Saturday, Sept. 28, William and Mary football (4-2, 1-1 CAA) dominated Hampton (3-3, 0-2 CAA) 49-7 at Walter J. Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Va.
Eager to see the 3-1 team continue its winning streak, parents visiting for William and Mary’s Family Weekend packed the stands.
After losing nine of its last 10 games against the Tribe, however, Hampton was determined to snap the Tribe’s streak
“This game is personal,” Hampton junior running back Ja’Quan Snipes said prior to the matchup.
“It’s definitely a sour taste in our mouth, and we are bringing back that animosity from last year,” Hampton graduate student defensive back Xavier Marshall said.
Having come off a three-game winning streak to end the previous season, the Pirates walked into Zable Stadium feeling more confident, especially with their rotation of Snipes and senior running backs Elijah Burris and Tymere Robinson.
“When you can have three running backs coming at you throughout the whole game, it also wears you down,” Hampton head coach Trent Boykin said.
Hampton ranks as a top rushing attack team and 13th in the nation for yards per game on the ground (208.0).
William and Mary, however, also touts a reputation for strong rushing stats. Senior running back Bronson Yoder reached a career high of 166 yards in the Tribe’s previous game against Furman. William and Mary also ranks No. 5 nationally in rushing (243.5).
In addition to carrying competitive offensive talent, William and Mary prepared for Hampton’s rotation tactic.
According to freshman offensive lineman Charles Stewart, Tribe coaches emphasized offensive tempo to disrupt the Pirates’ subbing habits, especially for Hampton’s many defensive linemen.
“We have a lot of really athletic linemen,” Stewart said, expressing confidence in the Tribe’s ability to match up.
Teeming with competitive energy, both teams were set for kickoff around 6 p.m.
The Tribe received the kick after Hampton deferred its coin toss win. Redshirt sophomore kicker Brian Csehoski started off the game for the Pirates, sending the ball 64 yards to William and Mary freshman wide receiver Armon Wright, who returned the ball for 22 yards.
The Tribe had a shaky start, receiving a false start penalty and fumbling the ball at its own 37-yard line 1 minute, 30 seconds into the game. Hampton freshman tight end/defensive lineman Richard Kramer recovered the ball.
Troubles didn’t last long for the Tribe, however, when William and Mary junior cornerback Jalen Jones intercepted a pass from Hampton redshirt junior quarterback Chris Zellous at the Green and Gold’s 24-yard line. Standout players Yoder and senior running back Malachi Imoh rushed up left field in back-to-back plays. Another offensive penalty against the Tribe sent the team back 10 yards to its own 27-yard line. Senior quarterback Darius Wilson passed down the middle to senior receiver Hollis Mathis, who gained eight yards and a first down for the Green and Gold. Though William and Mary gained momentum back from its initial possession, its offensive run was short-lived after Hampton redshirt junior defensive lineman Rodrick Dorsey sacked Wilson two plays later. Senior kicker Ruben Anderson punted 39 yards for the Tribe, which Pirates freshman wide receiver Brennan Ridley received at Hampton’s 25-yard line.
Burris and Zellous sent Hampton storming up the field with a series of successful rushes. Burris scored the first touchdown of the game with less than five minutes left in the first quarter.
Wright returned the Pirates’ punt with a 39-yard run, but the Tribe lost 10 yards to another holding penalty. Sophomore Sean McElwain caught a short pass and gained 34 yards, taking the Tribe to its own 44-yard line for a first down. In a subsequent play, Wilson zipped the ball up the middle to Mathis, who juked out two Hampton defenders for 12 yards and a first down at the opponent’s 37-yard line. A later rush up the middle by Wilson placed the Green and Gold at the 7-yard line. With less than a minute left in the first quarter, Wilson sent a pass to senior wide receiver DreSean Kendrick, who caught the ball at the back of the end zone despite severe defensive pressure. Kendrick’s score left the game tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Three minutes into the second quarter, the Tribe defense shut down Hampton’s offensive run when senior linebacker Jonathan Hammond sacked Pirates redshirt senior quarterback Malcolm Mays.
The next Tribe possession saw Wilson feed Imoh the ball for an 11 yard left rush rush, gaining a first down for the Green and Gold on its 41-yard line. Only a few plays later, Imoh rushed through the defense from the Hampton 14-yard line for William and Mary’s second touchdown of the game.
The Pirates’ following possession began poorly with Tribe junior defensive lineman Davin Dzidzienyo sacking Zellous for a loss of 1 yard. The Green and Gold defense continued to shut down its opponent’s offense, forcing Csehoski to punt 22 yards from the William and Mary 46-yard line less than four minutes later.
The Tribe marched up the field, with McElwain snagging two short passes and 26 yards for the Green and Gold. Yoder breezed past defense from the Hampton 36-yard line for the home team’s third touchdown. Senior kicker Eric Bernstein continued his streak of good conversions for the tribe, leaving the score 21-7 for the last two minutes of the second quarter.
The Tribe defense persistently pressured Hampton, with Jones blocking a pass intended for Pirates junior wide receiver Kymari Gray at the 50 yard line on the first play. Another incomplete pass by Zellous and a failed rush costing Hampton three yards by Burris forced Pirates redshirt freshman kicker Brett Starling to punt less than a minute after the team regained offensive possession.
Starting its offensive possession off strong, Wilson threw two successful passes before the Tribe called a timeout. After an incomplete pass to Imoh, Wilson rushed the middle to the Hampton 22 for a first down. William and Mary called another timeout with 30 seconds left on the clock. Displaying good hands throughout the game, McElwain grabbed another 14 yards and a first down for the Tribe after a short throw from Wilson. However, the home team found itself stuck at Hampton’s 2-yard line until the end of the first half.
William and Mary sophomore kicker Josh McCormick started off the third quarter with a 65-yard boot. Hampton found its offensive possession to be short-lived, with the Tribe defense halting rush attempts made by Burris and forcing the Pirates to punt only 1:30 into the second half.
Kendrick momentarily muffed Hampton’s 48-yard punt, but Tribe senior safety Latrelle Smith-Leaks scooped the ball at the 5-yard line.
The Green and Gold made a steady push up the field with drives by Yoder and Imoh, as well as receptions by Kendrick and Guilford.
However, back-to-back penalties against the Tribe for pass interference by Yoder and illegal motion by redshirt freshman wide receiver Garrett Robertson sent the home team back a combined 20 yards. Hampton graduate student linebacker Jamar Darboe forced Imoh to fumble out of bounds, cutting the Tribe's run short.
Despite these offensive troubles, the Tribe defense entered the field ready to shut down the Pirates. After a short run by Snipes up the middle for 2 yards at the Hampton 8, sophomore outside linebacker Christian Hamm and freshman linebacker Elijah Rainer crushed Mays, pushing the Pirates back 7 yards and forcing them to take a timeout.
Desperate with a third-and-15 on Hampton’s 1-yard line, Robinson rushed the middle, only to meet senior linebackers Alex Washington and Quinn Osborne. The Pirates gained no yards, punting the ball to the Tribe with five minutes left in the third quarter.
Flaunting its rushing talent, the Tribe saw a series of runs from Wilson, Yoder and Hollis, working its way up from the Hampton 27. The Green and Gold scored its fourth touchdown of the game, courtesy of a Wilson middle rush.
With a minute left in the third quarter, McCormick punted 65 yards, resulting in a Hampton touchback. HU finished out the period at the 41 after runs by Burris and Snipes.
As the quarter came to a close, tensions between players reached a boiling point. The animosity Hampton brought to the game escalated into a mass altercation in the middle of the field, with referees breaking up the shoving between multiple players. Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties called on both teams canceled out.
Going into the final quarter, the energy of the game had a new charge, with the Tribe furthering their lead with Hampton unable to reduce the deficit.
The Pirates resumed possession with third-and-6 on their 41-yard line. Zellous successfully connected with redshirt freshman wide receiver MarShawn Ferguson Jr. for the first down at the Hampton 49. Back-to-back runs by Robinson kept the away team moving up the field until a false start penalty on Gray at the William and Mary 42 threw Hampton off its rhythm. Three incomplete passes by Zellous broken up by Dzidzienyo, Smith-Leaks and redshirt freshman defensive back Sascha Garcia forced a Hampton turnover on downs.
Leaving the Pirates no time to breathe after a change in possession, Imoh sped up the field 15 yards to William and Mary’s 49-yard line. Plays by Yoder and Mathis brought the Tribe swiftly up the field. McElwain secured a catch at the Hampton 29 before snagging the Green and Gold an extra 23 yards and a first down. A personal foul called on Robertson, however, sent the Tribe back 15 yards to a first-and-10 on the Hampton 20. Undeterred by the setback, Imoh wasted no time in getting another first down and touchdown for the Tribe in just two plays.
With a win for Tribe clearly in the bag, lineups for both teams began shifting. Defensive pressure by the home team caused Mays to fumble, recover and hurry plays. Cracking under the Tribe's aggression, Starling punted after under two minutes of possession.
The Tribe wasted no time in pushing up the field. Replacing Wilson for the remainder of the game, sophomore quarterback Tyler Hughes breezed past Hampton’s defense 56 yards, providing a taste of what was yet to come. Only two plays later, Hughes caught the Pirates defense on its heels for an 8-yard rush up the middle into the endzone. With over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Tribe extended its lead to 42-7.
Freshman kicker Sam Braidwood booted 65 yards to Hampton, setting the away team up at the 25-yard line. Unable to connect a pass the first two plays, Mays finally tossed the ball to sophomore running back Donovan Shepard at the Hampton 23 for a 13-yard run, only to lose 10 yards to a holding penalty by Ferguson. At third-and-7 on the Pirates 28, Tribe sophomore outside linebacker Cade Mattive cut Shepard's run short at the Hampton 31-yard line, convincing the opponents to punt. Wright returned to the William and Mary 28, with freshman running back Josh Miller gaining another 6 yards in the following play.
Hughes rushed another 66 yards for the final touchdown of the game. Drilling the conversion down the middle of the posts, Bernstein delivered the final points of the matchup.
Hampton's final possession could not make it past the 34-yard line, turning over on downs.
The Family Weekend contest ended in William and Mary’s possession, with redshirt freshman quarterback Noah Brannock kneeling at the 34-yard line.
In true Tribe football fashion, the home team racked up impressive rushing stats, gaining 434 net yards by the end of the game, 130 of which were contributed by Hughes within the final quarter. The Tribe also touted a passing completion percentage of 84%, looming over Hamptons 43%.
It wasn't just the offense that flaunted successful stats. Tribe defense delivered three sacks to Hampton’s two quarterbacks, as well as an interception and five pass breakups.
"A big emphasis all this week was making sure we exiled both of them, not only the running back who had a couple good games, but the quarterback, too," Osborne, who delivered a season-high of eight tackles during the game, said.
Head coach Mike London commended Wilson and Osborne for their offensive and defensive efforts.
"I thought our guys, once again, played hard, played tough, played gritty," London said.
"When they scored first, you think, 'Oh no, here we go again.' It wasn't that at all, that kind of mentality. It made us go, 'what do we gotta do?'"
Saturday, Oct. 5 William and Mary lost to Towson (2-3, 1-1 CAA) 34-27 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md.
The Tribe looks to regain its winning streak in its third CAA matchup against Campbell (2-4, 0-2 CAA) Sunday, Oct. 19 at Walter J. Zable in Williamsburg, Va.