WILLIAMSBURG — The No. 15/16 William & Mary football team opened its 2024 campaign with a convincing 41-7 victory against VMI in front of a big crowd under the lights at Zable Stadium on Thursday evening.
W&M jumped out to a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter and held the Keydets scoreless during the second half en route to cruising to the lopsided win, which marked the Tribe’s 26th consecutive victory in the series.
Running backs Bronson Yoder and Malachi Imoh put W&M on the scoreboard early with a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter, while linebacker Clayton Dobler returned a blocked punt by linebacker John Kearney 18 yards for a score to punctuate the impressive start.
Two touchdowns by Hollis Mathis, coming on a 4-yard run in the waning seconds of the second quarter and a 26-yard catch at run early in the third, extended the Tribe’s margin to 35-7. Quarterback Darius Wilson’s second touchdown strike, a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sean McElwain, punctuated the triumph late in the third quarter and put the game out of reach.
In addition to holding VMI scoreless in the second half, W&M’s defense limited the Keydets to just 72 total yards during the final 30 minutes.
Tribe Standouts
Wilson posted an efficient performance directing W&M’s offense, as he completed 11-of-15 passes for 190 yards with two touchdowns. He also rushed for 32 yards on six carries.
Led by Yoder and Imoh, the Tribe piled up 205 yards on the ground and averaged 5.7 yards per carry. Yoder rushed for 54 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown, while Imoh rushed for 37 yards on eight carries with a score.
In addition to his two touchdowns, Mathis recorded a pair of receptions for 71 yards and rushed for 19 yards on three carries. He also completed a 27-yard pass.
Defensively, linebacker Alex Washington totaled a team-high eight tackles, while safety Marcus Barnes posted five stops with an interception and a pass breakup.
Safety Jaden Ratliff also posted an interception, which he returned 34 yards, while defensive lineman Ty Gordon recorded 1.5 sacks.
Inside the Numbers
W&M outgained VMI, 446-241, which included a 241-96 advantage through the air.
Additionally, the Tribe’s offense was forced to punt just twice.
W&M scored touchdowns with all four of its trips into the red zone.
The Tribe converted 5-of-9 third downs and held the Keydets to just 5-of-13 on third down situations.
The Opposition
Running back Hunter Rice led the Keydets with 81 rushing yards on 17 carries and scored VMI’s lone touchdown – a 12-yard scamper late in the second quarter. He also hauled in a 29-yard catch.
Luke Schalow added 30 yards on the ground, coming on eight carries, while quarterback Collin Shannon completed 8-of-19 passes for 62 yards with an interception.
Tahj Summey totaled a game-high nine tackles with two pass breakups, while Shamus Jones recorded eight tackles with a forced fumble.
Notes
The victory was W&M’s 26th straight win in the series, which ranks as the fourth-most consecutive wins in a FCS series … It was the teams’ first meeting since 2011 … The contest marked W&M’s first Thursday night season opener at home since 2007 … W&M has won 15 of its last 17 home openers, winning by an average margin of more than 22 points per game in those contests … The Tribe improves to 84-20 all-time against teams currently in the Southern Conference … W&M has now won 42 of its last 44 games against non-conference FCS opponents during the regular season … Yoder moved into a tie for seventh on W&M’s career rushing touchdowns list (26) with Mikal Abdul-Saboor … Wilson moved into eighth on W&M’s career total offense list (6,563).
Next Up
W&M will return to action when it plays at Coastal Carolina on Sept. 7.
