LEXINGTON, Va. ? The sixth-ranked Richmond Spiders pulled away from VMI with a 28-6 second half outburst and defeated the Keydets, 56-16, to spoil homecoming before 7,643 Foster Stadium fans Saturday afternoon in Lexington.

Leading 28-10 at halftime, Richmond started the second half with a bolt of energy as a jarring hit on VMI kick return man Zach Collins forced the ball free on the opening kickoff of the half. UR redshirt freshman Colin Pehanick scooped up the loose ball and raced 13 yards for the touchdown to extend the Spider lead to 35-10 before VMI could run a second-half play. Richmond added a two-yard TD run by senior running back Josh Vaughn later in the quarter and a pair of fourth quarter touchdown runs by redshirt running back Tyler Kirchoff completed the Spider scoring string.

VMI's lone second half tally came on a one-yard run by freshman fullback Bobby Epps with 2:16 left in the game.

Richmond outgained VMI, 419-267 in total yards, and the Keydets failed to complete a pass in five attempts and set a facility record for fewest passing yards in a game.

Junior quarterback Tim Maypray led the VMI ground attack with 88 yards on 19 carries and freshman fullbacks Epps (67 yards) and Chaz Jones (59 yards) combined for 126 yards rushing filling in for the injured Howard Abegesah (knee), who did not play.

Vaughn led Richmond in rushing with 123 yards and two touchdowns. Junior quarterback Eric Ward completed 10 of 13 passes for 130 yards and one TD for the Spiders (4-2), who rebounded from a 26-20 road loss against Villanova a week ago.

The VMI option attack, which led the nation in rushing entering the game and had produced 10 plays over 20 or more yards in each the previous two contests, was limited to just one play over 20 yards against the Spiders ? a 45-yard run by Maypray that set up a second quarter scoring drive. The Spiders also converted all three VMI turnovers (2 fumbles, 1 interception) into scoring opportunities that produced three touchdowns.

Spider junior defensive lineman Miles Parker led all tacklers with 13 stops while Keydets defensive back Byron Allen posted eight tackles.

“I didn't see much good out there, but I thought our kids played hard throughout,” said VMI head coach Sparky Woods. “You have to congratulate Richmond. They have a really fine football team. Coach London has done a really nice job with them. We just have to keep working with our players, find out who was hurt, get them healed up, and get our players ready to go for the conference opener next week. We have to get over this one and learn from it and try to get back and be a better team next week.”

After being forced to punt on its opening possession, Richmond engineered a five-play 40-yard drive the second time it had the football and opened the game's scoring on a 29-yard TD pass from Ward to redshirt freshman receiver Tre Gray with 9:01 left in the first quarter. On VMI's ensuing possession, sophomore defensive back Justin Rodgers snatched in mid-air a Maypray option pitch at the VMI 41 and returned it for a touchdown to extend Richmond's advantage to 14-0.

The Keydets later halved the deficit ? taking advantage of a 63-yard kick return by freshman Rajah Jenkins and a Richmond personal foul penalty that moved the ball to the Spider 25. Four plays later, sophomore slotback Gabe Itoka raced 12 yards off a pitch to the endzone to pull VMI within 14-7 with 5:24 left in the first quarter.

But the Spiders countered with a four-play, 47-yard drive set up when Rogers returned the ensuing kickoff 25 yards and VMI aided UR with a procedure penalty on the kickoff that moved the ball to the VMI 47. A 22-yard run by Vaughn to the VMI 3 set up a 3-yard TD plunge by fullback John Crone one play later to extend Richmond's lead to 21-7 with 3:31 left in the first quarter.

VMI freshman kicker Greg Stevens booted a 21-yard field goal, his third this season, to cut the UR lead to 21-10 with 12:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Richmond added a four-yard TD run by Vaughn at the 1:15 mark capping at 10-play, 68-yard drive.

VMI (2-3) begins Big South Conference action next week at home taking on Coastal Carolina next Saturday at 1:30 at Foster Stadium. Richmond tangles with No. 1 JMU at UR Stadium next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.                

SERIES NOTES ? Richmond pulled even in the overall series with VMI, knotting the rivaly at 40-40-5. The schools first played in 1893 and the rivalry is the second oldest on the Keydet record books, outlasted only by the William & Mary series (86 games).