RB Justin Forte

The redshirt senior came into last season with huge shoes to fill, replacing Arizona Cardinals running back and former Spider Tim Hightower. He enjoyed a solid start to last year, but missed Richmond’s run to the Football Championship Subdivision crown after breaking his leg in the fourth game of the year.

Due to his untimely injury, this season marks Forte’s first full season as the Spiders’ featured tailback, and he seems intent on making up for lost time. He leads the team with 795 rushing yards and five touchdowns for the season. To this point, Forte has three 100-yard rushing performances, including big games against the Virginia Military Insitute and local rival Towson.

In addition to his contributions on the ground, has also played an important role in the passing attack.

As a result, any defense has to gameplan for Richmond with Forte in mind; the Hoyas especially need to keep tabs on him given their tendency to allow big games on the ground – the team has given up an average of 195.4 rushing yards per game. To pull off the upset this weekend, Georgetown will need to keep both eyes on the small – but lightning-quick – Forte.

DT Martin Parker

Parker is Richmond’s answer to Hoyas’ senior Chudi Obianwu – a physical force at nose tackle who consistently creates matchup problems for any offensive line. This year Parker, a junior and three-year starter who stands at 6-foot-3 and 283 pounds, has established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the Richmond defensive line.

Parker came into this season with high expectations, and was selected as a second-team preseason All-American. So far, No. 99 has not disappointed, with 49 tackles and a team-high 5.5 sacks on the season. As Richmond’s key defensive lineman, Parker will look to exploit a Georgetown offensive line which so far has allowed a Patriot League-high of 27 sacks on the season.

As it is, the Hoyas are only averaging 9.1 points per game, so they need to give sophomore quarterback Scott Darby as much time as possible, which will be no easy task. The No. 1 Spiders just lost their first game since September 2008 and will be looking to bounce back this weekend. Last year, the Hoyas were shut out by the swarming Spiders’ defense during a 48-0 rout. If Georgetown wants to avoid a similar fate this year against a motivated Richmond team, keeping Parker and his linemates out of the backfield will be pivotal. “