UNC looks to get its offense on track in game against Richmond

The North Carolina Tar Heels host the Richmond Spiders on Saturday, kicking off at 3:30 PM in Kenan Memorial Stadium. Richmond is the lone NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent for Carolina this season. The Tar Heels, in turn, are the only Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team on the Spiders’ schedule.

Richmond has been a strong FCS program, especially since joining the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the Colonial Athletic Association, in 2007. The Spiders are

in their first season as an associate member of the Patriot League.

Richmond travels to Chapel Hill with a 1-1 (0-1) record, earning a 14-10 win over Wofford last week. The Spiders earned preseason rankings in the two major FCS polls and have earned votes in the past two weeks. In the past 18 seasons, the Spiders have appeared in the FCS Playoffs nine times and won the national championship in 2008.

Head coach Russ Huesman has led the Spiders since 2017. He has Richmond on an upward trajectory, earning berths in the FCS Playoffs in three straight seasons. Last season, the Spiders finished with a perfect 8-0 conference record, winning 10 games overall. Richmond earned the national nine seed for the 2024 Playoffs. Unfortunately for the Spiders, the team was upset in the first round by Lehigh.

Huesman was the defensive coordinator for Richmond during the 2008 national championship season. As Richmond’s DC, the team earned the nickname “Stonewall Defense.” In Huesman’s final three seasons as defensive coordinator, the defense ranked in the top 15 in the FCS, and defense remains a focus for Huesman’s team. Over the past three seasons, the Spiders have ranked in the top 20 in most defensive categories. Last season, Richmond was the top team in the CAA in sacks, tackles for loss, interceptions, rushing defense, third and fourth down defense, and turnovers gained.

The defense is led by linebacker and captain Carter Glassmyer and defensive end Camden Byrd. Both of these players were named to the 2024 All-CAA Second Team.

Glassmyer, a FCS Preseason All-American, was the leading tackler for Richmond in 2024. He had 87 tackles (53 solo), 7.0 TFLs, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and three pass breakups last season. So far this season, Glassmyer has 12 total tackles.

Byrd, a Preseason All-League nominee, is a returning starter at defensive end. In 2024, he had 45 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, seven sacks, five quarterback hurries, and a fumble recovery. He had two sacks and three total tackles last week against Wofford.

Sophomore linebacker Peyton Seelmann has had a hot start to the season. He leads Richmond with 17 total tackles, with 10 of those being solo.

On offense, all eyes are on senior dual-threat quarterback Kyle Wickersham. One of the major keys for UNC is containing Wickersham. He is the leading rusher for Richmond, with 34 more yards and 11 more attempts than running back Aziz Foster-Powell.

An injury derailed his 2024 season, but his 2023 campaign demonstrated his accuracy as a passer and ability as a runner. He led the FCS with a 72.6 completion percentage and had over 400 yards on the ground.

Ja’Vion Griffin, a Williamston native, has been Wickersham’s top target this season. Griffin leads the team with eight receptions and 63 yards. A total of five Spiders have at least four receptions this season, demonstrating how Wickersham is spreading the ball around.

This season, though, the Richmond offense is well below its production from last season. The 2024 team averaged over 27 points a game, while the 2025 squad has scored just 14 points in each of the first two games.

The Spiders lost 10 starters to the transfer portal, including running back Zach Palmer-Smith. Palmer-Smith was second in the CAA and seventh in the country in rushing yards per game, totaling 1,362 yards on the ground in 2024. Richmond must find some playmakers to kickstart the offense.

This is the 15th all-time game between UNC and Richmond. Carolina is 12-2 against Richmond, and holds a perfect 8-0 record in Chapel Hill. The last meeting was in 1978, when the Spiders beat the Heels 27-18 in Richmond.

UNC is on a 24-game winning streak versus FCS teams. In the past five meetings against FCS opponents, Carolina has won by an average of 35 points.

If all goes to plan, this game should be one where fundamentals are stressed and there is a focus on perfectly executing the game plan.

Below is the rundown for those attending the game on Saturday afternoon:

Chapel Thrill, Presented by Frost Buddy, Gameday Timeline