Saturday, Oct. 19, William and Mary football (5-2, 2-1 CAA) defeated Campbell (2-5, 0-3 CAA) 35-28 at Walter J. Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Va.
Thousands of fans, students and alumni packed the stands in hope of seeing the Tribe claim a victory in its annual Homecoming game.
“I appreciate our students, the student section,” head coach Mike London said. “They’re loud, they’re engaged. I appreciate our fans who come back, the alumni, football alumni.”
The Tribe hoped to set the record straight this year, following last year’s 34-24 Homecoming loss to Towson.
The Green and Gold entered Saturday’s game after losing to Towson again this season.
However, the Tribe still possesses the third strongest rushing offense in the Football Championship Subdivision, starring a two-headed monster of senior running backs Bronson Yoder and Malachi Imoh.
Another Tribe standout player is junior cornerback Jalen Jones, who holds the most pass breakups in the FCS so far this season, totaling 14 in seven games.
“I’m just anticipating every play to come to my side, and when the play comes, I make a play, and I guess that’s why I’m leading right now,” Jones said.
Campbell also boasts strong offensive weapons with senior wide receiver Sincere Brown laying claim to the 12th most receiving yards per game in the FCS. Jones recognized the tough assignment he had guarding Brown, but emphasized the importance of relying on his experience and time spent preparing.
“I’ve messed up and made mistakes, and the receivers tend to go to those plays,” Jones said. “I’m seeing those plays over and over at safety and just try to correct the past.”
The game kicked off with clear skies overhead and a festive atmosphere among the crowd, with the Tribe winning the opening coin toss and electing to receive the first possession. Campbell redshirt freshman kicker Riley Sullivan booted the kickoff 65 yards for a touchback.
The first drive gave fans some classic Tribe football, with Yoder rushing five times out of shotgun formation for a total of 25 yards, including a 9-yard run to the left on the first play of the game. Now around midfield, senior quarterback Darius Wilson came up with a big throw down the middle on third and 11 to senior wide receiver JT Mayo, who caught the ball for another 18 yards deeper into Campbell territory.
It was Imoh who opened the scoring for the Tribe, finding an opening on the right side of Campbell’s defense and taking the ball all the way to the end zone on an electric 33-yard run. Senior kicker Eric Bernstein made sure to add the extra point for the Tribe on the point after touchdown.
The Tribe defense made light work of the Campbell offense on the next drive, forcing a three and out after only 5 yards gained. Campbell redshirt junior linebacker Logan Livermon drew a false start to add insult to injury, backing the punting unit up 5 yards.
The offense got off to another fast start on its second drive with an explosive 13-yard down the right by Imoh on second down. The Campbell defense stepped up on the next few plays, breaking up a pass and forcing Wilson to scramble for a short gain. Luckily for the Tribe, senior kicker Anderson Ruben drew a roughing the punter penalty after taking a big shot to the leg after his punt, keeping the offense on the field. This gave the Green and Gold its second wind, with Yoder rushing 18 yards down the middle on second down and senior wide receiver DreSean Kendrick hauling in a 14-yard catch to bring the offense to the Campbell 10-yard line. Yoder then punched his way down all the way to the 2-yard line before Wilson scattered the defense and walked in on a crucial fourth and 1 touchdown.
The Green and Gold defense came back on the field with energy and physicality built by its first drive performance. This led to huge tackles by senior linebacker Quinn Osborne and senior defensive end Mike Malone that forced a third and 7. This defensive spark quickly faded as Campbell’s offense, led by sophomore quarterback Chad Mascoe Jr., kicked into high gear with tough grabs on consecutive deep completions to Brown and redshirt sophomore wide receiver VJ Wilkins. Wilkins went for a 35-yard touchdown to bring the game within one score, and tension on the field emerged. The first quarter came to an end with the Camels stepping up on defense, forcing a Tribe three and out with a sack on Wilson.
Campbell’s offense opened the second quarter with a designed quarterback run by Mascoe that was good for 9 yards, ending with a big hit from William and Mary freshman defensive back TJ McGill. McGill was called for targeting on this hit, ejecting him from the remainder of the game and moving the offense up 15 yards. The Camels showed their depth at the quarterback position with another 14-yard rush to the left by redshirt senior quarterback Mike Chandler II. However, Jones forced a Chandler fumble on the very next play. Senior linebacker Jonathan Hammond pounced on the loose ball, putting the ball back in the hands of the offense.
This drive was also cut short, this time by the Camels defense. Redshirt freshman cornerback Malik Willis caught his first interception of his college career by jumping in front of a Wilson pass to Kendrick.
Although sophomore linebacker Christian Hamm came up with a massive 8-yard sack on the first play of the Camels’ drive, the Tribe defense remained unfazed. The Campbell offense once again quickly snapped back with two huge passing plays to bring them all the way down to the Tribe’s 16-yard line, putting the Green and Gold’s lead in doubt. But the tides once again changed, with the Tribe’s defensive star coming up big. Jones followed his assignment perfectly, breaking up a pass in the end zone with the ball falling into the arms of freshman defensive back Jaden Ratliff for Mascoe’s first interception on the day.
The Green and Gold offense capitalized on the big defensive play with senior quarterback Darius Wilson immediately collecting another first down off a 10-yard rush. William and Mary kept it on the ground with a powerful run by Yoder that went for 30 yards. The Tribe continued with the game plan, and Wilson went for 17 yards down the left. The Camels continued to be overpowered by run game, driving all the way down the field before Wilson threw up a short pass left, where a leaping Mayo collected the six points for the Tribe and extended its lead to 21-7.
The Camels put together an impressive four-minute drive to end the first half, finding most of their success through the air once again with more long catches by Brown (21 yards) and freshman wide receiver Randall King (19 yards). Mascoe found Wilkins on a short 2-yard pass to secure another touchdown late, leaving the Tribe with a 21-14 lead at the half.
Campbell received the ball to start the second half. The Camels offense appeared poised to pick up where they left off before the break, with Mascoe’s first throw of the half going 13 yards over the middle to sophomore tight end Aiden Valdez. Campbell methodically dissected the Tribe defense, with freshman running back JJ Cowan delivering a powerful run down the middle for a 22-yard play well into Tribe territory. Mascoe and Brown would follow it up a few plays later on third-and-9 with a drive-saving 16-yard completion. Mascoe capped it off on another third down sweep right to Cowan, taking the Camels back to the end zone to tie the game at 21-21.
The Tribe offense looked ready to keep its run game going in its first possession of the half, starting off with another fierce Imoh run down the middle for a 22-yard gain. The Green and Gold continued down the field, picking up short gains along the way before a personal foul on senior offensive linebacker Charles Grant and a holding call on sophomore offensive linebacker Kadin Lynch moved the sticks a whopping 25 yards back. This forced the Tribe to settle for a field goal attempt on fourth and 18. The kick was no good as soon as it left Bernstein’s boot, keeping the scores level with just under five minutes remaining in the quarter.
The next drive was all Tribe defense, with Mascoe only making it 3 yards forward, including 2 yards on third down before a powerful hit by senior linebacker Alex Washington forced him out of bounds. Campbell found solace on a 52-yard punt by graduate student punter/kicker Jack Brady, setting up the Tribe’s next possession all the way back at its own 2-yard line with a great bounce.
The Tribe’s next drive started off with an immediate punch when Wilson pitched the ball to Imoh for yet another powerful run to the right. The third quarter concluded with the Tribe earning a 15-yard gain off of a personal foul, putting them in the offensive half to start the final stretch.
It did not take long in the fourth quarter for the Tribe to rush back into the end zone, with Yoder bringing home multiple runs by Imoh and Wilson. Yoder broke multiple tackles for a six-yard touchdown just over one and a half minutes into the quarter, putting the Green and Gold back on top at 28-21.
The Tribe defense stifled the Camels on the following drive, forcing a three-and-out after having Mascoe on the run for just over a minute.
Wilson immediately took the game back over at the Tribe 31, launching a deep ball to a wide open Imoh, good for 41 yards. The drive was nearly quelled by the Campbell defense, but Mayo drew a pass interference call on graduate student cornerback Keevan Bailey. The Tribe would once again muscle forward for a few runs before Wilson found Mathis in the end zone off a short pass down the middle, giving insurance to its lead, now two scores at 35-21.
Victory was in sight for the Tribe at this point, with a seemingly promising Campbell drive stopped well short of the end zone on a turnover on downs. Jones came up with yet another clutch pass break up, this time against graduate student wide receiver Brandon Fitez.
However, the Campbell defense dug deep on their next attempt, forcing a rare Yoder fumble on his own 36-yard line. An unsportsmanlike conduct call on senior linebacker Jalen Brooks hampered the play after the whistle, backing the offense up 15 yards.
Campbell started their final offensive drive with just under 3 minutes, 50 seconds left, using all their weapons to rush and catch their way down the field, including 15 and 12-yard gains by Cowan. Mascoe finished the drive off with a final touchdown toss to Brown from the 11-yard line, narrowing the Tribe’s lead to 35-28.
Sullivan attempted an onside kick, though it rolled 9 yards before benignly bouncing out of bounds.
The Tribe then killed the clock by running the ball. Yoder earned a final first down, allowing the victory formation to be rolled out.
The Tribe finished with a net total of 464 yards on the day, compared to Campbell’s 423. All 355 of the Green and Gold’s yards came from the run game, which continues to impress friend and foe alike. Yoder added another 131 yards to his season total, along with another touchdown. Imoh punched in 122 yards and a touchdown on only 12 attempts, averaging 10.2 yards per carry.
Imoh reflected on his performance after the game.
“I can’t do what I do if it’s not for the offensive line up front, and they played great all game, making huge holes,” Imoh said. “Then, it was my job too, when I have those one-on-one opportunities in space or the ability to make someone miss or run past someone.”
Wilson added 95 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, going 10-16 and recording a 63% completion rate. Mascoe also impressed, going for 320 yards on 30-39 passing and posting four touchdowns and a 77% completion rate.
On the defensive side, Osborne led the team in tackles with eight. Hamm and redshirt freshman defensive end Breyden Byrd picked up a sack each. Jones once again impressed, totaling three pass break ups, the defining moment leading to Ratliff’s interception.
London spoke on the victory and adversity the Tribe faced along the way.
“You just got to keep going one-on-one against your guy,” London said. “There’s a bend, but don’t break mentality.”
The Tribe hopes to stay in the win column next week when it travels to Stony Brook (5-2, 2-1 CAA) to take on the Seawolves Saturday, Oct. 26 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, N.Y.
