Off-the-field distractions were just what the Richmond Spiders didn't need this week. Not only were they already having to deal with the loss of Payton candidate Kyle Lauletta, they now have to get past departure rumors surrounding head coach Danny Rocco that involve an alleged lack of commitment from the school to its football team. On the other hand, North Dakota has to avoid losing their edge after two-straight bye weeks. UND's secondary made perhaps the biggest offseason improvement in all of FCS. The Fighting Hawks had the worst pass defense in the Big Sky last year, only to end up with the best pass D in the league in 2016. Their DBs also have 4 interception return touchdowns on the season. NoDak loves to blitz, too, so Richmond's current QB—Kevin Johnson—is gonna have to be super ready for the Spiders to win this. Being on the road and with everything else going on, that doesn't look likely.
Here's my assessment of the matchups & my pick for the game:
