Tribe Prevails over Duquesne in Williamsburg

William and Mary narrowly defeated the Duquesne Dukes on Saturday, 52-49 at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg.  The Tribe thus advances to the second round of the FCS playoffs.   Devonte Dedmon, shown above about to receive a 38 yard touchdown pass from Steve Cluley in the 1st quarter, caught three passes for 99 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Kendall Anderson, shown above heading for the Tribe's final touchdown late in the 4th quarter, ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns.  Go here for the ESPN game summary and box score.  The Bleacher Report provides a complete summary of Saturday's FCS playoff action.  Three different teams (Chattanooga, Northern Iowa and William and Mary), scored 50 points or more.  William and Mary and Duquesne combined for the most total points --- 101 --- of any game.

The Tribe takes on CAA rival Richmond in the second round of the playoffs this Saturday, December 5 at 12:00 PM at Robbins Stadium in Richmond.   This will be the 126th contest between the two teams, who first met on the gridiron in 1898.  Richmond defeated the Tribe 20-9 in the Capital Cup earlier this month.  The winner of the William and Mary versus Richmond clash will take on Illinois State or Western Illinois, who play at 2:00 PM on Saturday, December 5.

The William and Mary Sports Blog recaps the game here.

FCS Playoff Bracket Released

The NCAA has released the 2015 FCS Playoff Bracket.  Go here for an interactive version and here for a printable version.  The tournament includes 24 teams, 8 of which --- the top seeded teams --- have byes in the first round.   Here are the teams with the 8 highest seeds: (1) Jacksonville State, (2) Illinois State, (3) North Dakota State,   (4) McNeese State, (5) James Madison, (6) Portland State, (7) Richmond, and (8) Charleston Southern.  

William and Mary is one of four CAA teams (JMU, W&M, Richmond, and New Hampshire) making a tournament appearance.  The Tribe will host the Duquesne Dukes, from the Northeast Football Conference.  The Dukes, 5-1 in the conference and 8-3 overall solidified their conference title with a win over St. Francis yesterday.  This will be the first meeting between the two programs. 

The game will take place at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg on Saturday, November 28th.  Kickoff is at 3:30 PM.  (This post will be updated as additional information becomes available.)

The William and Mary Sports Blog has published a detailed preview of the game.   The Game Notes produced by the William and Mary Athletic Department are found here.

In other football-related news, the Tribe earned 18 CAA all conference selections this year.

Capital Cup in 12 Hours!

Tomorrow will mark the 125th gridiron clash between William and Mary and the University of Richmond.    The teams first played in 1898, and Richmond prevailed 15-0.  (The Tribe went 1-1 for the 1898 "season.")  Indeed, William and Mary lost the first four meetings between the two teams, before steadying itself with a 15-6 victory in 1904.  Overall William and Mary holds a slight edge in the series, with a 61-58-5 record, but Richmond has won 8 of the last 10 meetings between the two teams.   (For a collection of "All Time Game Results," updated in 2014, go here.)  Kickoff is at noon in Richmond.

As previously noted, the W&M v. Richmond rivalry is tied with the Minnesota/Wisconsin rivalry as the fourth most prolific college football rivalry and the most prolific in the South. Once known as the I-64 Bowl, in honor of the interstate highway that links the two cities, the game has been known as the "Capital Cup" since 2009. The name reflects the fact that Williamsburg preceded Richmond as the Commonwealth's capital. (See this post for a photo of the cup.) Since the schools renamed the series, Richmond leads 4-2.

The Capital Cup is not the only accolade at stake tomorrow.  If victorious, the Tribe, currently ranked 7th in FCS and 93rd overall in college football, will end the season with a 9-2 record, sole possession of the CAA title and presumably a spot in the FCS playoffs.  (The Tribe earned an exclusive conference title in 1996, winning the Yankee Conference after a 9-2 season.)     For a detailed preview of tomorrow's game, read this post on the William and Mary Sports Blog as well as the "game notes" prepared by the William and Mary Athletics Department.  (See here for notes prepared by the Richmond Athletics Department.)

Twenty games in this series have been decided by 3 or fewer points, and the William and Mary Sports Blog is predicting a 34-31 W&M victory.  Look for a close, exciting and high scoring game tomorrow.  Go Tribe!
 

Tribe Defeats New Hamphsire in Williamsburg

William and Mary posted a convincing win against No. 19/20 New Hampshire today, prevailing 34-18 at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg. The Tribe rushed for an impressive 324 yards, including 174 yards and two touchdowns by running back Kendell Anderson.  Anderson's first touchdown came on a 69 yard run off right tackle at the 9:18 mark in the second quarter.  (The third and fourth photos above depict the beginning and end of the run, respectively.)  Quarterback Steve Cluley rushed for 48 yards and two touchdowns on five carries.  (The first  photo above depicts the beginning of Cluley's first quarter touchdown run, and the second depicts the end of his third quarter touchdown run.) 

Go here for the game's box score.

The Concord Monitor called today's game a "critical midseason showdown" for the Wildcats.  Look for the Tribe, ranked 24 earlier this week, to climb in the FCS rankings ahead of next Saturday's Homecoming game against local rival Hampton University.  

The Tribe is now 4-2 on the year and 3-1 in the CAA.  Go here for the Tribe's 2015 Football schedule.

Tribe Announces 2015 Football Schedule

Dreaming of Victory

William and Mary has announced its football schedule for the fall of 2015.  The Tribe, ranked 24th in the end-of-season FCS Coaches poll, will open 2015 with two road games against non-conference opponents: Patriot League foe Lafayette and ACC opponent the University of Virginia.  Eight of the subsequent nine games will be against opponents from the CAA, one of the power conferences in FCS football. (Four of the Tribe's CAA opponents finished in the FCS top 20.)  Unfortunately for hometown fans, only five of this year's games will take place at Zable Stadium, compared to six home games in each of the previous two seasons.

Virginia will be an early test for the Tribe, which will have a bye week to prepare for the game.   The Tribe has won three of its last ten contests with UVA, one by shutout.  (See here)  Like all Tribe fans, the Griffin dreams of a repeat of the Tribe's convincing 26-14 upset of the Cavaliers before 54,587 fans (including this blogger) in Charlottesville in 2009. (For some video highlights of that game go here.)    Here's hoping that the Tribe makes this dream come true!

Here is next year's schedule.  Kickoff times are TBA.  

September 5      Lafayette

September 19    Virginia

September 26    Stony Brook (Family Weekend)

October 3         Delaware

October 10       Villanova

October 17       New Hampshire

October 24       Hampton (Homecoming)

October 31       James Madison

November 7     Elon

November 14   Towson

November 21   Richmond

Tribe Shines in Pre-Season Polls

Blacksburg Bound! 

Football season is approaching, and once again the Tribe is nationally-ranked in several pre-season polls. For instance, the Sports Network FCS poll places the Tribe at number 19.  Athlon Sports ranks William and Mary number 15 and predicts that the Tribe will earn an at-large playoff birth. The Tribe ranks 25th in the FCS Coaches Poll. The Sporting News and Lindy's magazine have ranked the Tribe 23rd and 15th respectively.  (See here).  As usual, teams from the Colonial Athletic Association are well-represented in these national rankings. For instance, the FCS Coaches Poll includes New Hampshire, Towson, Maine, Villanova, William and Mary and Richmond in the top 25. Ditto for the Sports Network FCS poll.  

As usual, the Tribe opens on the road, this time against FBS/ACC opponent Virginia Tech, on August 30 in Blacksburg.  (For the Tribe's 2014 football schedule, complete with all time records against various opponents, go here.)  The series between the two teams dates back to 1904, and the Hokies lead the series 40-18-4.  Fans who cannot join the Griffin in Blacksburg can watch the game on ESPNews according to this story.

Go Tribe!

Griffin Lands in Williamsburg

Some readers may know that William and Mary recently chose a new mascot, after a bruising competition. The five finalists were:

1) The Phoenix (a mythical bird that is consumed by fire every 10,000 years and then rises from the ashes);

2) A King and Queen;

3) The Wren (a type of bird);

4) The Pug (a type of dog);

5) The Griffin.

Your not-so-humble blogger supported a 6th possibility, that did not make the list of finalists, namely, the Wooly Mammoth, to no avail. Here's the Facebook page of that failed effort.

http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=20440889352#!/group.php?gid=196761018617&ref=share

The Griffin, half eagle and half lion, recently visited the William and Mary Spring football game, played at Zable Stadium on April 16. A local celebrity paused to pose with the Griffin; the photo is reproduced above.

For an account of the spring game, see the following link:

http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/10252/