Richmond, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Richmond had won a "playoff" game already, so there was no stopping the Spiders and quarterback Michael Strauss when the actual FCS postseason began Saturday.
Strauss threw four touchdowns to power Richmond to a 46-24 win over Morgan State in the first round.
The Spiders (9-4) will travel to seventh-seeded Coastal Carolina (11-1) next Saturday for a second-round game.
Coach Danny Rocco's team basically won a playoff game last weekend at William & Mary. The winner of that game was going to be the fourth and final playoff team out of CAA Football, and the Spiders won going away, 34-20.
They rolled the momentum right into their game against Morgan State (7-6), jumping to a 22-0 lead after the first quarter. Strauss capped the game's first drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Diggs and Seth Fisher scored on two runs.
Diggs (eight receptions, 132 yards) ended the first-half scoring with another touchdown reception - an 11-yarder with 20 seconds left in the second quarter - to give Richmond a 29-10 halftime lead.
Strauss completed 22-of-32 pass attempts for 272 yards and one interception. He also threw touchdowns to Rashad Ponder and Fisher.
Richmond has struggled with turnovers in its losses, but gained a 4-2 advantage in turnover margin, intercepting Morgan State quarterback Moses Skillon three times and forcing him into a fumble.
Skillon rushed for a touchdown and threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns. Herb Walker Jr. carried the ball 21 times for 120 yards for the Bears, who made their first-ever playoff appearance. They earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's automatic bid off a tiebreaker between five first-place teams.
MEAC teams have lost in the playoffs every year since 1999.
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