Howard's Second-Half Rally Falls Short Against No. 23 Richmond

WASHINGTON, D.C. Howard spent one half digging a hole and the next nearly climbing out. Two turnovers gave No. 23 Richmond short fields for touchdowns, and the Bison's 21-point second-half rally ended one possession short in a 28-21 loss Saturday at Greene Stadium.

The trouble started on Howard's opening drive. Richmond cornerback Kyree Richardson intercepted Ja'Shawn Scroggins and returned the ball 39 yards to the Howard 6. A Richmond personal foul moved the Spiders back to the 20, but Ashten Snelsire found Bryce Allen for a 15-yard touchdown two plays later.

Richmond added a one-yard Aziz Foster-Powell touchdown run late in the first quarter, then went ahead 20-0 when Snelsire hit Quanye Veney for a 42-yard score with 12:25 left before halftime. Howard gained only nine yards in the second quarter and went 0-for-7 on third down in the opening half.

The Bison found life on defense. With Richmond backed up at its own 3 early in the third quarter, Gabe Stephens recovered a fumble in the end zone to put Howard on the board. After another defensive stop, Howard drove 84 yards in nine plays. Scroggins finished the march with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Hunter, cutting Richmond's lead to 20-14 with seven minutes left in the quarter.

Then came the second costly turnover. Howard muffed a punt at its own 29, and Richmond needed only two plays to answer. Snelsire connected with Sean Clarke for a 29-yard touchdown before running in the two-point conversion, restoring a 28-14 lead.

Howard didn't fold. Billy Roberson II broke a 28-yard run on a 14-play, 75-yard drive that stretched into the fourth quarter, then scored from one yard out to make it 28-21 with 11:35 remaining.

The defense gave the offense one more chance when Richmond missed a 32-yard field goal with 4:15 left. Howard started at its own 20, but an ineligible receiver penalty erased a 10-yard completion. Daniel Sellers sacked Scroggins for an 11-yard loss on the next third down, forcing the Bison's ninth punt of the night.

Howard held Richmond to 39 rushing yards and sacked Snelsire four times, but the Spiders threw for 261 yards. The Bison finished with 240 total yards and converted 4 of 16 third downs. Scroggins completed 9 of 28 passes for 109 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Roberson led Howard with 44 rushing yards, while Hunter caught two passes for 43 yards and a touchdown.

The loss dropped Howard to 1-1. The Bison travel to Bloomington to face Indiana on Saturday, Sept. 12, at noon.