By: Luca Gomez
An unfortunate end to the Tribe’s trip to Pennsylvania last week leaves this team in an interesting spot. William and Mary (2-3) takes on North Carolina A&T (1-4) this week at home for Family weekend, and with both teams still only 1-1 in conference, both can still make a run in this conference, but both teams need to turn it on now. Falling to 2-4 at home or falling to 1-5 could potentially be a season-defining type of loss for both teams, which leads to some interesting dynamics in this desperate matchup. So, just how may either team take control of their season and avoid another loss? Here are some big-time matchups to watch:
Matchup #1: Most favorable for the Tribe
NCA&T QB Kevin White vs. W&M Pass Rush
NCAT QB Kevin White has been pretty good in his first two games started this season with nearly 500 yards and 4 total touchdowns to only 1 turnover. However, there has been one notable issue for him so far this season: he’s taken 8 sacks in 2 games. Going up against a D-line that is stacked with talent but has underperformed is a recipe for a big game. Expect notable Tribe names like Ty Gordon, who had a sack at home against Charleston Southern, and preseason award winner Davin Dzidzienyo to get going early against this offense.
Matchup #2: Area primed to improve for the Tribe
W&M Running Attack vs. NCA&T Run Defense
Now, I’ve talked about how the run game on behalf of the defense needs to improve, and it still does, but I’m running out of ways to say it’s “primed” to improve; I just don’t think it will. Our rushing offense also has been nothing to write home about, racking up an average of 120 yards per game over 5 games. With the success of the passing game this season, the ground-and-pound nature of our offense from previous years has faded to a memory with the advances of QB Tyler Hughes. NCA&T presents a unique opportunity for the Tribe, as their rush defense is one of the only few in NCAA football to be worse than ours, allowing 235.8 rushing yards a game to opposing offenses. Look for the Tribe to take advantage of this with experienced RB Rashad Raymond on Saturday.
Matchup #3: Dawg(s) v. Dawg Matchup
W&M O-Line vs. NCA&T DE Tim Alderman
I’d actually like to direct the first sentence of this section to my frustration with the NCAA—that they have no way to publicly access all-22 game film—because guys like these don’t always show up in the stat sheet, but their work needs to be seen to be appreciated. The starting Tribe offensive line is becoming one of the more experienced groups in the CAA. All 5 starters (Greg Klingensmith, Hayden Raley, Ryan McKenna, Kadin Lynch, and Kamron Frye) have started games in multiple seasons, with 4 out of 5 having double-digit starts. The veteran group will be going up against one of the best at this point in the season, NC A&T Defensive End Tim Alderman. Through just 5 games, the Austin Peay transfer has 4.5 sacks, 7.5 total tackles for loss, and 5 QB hits. Expect the Tribe coaches to be sending extra blockers and chips his way, but watch #1 rush the passer on Saturday—it should be a flashpoint in deciding this game.
Photos Courtesy of Tribe Athletics
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