UNC will host the Richmond Spiders out of the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium. Carolina has played plenty of FCS opponents over the years, but this will be the first matchup between the Tar Heels and Spiders since 1978.
Richmond is 1-1 this season, having lost to Lehigh in its opening game and beaten Wofford last week. Saturday’s contest will be the team’s third consecutive road game to begin the season.
Here’s more on the Spiders:
Head coach: Russ Huesman. Huesman is in his ninth season leading the Spiders and 17th as a college head coach. Huesman’s program has been a consistent FCS contender of late, as Richmond won 28 combined games between 2022 and 2024 while reaching the FCS playoffs and finishing the year ranked in each of those three seasons. Additionally, Huesman also served as Richmond’s defensive coordinator in 2008, when the Spiders won the FCS national championship.
Richmond head coach Russ Huesman is in his ninth season with the Spiders. (Image via Richmond Athletics)
What’s the history? As mentioned before, UNC has not met Richmond in football since 1978. That last meeting was not a good one for the Tar Heels, who fell to the Spiders 27-18 on the road. Still, the overall history is a positive one: Carolina is 12-2 overall against Richmond and 8-0 at home. The last meeting in Kenan Stadium was a 31-0 UNC win in 1977.
High risk, low reward: Carolina usually schedules at least one FCS opponent per season. The Tar Heels almost always win these games, though the risk inherent in playing FCS teams is obvious: a win is expected, while a loss would be catastrophic. UNC’s last loss against an FCS team was just that: a 28-3 defeat to Furman at Kenan Stadium during a miserable 1999 season. The Tar Heels finished 3-8 that year, somehow managing to beat both NC State and Duke after the Furman loss.
Player to watch: Kyle Wickersham, the Richmond quarterback, is something of a local legend in his native Metairie, LA. Wickersham led Archbishop Rummel High School to a 22-2 record across two seasons as a starter, including a 13-0 campaign as a junior in which Rummel won the Division 1 5A State Championship. He was ranked as the No. 1 quarterback recruit in Louisiana before choosing Richmond. Wickersham has continued to have success with the Spiders, leading the FCS in completion percentage (72.6) in 2023. Through two games this season, he is Richmond’s leading passer and rusher. And standing at six-foot-four while weighing in at 260 pounds, Wickersham is a load to bring down.
Richmond QB Kyle Wickersham (#16) will challenge the UNC defense with his dual-threat capabilities. (Image via Richmond Athletics)
Spider bites: Richmond is traditionally one of the stronger FCS programs, and the Spiders have a history of pulling upsets against FBS teams. Richmond beat Virginia in 2016 and Duke in 2011, 2009 and 2006 (the 2006 Blue Devils were historically bad at 0-12, but a win is a win). Saturday’s game is Richmond’s only scheduled meeting with an FBS opponent this season.
Homecoming: Richmond has eight players listed as North Carolina residents on its roster. One is a former Tar Heel: offensive lineman Jason Smith, who spent one year at UNC before entering the transfer portal during the offseason. Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Braxton Lassiter is also a local product, having graduated from Leesville Road High School in Raleigh.
What are the odds? UNC is a 21.5-point favorite in the game.
Featured image via Richmond Athletics
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