Tribe Football in 6 days !

Just 6 days from now the William and Mary Tribe will take on the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The action starts Saturday, Septmber 5, at 6:00 PM at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. According to Weatherunderground.com, it will be mostly sunny in Charlottesville that day, with the high in the mid-80s. Tickets are still available for the game.
Those with long memories will recall that the Tribe beat the Cavaliers 41-37 at Scott Stadium in 1986.

The summer has seen some good news for the Tribe, raising expectations for a 2009 great season!

First, Adrian Tracy has been selected as a Sports Network preseason all-American and is on the preseason "Watch List" for the Buck Buchanan award, given to the top defensive player in the FCS league (formerly 1AA) each year. Tracy registered 7 tackles against N.C. State last year and led the CAA conference with .91 sacks per game, a figure that made him 6th nationally. He also had 15.5 tackles for a loss.

Moreover, five Tribe players have been selected to the College Sports Network pre-season All-American team. The honorees are: Adrian Tracy, Jonathan Grimes (running back), David Caldwell (safety), David Miller (punter) and Brian Pate (placekicker). Tracy earned first team honors, Caldwell second team, and Miller third team, while Grimes and Pate earned honorable mention. Some will remember Caldwell for his 66 yard return of a blocked field goal for a touchdown last year against Norfolk State. Here's a video of that play:

http://www.tribeathletics.com/files/fb/2008/video/nsu/caldtd.html

Brian Pate (placekicker), Sean Lissemore (defensive tackle), C.J. Herbert (defensive tackle), Rob Varno (tight end), and Dave Miller (punter).

Finally, the Tribe has done well in some of the pre-season rankings.

According to a press release from the William and Mary Athletic Department:

"Athlon Sports gave the Tribe its highest ranking at 11th, while the Sporting News and Phil Steele’s magazine both list W&M as the 12th-best team in the nation entering the ’09 season. Any Given Saturday and USA Today College Football Sports Weekly rank the College 13th and 14th, respectively, while Lindy’s magazine has the Tribe slotted 16th."

Here is the USA Today top 25. Note that six of the top 25 are members of the Colonial Athletic Association, further confirming what a tough conference this is.

1) James Madison
2) Appalachian State
3) Cal Poly
4) Northern Iowa
5) Montana
6) Villanova
7) Richmond
8) Weber State
9) Wofford
10) Southern Illinois
11) New Hampshire
12) Elon
13) Central Arkansas
14) McNeese State
15) South Carolina State
16) William and Mary
17) Maine
18) Tennessee Martin
19) Harvard
20) Furman
21) Colgate
22) Liberty
23) Western Illinois
24) Jacksonville State
25) Tennessee State

Others receiving votes included: Holy Cross, Prairie View, Eastern Kentucky, North Dakota State, and Grambling, among others.

For more information visit the following links:

http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/9004/

And, for photographs of last season's action, go here:

http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/7123

For video highlights from last year's season, go here:

http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/6901/

With 8 returning starters on defense, including a very strong defensive line and a very strong backfield the Tribe should be tough to beat !

If you can't make the UVA game, don't forget to listen on 107.9 FM or 92.3 FM in Williamsburg, 1050 Am in Lynchburg, or 1450 AM in Richmond. Or, go here to listen to the game via streaming audio. http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/1336/. Finally, the game is apparently available on Espn360.com.