Houser, Defensive Front Lead Richmond Past Colgate 13-6 on Homecoming

Saturday, October 24

Richmond, Va.

2:00 PM

University of Richmond

6-2 , 4-1

Colgate

4-4 , 3-2

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Colgate	3	3	0	0	6
Richmond	3	10	0	0	13

Game Notes

Blake Houser celebrating a sack against Colgate on Oct. 24, 2026

10/24/2026 | Football

Box Score

Richmond, Va. — Blake Houser recorded a career-high three sacks and his first career interception as Richmond's defense delivered a dominant performance Saturday, leading the Spiders to a 13-6 Homecoming victory over Colgate at Robins Stadium.

Richmond (6-2, 4-1 Patriot League) held Colgate to just four rushing yards, recorded a season-high eight sacks and forced four turnovers in a matchup between two of the Patriot League's top defenses. The Spiders shut out the Raiders over the final two quarters, protecting a seven-point halftime lead to earn their fourth consecutive home victory.

Houser finished with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, three sacks for 16 yards, two quarterback hurries and an interception that sealed the victory. The junior linebacker established career highs in sacks and tackles for loss and recorded his first career interception while helping Richmond keep Colgate out of the end zone.

The Spiders' defensive front consistently disrupted Colgate quarterback Jake Stearney, with Camden Byrd adding two sacks, Daniel Sellers recording another and Braxton Lassiter and Moses Bailey each contributing one. Richmond finished with 11 tackles for loss totaling 58 yards and seven quarterback hurries.

The eight sacks marked a season high for Richmond, which entered the contest ranked third nationally and first in the Patriot League in sacks per game. The Spiders have now recorded 31 sacks through eight games.

Richmond was equally effective against the run, limiting Colgate to four net yards on 29 attempts. Running back Cole Fulton managed just 16 yards on 12 carries, while Stearney finished with minus-18 rushing yards after being sacked eight times.

Houser, who entered the game as Richmond's leading tackler, helped set the tone throughout the afternoon. He recorded his first sack on a third-and-long play in the second quarter, dropped Stearney for another five-yard loss on third down early in the third and added a six-yard sack later in the period to end another Colgate threat.

His biggest play came with just over a minute remaining and the Raiders facing fourth-and-21 from their own 35-yard line. Houser intercepted Stearney's pass and returned it 14 yards to the Colgate 35, allowing Richmond to run out the remaining clock and secure the victory.

Houser now leads Richmond with 61 tackles and 5.5 sacks this season, with Saturday's three-sack performance matching his entire sack total from 2025. He has totaled 97 tackles and 8.5 sacks in his Richmond career.

The performance complemented another disruptive afternoon from Byrd, who entered Saturday tied for second on Richmond's career sacks list. His two sacks brought his career total to 27 and pushed his season total to a team-leading 9.5. Sellers added six tackles, including four solo stops, while Devin Geronomi led the Spiders with a game-high 12 tackles.

Richmond's secondary also contributed to the defensive effort. Tramayne Bullock intercepted Stearney on Colgate's opening possession, returning the ball three yards to the Richmond 36, while Jeremiah Washington added an interception in the fourth quarter to halt a Raiders drive that had reached the Richmond 40-yard line.

The three interceptions were part of a four-takeaway afternoon for the Spiders, who also recovered a muffed punt late in the first half. Richmond entered Saturday having recorded three interceptions in its first seven games before matching that total against Colgate.

Offensively, Richmond generated enough production to support its defense, with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Ashten Snelsire to Jaiden Fair providing the game's only touchdown. The reception was the first touchdown catch of Fair's collegiate career and capped an 85-yard drive midway through the second quarter.

The possession began at the Richmond 15-yard line and featured an 11-yard completion to Bryce Allen and a 25-yard connection with Quanye Veney before the Spiders turned to some creativity on the following snap. Veney connected with Fair for a 33-yard gain to the Colgate 16, setting up the touchdown one play later.

Snelsire then found Fair in the end zone to give Richmond its first lead of the afternoon, 10-6, with 5:13 remaining in the half. The four-play drive covered 85 yards in just 1:57.

Fair finished with two receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown, while Veney caught two passes for 48 yards in addition to his 33-yard completion.

The Spiders had earlier answered Colgate's opening field goal with a 39-yard kick from Kyle Bitsko late in the first quarter. Richmond's scoring opportunity came after a fourth-down fake punt from its own 25-yard line, when running back Aziz Foster-Powell broke free for a 53-yard gain to the Colgate 22. Bitsko converted four plays later to tie the game at 3-3 with 30 seconds left in the period.

Colgate regained the lead early in the second quarter on a 29-yard field goal from Luke Vogeler, but the Raiders would not score again.

Richmond added three critical points on the final play of the first half after its special teams unit produced another takeaway. Colgate returner Tymir Wynn muffed a punt, with Krystian Williams forcing the fumble and Andrew McKenzie recovering at the Raiders' 23-yard line with five seconds remaining.

Bitsko connected from 40 yards as time expired, sending Richmond into the locker room with a 13-6 advantage. The sophomore kicker finished 2-for-3 on field goal attempts, accounting for seven of Richmond's 13 points.

Neither team scored in the second half as the game developed into a defensive struggle.

Colgate moved into Richmond territory twice in the third quarter, but the Spiders' pass rush prevented the Raiders from capitalizing. Houser's third sack forced a punt midway through the period before Byrd dropped Stearney for an eight-yard loss on Colgate's final possession of the quarter.

In the fourth, Washington intercepted a pass with 8:08 remaining after Colgate advanced to Richmond's 40-yard line. When the Raiders regained possession with 5:19 to play, Richmond's defense delivered one final stand.

After Colgate moved to its own 48, Lassiter and Bailey recorded consecutive sacks for losses of four and nine yards, respectively. Houser then intercepted Stearney on fourth down to end the Raiders' final opportunity.

Richmond finished with 252 yards of offense, including 103 rushing yards. Foster-Powell led the ground attack with 80 yards on 14 carries, while Snelsire completed 10-of-20 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Veney's completion accounted for the Spiders' remaining 33 passing yards.

Stearney finished 25-of-45 passing for 312 yards and three interceptions, while Matt Fogler recorded 10 receptions for 180 yards. Despite allowing Colgate 316 total yards, Richmond kept the Raiders out of the end zone, holding them to two field goals and forcing turnovers at critical moments.

The victory improved Richmond to 7-1 all-time against Colgate, extending its winning streak in the series to seven games. The Spiders also improved to 4-0 against the Raiders at home and 51-37-6 all-time in Homecoming contests.

Richmond returns to the road Saturday, Oct. 31, traveling to Holy Cross for a 1 p.m. Patriot League contest in Worcester, Mass.