William & Mary shakes off injuries, surges with big plays
It’s true that the schedule laid out nicely on paper for a William & Mary football team with all its starters returning to achieve its 3-1 start to the season. But what makes the three consecutive wins against FCS foes impressive is that the Tribe has achieved that mark with so many injuries.
Injuries have sidelined key players such as Carl Fowler, Tyler Crist and Marcus Barnes at each level of the defense, but that unit has overachieved. The top returning quarterback, running back and receivers have played much less than expected or, in the case of tailback Malachi Imoh, not at all.
In addition, the senior-laden offensive line that figured to be the team’s strength has seen eight different starters because of injuries. But the offense rebounded from its slow start during the first three games to come up big in the 34-31 win over Elon.
The common denominator on both sides of the ball as the Tribe readies to host CAA foe Albany (0-4) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday for homecoming has been the big play. William & Mary’s three-game winning streak is the program’s longest since the 2015 season.
The Tribe went the first six quarters of the season with only a field goal to show on the scoreboard. But the defense got things going in the second half via Gage Herdman’s 78-yard interception return for a score before Hollis Mathis threw 38 yards to Cole Blackman for a touchdown and Quinn Osborne rounded out the 24-3 win over Lafayette with a pick-six of 18 yards.
Mathis has played little at quarterback otherwise because of the shoulder injury that has nagged him since the spring, but true freshman Darius Wilson has been steady in his absence and ran for a 5-yard touchdown early in the game at Colgate. But it was Donavyn Lester’s 74-yard touchdown run that gave the Tribe running game a much-needed kick start in the opening minutes of the 27-7 victory.
Wilson’s 46-yard touchdown run and the first of his two touchdown passes were the highlights as the Tribe built a 21-0 first-half lead in the 34-31 win at Elon. Another big play — running back
DreSean Kendrick’s 29-yard scoring throw to Blackman — was the clincher as the Tribe ran its winning streak to three.
“Here we are going into the fifth game and (we) haven’t had the full complement of guys playing the majority of those games,” Tribe coach Mike London said. “It just goes to speak to the next-man-up mentality.
“That’s kind of what this team has been about. We’ve had our lion’s share of guys missing games or being limited with injuries,
but at the same time, guys have stepped up.”
Carter sets school record
With 386 combined yards, Norfolk State quarterback Juwan Carter finally has no peer.
The yardage total propelled him past Aaron Sparrow’s previous record for career offensive
yards, and the senior Richmond native did it in style, scoring the winning touchdown in overtime to beat Hampton 47-44 in the Battle of the Bay on Saturday.
“I couldn’t wait to get from the bottom of the pile,” Carter said after the game. “I knew I had scored by all the excitement. I could tell by everybody that was around me and the fans going crazy.”
The win marks the first in a new series between the teams, which had been dormant since 2017, as the Spartans and Pirates are scheduled to play each year through 2024. NSU now holds the series lead at 27-26-1.
The Spartans (3-2) have an extra week to relish the win as they don’t
return to the field until homecoming against Virginia University of Lynchburg at 2 p.m. on Oct. 16.
Hampton WR Bonds on record pace
Jadakis Bonds’ touchdown reception in Hampton’s 47-44 overtime loss to Norfolk State gave him 23 for his career, breaking the school record he shared previously with Johnnie Barnes and Marquay McDaniel (2003-06). His next reception will give him 100 catches for his career.
The 20 TD receptions he has in Big South Conference play rank him 11th in league history. The Pirates open their Big South schedule at 2 p.m. Saturday when they host Kennesaw State (3-1) at
Armstrong Stadium.