at No. 17 Portland State (0-0), 5:30 p.m.
---=
Morehead State (0-0) at No. 12 James Madison (0-0), 6 p.m.
---=
St. Augustine's (0-0) at No. 25 North Carolina A&T (0-0), 6 p.m.
---=
Valparaiso (0-0) at No. 10 Illinois State (0-0), 7 p.m.
---=
Tarleton State (0-0) at No. 11 McNeese (0-0), 7 p.m.
---=
Oklahoma Panhandle State (0-0) at No. 2 Sam Houston State (0-0), 7 p.m.
---=
No. 24 Towson (0-0) at South Florida (0-0), 7 p.m.
---=
No. 5 Northern Iowa (0-0) at Iowa State (0-0), 8 p.m.
---=
No. 16 Coastal Carolina (0-0) at Lamar (0-0), 8 p.m.
---=
No. 8 South Dakota State (0-0) at TCU (0-0), 8 p.m.
---=
No. 14 Eastern Washington (0-0) at Washington State (0-0), 8 p.m.
---=
No. 22 New Hampshire (0-0) at San Diego State (0-0), 8:30 p.m.
---=
Saint Francis (0-0) at No. 13 Montana (0-0), 9 p.m.
---=
No. 18 Northern Arizona (0-0) at Arizona State (0-0), 10:45 p.m.
---=
FRIDAY, SEPT. 2=
Syracuse (1-0) 33, No. 21 Colgate (0-1) 7
Jake Melville's 19-yard touchdown pass to Owen Rockett opened the scoring six minutes into the game, but Colgate surrendered the final 33 points. The defending Patriot League champion was outgained 554-143 in yards.
Melville completed 10 of 22 passes for 82 yards. Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey was 34-for-40 for 355 yards and two touchdowns, and backup Zack Mahoney completed his six passes for 82 yards.
---=
THURSDAY, SEPT. 1=
No. 3 Jacksonville State (1-0) 31, North Alabama (0-1) 12
Jacksonville State quarterback Eli Jenkins picked up where he left off in earning first-team All-America honors for the FCS runner-up last season. The senior gained 331 total yards, rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown and passing for 230 yards.
Auburn transfer Roc Thomas carried the ball 20 times for 71 yards and three touchdowns. He also had four receptions for 53 yards.
The Gamecocks gained 502 offensive yards, but committed 12 penalties for 106 yards.
---=
No. 6 Chattanooga (1-0) 66, Shorter (0-1) 0
New starting quarterback Alejandro Bennifield was lifted from the game in the second quarter, but not before he threw touchdowns to four different receivers while Chattanooga built a 45-0 halftime lead. The junior finished 8 of 11 for 135 yards with an interception.
Backup quarterback Tyler Roberson totaled three touchdowns - two runs and a 9-yard reception from Bennifield.
---=
North Carolina State (1-0) 48, No. 9 William & Mary (0-1) 14
The visiting Tribe allowed 21 unanswered points in the second quarter while falling behind 28-7 at halftime. N.C. State finished with 521 offensive yards.
Tribe quarterback Steve Cluley passed for only 99 yards with two interceptions, but he accounted for both touchdowns on a 10-yard run and a 16-yard pass to DeVonte Dedmon.
---=
No. 15 The Citadel (1-0, 1-0 Southern) 24, Mercer (0-1, 0-1) 23
The Citadel has beaten Mercer in three straight seasons by a combined five points. The difference in this year's Southern Conference opener was Middle Tennessee State graduate transfer Cody Clark's 35-yard field goal with 2:20 left.
The Bulldogs, playing on the road without suspended quarterback Dominique Allen, scored on their first three possessions, including Tyler Renew (27 carries, 146 yards) going 70 yards on the game's second play, for a 21-3 lead in the first quarter. But a pair of touchdown runs by quarterback John Russ helped Mercer to 20 unanswered points and a 23-21 lead.
Clark's winning field goal capped a 15-play drive for the defending co-SoCon champion, whose new coach, Brent Thompson, won his debut.
---=
Stony Brook (1-0) 13, No. 19 North Dakota (0-1) 9
In an intersectional game in which the two teams combined for only 398 yards (Stony Brook 221, UND 177), the host Seawolves made the game's decisive play on special teams. They erased a 9-7 deficit when Gavin Heslop blocked a Dussold Austin punt and Kye Morgan picked up the ball at UND's 7-yard line and raced into the end zone with 8:52 to play.
UND standout John Santiago scored on a 16-yard run, but was held to 52 yards on 16 carries. Safety Cole Reyes was the Fighting Hawks' defensive standout, scoring on a safety in the third quarter and totaling two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
---=
No. 20 Western Illinois (1-0) 38, Eastern Illinois (0-1) 21
Charlie Fisher won his Western Illinois coaching debut on the road as sophomore Steve McShane rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yarder, on 28 carries.
Quarterback Mitch Kimble's 323 passing yards and three total touchdowns weren't enough for Eastern Illinois as third-year coach Kim Dameron fell to 0-9 in non-conference games.
