Despite a sold-out crowd on Homecoming weekend, William and Mary football (3-5, 1-4 Patriot) ultimately lost to Georgetown (3-4, 3-2 Patriot) 28-27 Saturday, Oct. 24, at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Va.
With 38 seconds left in the game, Georgetown freshman quarterback Gavin Beard threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Hassan Mahasin on fourth and goal, spoiling the Tribe’s hopes of a second consecutive victory.
The Tribe’s loss drops it to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in its first Patriot League season. William and Mary had scored 13 unanswered points in the second half to take a 27-21 lead with 5 minutes, 5 seconds remaining. However, the Tribe’s final possession lasted one play when Georgetown junior linebacker Damon Narcisse intercepted junior quarterback Winston Watkins near the 50-yard line.
“Tough, disappointing loss, the way it ended,” head coach Mike London said. “I thought we competed.”
Late in the game, the Tribe seemed to have survived the early scare. With 1 minute, 52 seconds left, sophomore defensive lineman Brady Echols broke up Beard’s fourth and 7 pass at the William and Mary 20-yard line to regain possession.
A three-and-out from the Tribe granted the Hoyas another chance.
London said turnovers were the decisive factor.
“You can’t give up those turnovers. I mean, the bottom line is the turnovers,” he added. “When you have those picks at an inopportune time like that, then the pendulum changes.”
Despite the narrow loss, the Tribe recorded a season-high 203 rushing yards. Junior running back Andrew King led the team with 96 yards on 11 carries, and sophomore running back Jah’Kei Chavis totaled 66 yards on 19 carries.
“I thought we did a good job running the ball,” London said.
Third downs, however, proved more difficult for the home team. The Tribe converted just five of 15, including two in the fourth quarter.
“That’s not good enough,” London said. “Those third downs, you extend the drives, you have possessions. When you have possessions, you can score points.”
Freshman wide receiver Khylil Johnson led the Tribe in receiving yards, totaling three catches for 70 yards and a career-high 190 all-purpose yards. In the fourth quarter, he broke four tackles on a 17-yard run into the red zone, setting up junior kicker Max Lipinski’s 22-yard field goal and extending the Tribe’s lead to 27-21.
“KJ [Johnson] did a great job. He’s done a great job for us,” London said.
On the defensive side, sophomore linebacker Christopher Higgins led the Tribe with 10 tackles and a pass breakup, while junior linebacker Stephon Hicks added nine tackles and a strip-sack.
London said he prioritized improving run fit and gap responsibilities during the bye week.
“There was a good week of practice, high energy; a lot of good things happened,” he said.
However, Georgetown junior running back Clay Ash still found success with 66 yards on 15 carries.
“It’s about playing good defense, from tackling to setting the edge to doing your assignments,” London said.
The Tribe started the game about as well as it could have.
On the first play from scrimmage, King took the handoff out of the shotgun, hit the gap, spun out of a tackle, and outran two Georgetown defenders for a 68-yard touchdown. The 68-yard run was the Tribe’s longest of the season to that point.
However, the Hoyas responded immediately. An offside penalty against the Tribe wiped out a third-down stop, and the Hoyas tied the score with 11 minutes, 4 seconds left in the first quarter.
To make matters worse for the Tribe, junior linebacker Elijah Rainer was ejected for targeting, and junior defensive lineman Ty Gordon left the game with an injury.
The Tribe leaned on younger players.
With under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, a Watkins interception gave the Hoyas favorable field position. Three plays later, junior wide receiver Jonathan Alexander hauled in a touchdown, giving Georgetown a 14-7 lead.
Momentum swung back in the Tribe’s favor in the second quarter.
Senior defensive back Bryce Barnes intercepted a tipped pass in the end zone. Chavis then capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown, tying the game at 14-14 with 3 minutes, 43 seconds left in the half.
A pass interference penalty pushed the Hoyas back to third and 20 from the 35-yard line. Hicks ended the half with a strip-sack, recovered by sophomore defensive end Nathaniel McDonald.
London said the stretch leading up to the half reflected his team’s resilience.
“The guys did a great job [managing] the ebbs and flows of the game,” he said.
Georgetown regained the lead at the start of the third quarter. The visitors went 75 yards in seven plays before Beard found senior tight end Isaiah Grimes for an 8-yard touchdown.
Chavis responded with a converted fourth and 1 play. With a slip in coverage from the Georgetown secondary, Watkins found a wide-open Johnson for a 52-yard touchdown to tie the game at 21-21.
The Tribe looks to regain momentum against Colgate (4-4, 3-2 Patriot) Saturday, Oct. 31 at Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium in Hamilton, N.Y.
