WILLIAMSBURG — The fifth-ranked William & Mary football team extended its season-opening winning streak to four games with a 28-3 victory against Maine at Zable Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Playing in rainy and windy conditions due to Tropical Storm Ophelia, W&M’s (4-0, 2-0) defense held Maine (0-4, 0-2) to just 138 total yards and a field goal. It marked the third consecutive game in which the Tribe’s defense did not allow an offensive touchdown, as the unit has held opponents to just 123.6 total yards per game during the impressive three-game stretch.
W&M’s offense was equally dominant on the ground and rushed for 331 yards, which included three rushing touchdowns. The Tribe scored touchdowns on all four of its trips into the red zone.
With the win, W&M improves to 4-0 and is off to its best start since 2009 when it also opened the year with four consecutive victories. Additionally, the Tribe has won a school-record nine consecutive CAA games and 11 straight regular season contests. The triumph also extended W&M’s home winning streak to six games.
Tribe Standouts
Running back Bronson Yoder led the Tribe with a career-high 163 rushing yards on 25 carries and a touchdown, while Malachi Imoh rushed for 103 yards on 12 carries. It marked the first time two W&M players rushed for more than 100 yards in the same game since 2019.
Quarterback Darius Wilson provided a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter – coming on a 1-yard run and a 2-yard pass to wideout JT Mayo – that helped W&M build a 21-3 advantage.
Running back Martin Lucas also found the end zone with a 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and finished with 49 yards on 11 carries.
Defensive end Nate Lynn posted six tackles, a pair of sacks and two quarterback hurries, while linebacker Kevin Jarrell totaled a team-high nine tackles with a TFL and a PBU. With the performance, Lynn now has 6.0 sacks and 8.0 TFL through four games this season.
Cornerback Ryan Poole’s interception – and subsequent 17-yard return – halted Maine’s opening drive of the third quarter and gave W&M starting field position inside the red zone, which led to the Tribe’s second touchdown of the contest. Poole also recorded a TFL and a PBU.
Inside the Numbers
W&M outgained Maine, 390-138, which included a 331-53 advantage on the ground. The Tribe averaged 6.0 yards per carry and held the Black Bears to just 2.1 yards per rush.
The Tribe limited the Black Bears to just seven first downs and dominated the time of possession by nearly 15 minutes (36:52-23:08). Additionally, W&M held UM to just 3-of-13 on third downs, while it converted 8-of-14 opportunities.
In addition to helping propel the Tribe’s rushing attack, W&M’s offensive line did not allow any sacks.
The Opposition
Maine’s quarterback Derek Robertson completed 10-of-22 passes for 85 yards with an interception.
Tristen Kenan rushed for a team-high 30 yards on 12 carries, while Rohan Jones totaled three receptions for 33 yards.
Abdul Stewart posted a team-high 10 tackles, while Darius McKenzie and Kahzir Brown both recorded eight tackles, a TFL and a forced fumble.
Notes
With the win W&M improves to 9-8 all-time versus Maine … Lynn moved into third on W&M’s career sacks list (26) and is just five shy of equaling Adrian Tracy’s school record … Lynn also moved into second on W&M’s career list for TFL (37) … Yoder moved into eighth on W&M’s career rushing list (2,660) … W&M has not allowed any points in the third quarter this season and opponents have scored a total of just 10 points in the second half.
Up Next
W&M will return to action when it continues its conference slate at Elon next Saturday at 2 p.m.
