Associated Press
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ó Mike London gave Richmond the perfect ending to his first season in charge at his alma mater.
Eric Ward caught a touchdown pass and threw for another score, Josh Vaughan ran for 162 yards and a touchdown and the Spiders dominated Montana 24-7 on Friday night for the school’s first Football Championship Subdivision national championship.
After starting the season 4-3, the Spiders were perhaps the only ones who thought they had a chance to win the title. The team held a players-only meeting on Oct. 12 after a loss to James Madison and pledged not to give up on making a playoff run.
Richmond (13-3) won its next eight games behind the calm coaching of London, who replaced Dave Clawson after two seasons as defensive coordinator at Virginia. The Spiders went on to upset defending national champion Appalachian State in the playoff quarterfinals and hung on to beat Northern Iowa before toppling two-time national champion Montana.