Saturday, Nov. 22, William and Mary football (7-5, 6-2 CAA) faced Richmond (7-5, 3-4 Patriot) for the Capital Cup in its final game of the season. William and Mary dominated the first half, leading 14-0 at halftime, but struggled to maintain that pace in the second half, resulting in their first Zable Stadium loss of the season.
During the first half of the matchup, Richmond struggled both offensively and with penalty yards. This allowed the Tribe to dominate the first quarter. Junior quarterback Tyler Hughes scored on a three-yard run following a Richmond muffed return on the Tribe’s punt after a three-and-out. The play gave the hosts a 7-0 lead that lasted until the second quarter, when Tribe graduate student running back Rashad Raymond ran in a touchdown after a pass-interference call against the Spiders.
Entering halftime up 14, William and Mary’s lead disintegrated into a seven-point deficit by the end of the third quarter, with Richmond scoring its first touchdown with 10 minutes, 1 second left on the clock. After the touchdown, the Spiders were able to throw the Tribe off track and gain momentum. The visitors took the lead with 4:57 remaining in the third when they pushed deep into Tribe territory. The Spiders scored a six-yard touchdown, tying the game 14-14.
The Green and Gold struggled to stop the Spiders, who converted multiple third-down attempts to keep drives alive. Near the end of the third quarter, following a Tribe punt, Richmond senior wide receiver Quanye Veney broke off a 25-yard run, the longest for his team of the afternoon. The subsequent play saw Spiders senior quarterback Kyle Wickersham rush 15 yards up the middle of the field for a touchdown. With 2:14 left in the third, Richmond took a 21-14 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Tribe tried to regain control of the game and steal back their momentum, but numerous penalties worked against them. The team struggled to contain Wickersham, who finished the day with 73 yards on the ground and 128 in the air, adding a rushing and two passing touchdowns.
With 11:07 left in the fourth quarter, Hughes scored on a seven-yard rush, tying the game once more, this time at 21 each. Despite the Tribe’s attempts to take the lead, Richmond’s defense kept the Spiders ahead. Richmond scored its final touchdown with 1:56 left, raising the score to 28-21. The Tribe lost its shot at the Capital Cup title when it turned the ball over on downs during a final attempt to tie, allowing the Spiders to run out the clock with a seven-point lead.
While this was a hard way to end the season, eliminating William and Mary’s chance of being considered for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, head coach Mike London was proud of the team and the hard work they put in all season, as evidenced by his postgame comments.
“The life aspect of you lose a game, you know it is what it is, but we have to address it, correct it, you know, do what we need to do to make things better for us, the crew, all those things and I want to thank you guys who have showed up every week and the students and the fans and parents,” London said. “It was tough to see a bunch of those seniors go, but that’s a maturation process that happens when you come to college and you go onto your next opportunity, next location.”
London expressed gratitude to the seniors for the hard work they have put in throughout their time with the Tribe football program. He enjoyed seeing them walk with their loved ones and being recognized for their hard work, which he considers a testament to their leadership.
“I’m grateful and indebted to them [the seniors] in terms of when we first got here, first class of guys actually brought in, the winning seasons and all those things,” London said. “They matter, but when you’re playing a game like this, this matters a lot too.”
Despite the loss, Tribe football plans to take its lessons from Saturday’s matchup into spring training and the offseason. The team plans to travel around and continue to engage and embrace alumni, supporters and fans, as well as the overall support for the program.
“I love this group, I love the team and it’s just one of those things. It’s tough, but at the same time, I love where we are as a program and as a team and opportunities to keep chasing championships here,” London said.
William and Mary football is entering the offseason with a positive mindset and eagerness to explore new opportunities in both the Patriot League and the chance to play for this great cup once more.
