Richmond trying to keep focus on Appalachian State

On a conference call Monday morning, the first question to Richmond football coach Mike London wasn't about Appalachian State, the Spiders' second-round FCS playoff opponent Saturday night.

It was about whether he might be a candidate to replace Al Groh, his former boss at Virginia, who was recently fired.

It was an obvious question, given London's ties to Virginia, where he served on Groh's staff for several years. The timing, though, could be better, given the Spiders' attempt to successfully defend the FCS national championship they won last year in London's first season back at his alma mater.

"It's an unfortunate situation that happened (in Charlottesville)," London said. "It's a reality of coaching.

"My focus is on the game with Appalachian state, my entire focus is on that. I'm not going to talk speculation, rumors and all that. I have a ballgame we have to prepare to win. That's all that’s on my mind right now."

Richmond quarterback Eric Ward was taking the same approach.

"That's not our focus right now," Ward said when asked about the coaching rumors. "We're really concentrating on Appalachian state right now. It's something we’ll worry about when the season is over."

-- Ron Green Jr.