SPARTANBURG, S.C. –  In the home opener on Saturday night, the Wofford College football team was defeated 14-10 by the University of Richmond at Gibbs Stadium. The start of the game was delayed by ninety minutes due to weather. Once the game got underway, the Spiders scored first and the Terriers answered with an interception returned 72 yards for a touchdown by C.J. Coombes for a 7-7 score at the half. In the second half, the Terriers took the lead on a field goal, but a touchdown in the fourth quarter by the Spiders wrapped up the win.   
 
Wofford opens the season at 0-2, while Richmond is 1-1. The Terriers were led on offense by Ihson Jackson-Anderson with 45 yards on seven carries, while freshman quarterback Ethan Drumm was 12-of-25 for 111 yards. Kyle Wickersham was 20-of-29 passing for 153 yards, along with 78 rushing yards, to lead the Spiders.  
 
"We decided to go with Ethan (Drumm) at quarterback," said coach Shawn Watson. "At times, he did some really good things today and has some things to grow on. He's got a lot of things to get better at. I did like his demeanor and the way he hung in there and competed. When you're a young guy, you've got to have the support of the other guys on the team. That means the offensive line's got to block. Receivers have got to make tough catches. The running backs, those kids ran hard. We've just got to help him. On defense, C.J. had a great play and made a great play on the ball, you know, took it all the way back for a touchdown, did a great job."
 
The Spiders had the ball first and went three-and-out and punted. On the first drive by the Terriers, they had one first down by penalty before punting. With the ball back, Richmond drove 90 yards in eleven plays and scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead at 7:12 in the first quarter. Wofford was able to gain a pair of first downs, including a 23-yard pass from Ethan Drumm to Jaden Fowler, but was forced to punt after a sack.
 
Richmond had one first down on their next possession and punted, while Wofford went three-and-out and punted with the Spiders taking over at the Terriers' 42-yard line. On third down, C.J. Coombes picked off Kyle Wickersham and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown. At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied at 7-7. The Spiders and Terriers then traded three-and-outs twice, as both offenses struggled to move the ball. Richmond gained a first down but punted at midfield. The Terriers had another three-and-out, but so did the Spiders. Wofford got the ball back with 55 seconds left in the half and converted a fourth-and-one for a first down. A pair of first down receptions by Jack Purdy and Ivory Aikens moved the ball inside the 20. A 34-yard field goal attempt was wide right and Richmond took over with three seconds left and took a knee to end the half.
 
To begin the second half, Wofford had four first downs to move into the redzone. A Sam Spence field goal from 47 yards gave the Terriers a 10-7 lead with 11:08 on the clock in the third quarter. The Spiders had two first downs before punting. With the ball back, Wofford went three-and-out after a sack on third down. The Spiders had a first down and then converted a fourth-and-four. On the second play of the fourth quarter, the Spiders took a 14-10 lead on a 10-yard quarterback run. After Wofford went three-and-out, Richmond had three first downs before punting. The Terriers had the ball back with 5:34 remaining in the fourth quarter. Ihson Jackson-Anderson had a pair of first down runs, including one for 20 yards. Facing a fourth-and-14 with 1:45 left in the game, the pass was incomplete and the Terriers turned it over on downs. The Spiders ran for one first down and then took a knee to secure the win.  
 
Wofford had 158 total yards, with 111 passing yards. Richmond had 272 total yards, with 153 of those passing yards. Wofford had 13 first downs to 16 for the Spiders. Wofford was 1-of-12 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down. Richmond was 7-of-17 on third down and 1-of-1 on fourth downs. Richmond was called for nine penalties, while Wofford was called for eight. Richmond had a 37:07 to 22:53 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. Richmond Post-Game Notes
This was the third meeting between the two teams. The Spiders lead 2-1, with both wins in Spartanburg.  
   
The 72 yard interception return for a touchdown by C.J. Coombes is tied for the tenth-longest in school history. It was also the first interception returned for a touchdown since September 8, 2018, when Dimitri Redwood went 45 yards against VMI.
 
The defense was led by Maximus Pulley with eight tackles. Jalen Rambert and Eli Campbell added seven each. Brandon Maina had 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
The Wofford offense has yet to turn the ball over this season.
 
Game captains were Quincy Hughes, Brandon Maina, Kyle Parsons and Maximus Pulley.        
 
Attendance at Gibbs Stadium was 2,754.
 
Wofford will play the next two games on the road, returning to Gibbs Stadium on Saturday, October 4, against Western Carolina.