BY: Jackson Shuman
In a back-and-forth battle at Zable Stadium, the William & Mary Tribe delivered one of the season’s most dramatic comebacks, overcoming a 13-point third-quarter deficit to stun North Carolina A&T 38-34 in front of over 12,000 fans on Family Weekend. The Tribe, who trailed 24-14 at halftime and 34-21 late in the third, rode a wave of explosive plays and gritty defense to close out the game with 17 unanswered points, capped by Rashad Raymond’s go-ahead touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Under Coach Mike London’s leadership, William & Mary notched a much-needed CAA win and reaffirmed the resilient identity that’s become the program’s calling card. Below we highlight the key takeaways from the game.
Key Takeaways:
Tribe Show Resilience
The main takeaway from Saturday is that the William & Mary Tribe football team will not give up. Through his time at William & Mary, Coach London has harped on the importance of resilience, and this came to fruition in Saturday’s win over NC A&T. Down 24-14 at halftime, the Tribe came out of the locker room blazing with a 75-yard touchdown reception courtesy of Armon Wright. However, the Aggies answered right back with a touchdown and field goal of their own, putting the Tribe down 13 with only five minutes left in the 3rd quarter. From that point on, the Tribe scored 17 unanswered points on their way to a signature comeback win.
Run Game Gets Going
On Saturday, William & Mary rushed for 238 yards, by far their highest mark of the season. Quarterback Tyler Hughes and running back Rashad Raymond were the main contributors on the ground, totaling 88 yards and 124 yards, respectively. The run game not only kept the Tribe ahead of the sticks on 2nd and 3rd down but also opened up the play-action game for the passing attack. Following Raymond’s 67-yard run, the Tribe were able to find tight end Sean McElwain up the seam for a 29-yard touchdown. When the Tribe gets the run game going, it opens everything up for Tyler Hughes down the field, which will be key going forward. Hughes touched on the importance of the run game in his postgame presser, saying, “If you’re able to run the ball, you’re able to do anything.” As the conference schedule continues, running the ball will be key to the Tribe’s success.
Rashad Raymond ran for 124 yards in Saturday’s win. [Photo by Bob Keroack]
Explosives Galore
The Tribe totaled eight big plays, defined as runs of 10 or more yards and passes of 15 or more, for a total of 338 yards. That’s right, 338 of the Tribe’s total 405 yards came on just eight plays. Up to this point, William & Mary’s offense hasn’t been able to generate many explosive plays, especially through the run game, so hopefully Saturday’s game is an indication of more to come.
Run Defense Shows Big Improvement
After a tough start to the season defending the run, the Tribe’s front seven showed up against NC A&T. Led by linebackers Luke Banbury and Harrison Johnson, the defense was able to mitigate the Aggies from getting consistent yardage on early downs. This was especially important in the second half when the Aggies were playing with a lead and trying to ice the game away. The defense’s ability to stop the run late got the ball back to Tyler Hughes and the Tribe offense, which they were able to take advantage of.
Third Down Offense Once Again an Issue
After showing improvement against Charleston Southern and Villanova, the Tribe offense once again struggled on third down, only converting 2 of 8 attempts. While this is not a favorable trend, it is important that the Tribe was able to largely avoid 3rd down situations due to their success on early downs, so the lack of execution didn’t come back to bite them in the end.
Moving Forward
If the Tribe can continue to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball as they did on Saturday, there’s no doubt they have the tools to compete at the top of the CAA. The offense thrived by leveraging a versatile ground game to set up big plays through the air, while the defense stepped up to shut down the Aggies’ rushing attack in critical moments, giving the offense opportunities to score when it mattered most. At 3-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play, William & Mary remains firmly in the CAA hunt and has positioned itself to make this season one to remember.
Player of the Game
Luke Banbury
Banbury totaled 17 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 tackles for loss on Saturday. While the overall statistics stick out, Banbury also showed up when it mattered most. With 2:49 left in the fourth quarter and the Aggies threatening on the William & Mary 5-yard line, Banbury came up with a key fourth-down sack, laying out NC A&T quarterback Kevin White on what ended up being the game-winning play.
This Week
This week, the Tribe is on a bye week. Rest up and get ready for Homecoming against Elon on October 18th!
Go Tribe!
Photos Courtesy of Tribe Athletics
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