The Shadow
Richmond, Va. — Quarterback Ashten Snelsire threw three touchdown passes, Aziz Foster-Powell scored twice on the ground, freshman receiver Bryce Allen caught two touchdown passes and tight end Carson Derey added the first score of his career as Richmond opened the 2026 season with a 35-14 victory over Bucknell Saturday night at Robins Stadium.
Richmond (1-0, 1-0 Patriot League) scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions and built a 28-0 halftime lead while its defense held Bucknell scoreless for more than 42 minutes. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak in season openers and gave the Spiders their first opening-day win since defeating Howard, 38-14, in 2021. The win also gave head coach Russ Huesman his 60th victory at Richmond.
Snelsire directed an offense that totaled 393 yards and scored on all four of its red-zone opportunities. The senior completed 17-of-28 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, connecting with seven different receivers. He was not sacked and helped Richmond average 6.3 yards per play.
“He’s composed back there,” said Huesman. “He’s a polished player — smart, knows exactly what’s going on out there and studies the game. Yeah, we can win with Ashten.”
Richmond’s defense picked up where it left off a year ago. After leading the Patriot League in passing defense and finishing second in both total defense and scoring defense in 2025, the Spiders returned 22 of their 37 sacks from last season, including preseason Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Cam Byrd. Against Bucknell, Richmond limited the Bison to 187 total yards and 12 first downs, including just 32 rushing yards on 29 attempts. Bucknell averaged 1.1 yards per carry, converted only 3-of-15 third downs and was forced to punt 11 times. The Spiders held the Bison scoreless in the first half and allowed just 53 total yards through the opening two quarters.
“We knew if we put the pressure on them early and kept our heads level — don’t get too high, don’t get too low — no matter how much of a lead we had, just keep the pedal on, and it worked out for us today,” said Byrd.
Byrd led the effort with three sacks as Richmond finished with four sacks and six tackles for loss. Blake Houser added a sack and a team-high seven tackles, including two for loss, while Jackson Thorne recorded six tackles. The Spiders kept Bucknell off the scoreboard until 2:34 remained in the third quarter.
“I knew we’re good up front. There’s no question we’re good up front. We got good players up front,” said Huesman. “I think defensively, we’re a talented team.”
The Spiders took the lead on their first offensive possession. Foster-Powell opened the drive with a 12-yard run before Snelsire found him for 26 yards to move Richmond into Bucknell territory. Snelsire capped the six-play, 59-yard march with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Derey, giving the sophomore tight end the first touchdown of his career and Richmond a 7-0 lead with 10:21 remaining in the first quarter.
Snelsire and the offense struck again on their next possession. The quarterback completed four passes on the seven-play drive, including a 20-yard connection with Allen, before finding the freshman for a nine-yard touchdown that pushed Richmond’s lead to 14-0 with 6:06 left in the first.
The defense then gave the Spiders a short field. TJ Baldwin forced a Chris Dietrich fumble and Daniel Sellers recovered it at the Bucknell 40. Allen caught another 20-yard pass from Snelsire before Foster-Powell scored from one yard out to make it 21-0 with 1:08 remaining in the opening quarter.
Richmond’s 21 first-quarter points came on 142 yards of offense, with Snelsire completing 8-of-10 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns in the period.
The Spiders added to the lead late in the second quarter after Jaiden Fair’s 18-yard punt return gave Richmond possession at the Bucknell 30. Snelsire connected with Foster-Powell for 12 yards and Quanye Veney for 13 before Foster-Powell scored from five yards out, sending Richmond into halftime ahead 28-0.
The touchdown gave Foster-Powell the first two-score game of his career. The senior running back finished with 108 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per attempt. He also caught two passes for 38 yards to finish with a game-high 146 all-purpose yards.
“We already know we’re going to have ups and downs through a game, but you just got to go in there, compete at a high level and finish throughout the game, because it’s four quarters, not just one or two,” said Foster-Powell.
Foster-Powell continued to produce in the second half, breaking runs of 17 and 12 yards on the same third-quarter possession before adding a game-long 33-yard rush later in the period. His 108 rushing yards matched the total he posted at Bucknell last season.
Bucknell broke through with 2:34 remaining in the third quarter on Dietrich’s 51-yard touchdown pass to Michael Cadden. The Bison then cut Richmond’s lead to 28-14 when Dietrich found Sam Milligan for a 29-yard touchdown with 13:03 left in the fourth.
Richmond answered immediately. On the first play of the ensuing possession, Snelsire connected with Allen down the left side for a 75-yard touchdown, restoring the Spiders’ 21-point advantage just 10 seconds after Bucknell had pulled within two scores.
Allen finished his collegiate debut with four receptions for a game-high 106 yards and two touchdowns, leading Richmond in receiving.
Richmond finished with 194 rushing yards and 199 passing yards while holding a 393-187 advantage in total offense. The Spiders also finished a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone.
Richmond hits the road for the first time this season next Saturday, Sept. 5, traveling to Washington, D.C., to face Howard at 6 p.m.
