Chicago Bears Draft DeAndre Houston-Carson!

Future Bears Co-Captain?

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Chicago Bears have chosen William and Mary safety DeAndre Houston-Carson in the 6th round of the NFL draft.  Carson, a co-captain, is pictured above at the coin toss before the Tribe's thrilling 52-49 victory over Duquesne in the first round of the FCS playoffs this last fall.  The William and Mary Sports Blog, which anticipated that Houston-Carson might be drafted, summarizes his extremely impressive career, which included 293 tackles, 10 interceptions, 9 punt or kick blocks and consensus first team FCS all American honors. Congratulations to Houston-Carson, and to the Bears for making such a great pick! 

William and Mary and Richmond to Meet for 124th Time

Tomorrow William and Mary and Richmond will continue their gridiron rivalry.  Unlike rivalries that some believe to be contrived, the Tribe/Spider rivalry is the oldest in the South.  The teams first played in 1898, and tomorrow's game will mark the 124th time the two have met.  The two schools will thus tie the Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry for the fourth most prolific in college football history, behind Lehigh-Lafayette (150 games), Princeton-Yale (136 games), and Harvard-Yale (131 games). Once known as the I-64 bowl, the teams now play for the Capital Cup, in recognition of the fact that both Richmond and Williamsburg have served as capitals of the Commonwealth. 

William and Mary leads the series 61-57-5.  Richmond has shut out the Tribe 23 times, and the Tribe has returned the favor 19 times. The teams have played to three zero-zero ties, and the Tribe holds the record for the most points scored in a game, 59, in 2003.  (For the source of these data, adjusted to reflect last year's result, go to this source updated in 2014.)

The rivalry's 124th game has more than historical significance.  Both CAA teams are 7-4 and rank 21 (Richmond) and 22 (William and Mary), respectively in the Sports Network Poll of FCS teams.  One observer has speculated that the winner of tomorrow's game (and only the winner), will earn a playoff spot.  Kickoff will be at 7:30 PM, and tickets are still available!  (For detailed game notes, go here.)  Those unable to attend the game in person can watch on the NBC Sports Network.  Good luck to both teams, and Go Tribe! 

William and Mary Announces 2014 Football Schedule

Good Precedent for 2014!

 

William and Mary has announced its 2014 football schedule.   As is customary in recent years, the Tribe will open with an FBS opponent, this year Virginia Tech.  (Tech leads this series 40-18-4.) Other home game highlights will include CAA rivals Villanova (for homecoming) and Delaware.  As always, the Tribe will end the regular season against Richmond, playing for what is now known as the "Capital Cup."  As previously explained on this blog, the W&M v. Richmond rivalry is the oldest in the South and the fourth most prolific college football rivalry judged by games played.  

 

The Tribe will also travel to Durham, New Hampshire and Harrisonburg, Virginia to play CAA opponents New Hampshire and James Madison, respectively.  This season the Tribe defeated JMU 17-7 (see the above photo) and New Hampshire 17-0.  Hopefully the 2014 Tribe will repeat such performances against both teams!  

 

Fans with a sharp eye will notice two new opponents on the schedule: The Stony Brook Seawolves and Elon Phoenix.  Both schools have just joined the CAA, and each will be playing full league schedules this coming year.   (See here for Elon's announcement and here for Stony Brook's.)    No doubt the Tribe will give each team a vigorous CAA "welcome!" 

Here is the schedule.  Home games are in bold, and all times are "to be announced."  I have also included the all-time series record for each rivalry.    For a complete list of the Tribe's all time records against various opponents, currently up-to-date through the 2012 season, go here.

August 30       Virginia Tech                                 Tech leads 40-18-4

September 6    Hampton                                      WM leads 3-1

September 13  Norfolk State                                WM leads 4-0

September 20  Lafayette                                      Series is tied 1-1

September 27  Stony Brook                                   0-0

October 11      New Hampshire                              WM leads 13-3

October 18     Villanova  (HC)                               WM leads 16-14-1

October 25    Delaware                                        Del. leads 22-16

November 1   James Madison                                JMU leads 20-15

November 8  Elon                                                  0-0

November 15 Towson                                            WM leads 7-3

November 22 Richmond                                        WM leads 61-57-5

William and Mary Stuns UVA in College Football, 26-14

Earlier this evening the William and Mary Tribe stunned the University of Virginia Cavaliers, 26-14 in Charlottesville before a near-capacity crowd. What follows is an eyewitness account, bolstered by some statistics from an AP report posted on ESPN. For the ESPN report, and the box score posted on the William and Mary website, go here and here, respectively.

UVA led 14-13 at halftime, but the Tribe's rock-solid defense held Virginia to zero points in the second half. The Tribe took the lead in the third quarter, 16-14, with a field goal that capitalized after UVA muffed a punt that William and Mary recovered at the Virginia 9. The Tribe did not look back, adding another field goal in the fourth quarter before redshirt freshman B.W. Webb returned his third interception of the evening down the sideline 50 yards for a touchdown, putting the Tribe ahead 25-14 before the extra point and igniting pandemonium among William and Mary fans at the stadium. The Tribe sideline was penalized for entering the field, and UVA fans began streaming out of the stadium. A subsequent UVA drive fizzled on downs, and William and Mary ran out the clock.

Throughout the game the Tribe flawlessly executed a ball-control offense, mixing running and passing to remain on the field over 35 minutes, keep the Cavaliers off-balance and consume precious time, thereby keeping the Cavalier offense off the field and giving the Tribe defense time to rest and adjust to Virginia's evolving attack, which employed three different quarterbacks. The Tribe racked up 309 total yards, 184 passing and 125 rushing. R.J. Archer was 25-43 and threw for one tocuhdown and one interception, the latter of which was the functional equivalent of the punt on third and long, when Archer threw deep down the sideline. Jonathan Grimes led the Tribe running backs, with 46 yards on 19 carries, while quarterback R.J. Archer added 50 yards, including a 23 yard run that helped set up the Tribe's 4th field goal in the fourth quarter. Brian Pate kicked four field goals. Another attempt was blocked, a second from over forty yards hit the left upright, and a third missed wide.

All in all, UVA turned the ball over seven times and fumbled the ball out of bounds once as well. The Tribe defensive line and linebackers repeatedly harried UVA's quarterbacks, while Tribe quarterback R.J. Archer was sacked only once, for a four yard loss.

The Tribe entered the game ranked 14 in the Football Championship Series conference by the Sporting News, and 15th by USA today. No doubt the Tribe will move up in the rankings. This is the Tribe's first victory over an FBS opponent since it defeated Temple 45-38 in 1998. The Tribe defeated UVA in 1986, 41-37, in Charlottesville.

Update, 1:14 AM, Sunday, September 6. Here is a round up of stories about today's upset:

From the Daily Press of Hampton Roads;

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt_UVA-wm_0906sep06,0,6002823.story

From the William and Mary Flat Hat:

www.Flathatnews.com/content/71295

Some additional thoughts:

Both Tribe lines turned in outstanding performances.

[More to Come].

Tribe Spring Game in 8 Days !

William and Mary's annual spring football game will take place one week from tomorrow, on Saturday, April 18, at Zable Stadium at 1:00 PM. The game is free and open to the public. Basically the offense will attempt to score on the defense in a controlled scrimmage where hitting the quarterback (who wears a red jersey) is disallowed.

Here is the Tribe's 2009 Spring Football Guide, and extraordinary source of information analogous to the Media Guide that the Athletic Department produces each year.

http://www.tribeathletics.com/files/fb/2009/sg/09sg.pdf

Also, go to this link for spring practice blogs and photos.

http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/8738/

I have attended several spring games, and it's a great opportunity to see some of the new players in action before the first game in September.

I will review the Spring Guide over the weekend and try to blog about some of the highlights before the game next week.