First CAA victory in London era was anything but routine
WILLIAMSBURG — In his 11 years as a head football coach, Mike London has seen his share of memorable moments.
Winning at Florida State in his second year at Virginia. Stunning UNLV as a 45point underdog in his first game at Howard. And coaching Richmond, his alma mater, to the 2008 FCS championship.
William & Mary’s 31-29 win Saturday over Elon wasn’t memorable in that sense. But getting your first conference win on the road is special – especially when it involves five overtimes made necessary by six missed goals.
“It’s definitely one of the games you look at and scratch your head,” London said during Monday’s CAA teleconference call.
There’s no official record for it, but it’s hard to imagine W&M had ever missed six missed field goals by three different kickers. One, from 49 yards, came with nine seconds left in regulation. Two came in the overtime sessions after Elon had failed to score on its possession.
“It was daunting at times, but they never lost their resolve,” London said of his players. “There was never any negative energy on the sideline. It was just, ‘I’ll make the play. Put me in the game.’ ”
It was the longest overtime game in CAA football history. There have been three six-overtime games in the Championship Subdivision (formerly Division IAA), the most recent being Florida A&M’s 59-58 win over Hampton University in 1996.
The Tribe took a 23-17 lead on Donavyn Lester’s 30-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left in the third quarter. But Jake Johnston, who was 1 for 4 on field goals, missed the extra point.
Elon advanced to the red zone on each of its next two possessions but could only manage field goals. The Tribe had a chance to win in regulation, but Kris Hooper was wide right on a 49-yard attempt with nine seconds left.
On to overtime, the Tribe’s first since 2014. After a fumble by quarterback Hollis Mathis at the 1-yard line, Elon needed only a field goal to win. But after the offense went backwards, Skyler Davis doinked a 53yard attempt off the upright.
The Phoenix had possession to start the second OT. The offense again went backwards, and Tribe cornerback Latrelle Smith came up with an interception on fourth down.
This time, it was the Tribe that needed a field goal to win. But Johnston hooked a 33-yard attempt, and play continued.
In the third OT, William & Mary took a 29-23 lead on Owen Wright’s 1-yard touchdown.
The NCAA’s overtime rules require 2-point conversion attempts at this stage, but the Tribe’s failed.
Elon tied it on its possession with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Davis Cheek to Matt Foster. But on the two-point try, Cheek threw incomplete, leaving the game tied 29-29.
“You just keep hitting the reset button each inning,” Elon coach Tony Trisciani said. “It was quite an experience.”
On to the fourth OT, in which Davis missed a 34yard field goal. Again, all W&M needed was a field goal of its own. But true freshman George Eberle, the Tribe’s third kicker of the day, was wide left from 37 yards.
A new wrinkle in the NCAA’s rule book is that when the game reaches its fifth overtime, each team lines up at the 3-yard line for a 2-point conversion attempt. It was first used two weeks earlier in Virginia Tech’s 43-41 win over North Carolina.
Getting the ball first, W&M took the lead as Wright swept the right side and edged into the end zone. Tribe redshirt freshman Ryan Poole then broke up Cheek’s pass in the end zone to seal it.
“It was great to see the players celebrate after some close losses (and) to be part of a historic moment for W&M football,” London said. “It was truly amazing to watch it go down to the end in terms of who was making plays.”
The Tribe (3-6, 1-4 CAA) finished with 326 rushing yards, its most since 2008 (398 vs. VMI). Wright had a career-high 113 yards, a touchdown, and the deciding two-point conversion.
An obvious concern is the kicking game, which couldn’t have been much worse. Coming in, Johnston was 6-of-8 and Hooper 1for-2 (the lone make coming from 54 yards.
“Obviously, we’ve got to go back and find the best players to put the ball through the uprights,” London said. “They know we’ve got to improve from that standpoint.”