SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The No. 13 William & Mary football team concluded its non-conference road slate with a hard-fought 28-21 victory at Wofford on Saturday evening.
W&M (2-1) running back Bronson Yoder provided the go-ahead score with a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:40 remaining to cap off an outstanding performance that saw him total 182 all-purpose yards and pass three Tribe legends – Michael Clemons (4,448), Derek Fitzgerald (4,535) and Robert Green (4,613) – to move into second on the program’s all-time list (4,623).
Wofford (2-1) drove into Tribe territory on its next two possessions, but W&M’s defense forced turnovers on downs both times. The Terriers’ final possession ended at the Tribe’s 36-yard line and included three passes in the end zone – two of which were broken up by Sascha Garcia and the final toss deflected by TJ McGill as time expired.
The game featured three ties, as W&M’s first three touchdowns were all answered with scores by Wofford.
Running back Malachi Imoh punctuated the game’s opening drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, while Yoder’s first touchdown, coming on a 19-yard scamper, helped the Tribe head to the locker room with a 14-14 tie.
W&M briefly regained a 7-point lead with a 5-yard touchdown run by quarterback Darius Wilson on the final play of the third quarter, but Wofford responded with a touchdown on the following drive to set up the exciting finish.
Tribe Standouts
Yoder rushed for a game-high 142 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns, while he also hauled in three catches for 40 yards.
Wilson completed 18-of-27 passes for 185 yards and rushed for 41 yards with a score, while Imoh totaled 45 yards on nine carries to go with his touchdown run.
Hollis Mathis led W&M’s receiving corps with six catches for 53 yards, while Damian Harris posted three receptions for 47 yards.
Defensively, linebacker Jonathan Hammond totaled a team-high eight tackles with 2.0 sacks, 2.5 TFL and a forced fumble.
Safety Marcus Barnes also came up big with six tackles and a PBU, while he had an interception late in the fourth quarter called back after W&M was flagged for roughing the passer.
Linebacker Alex Washington posted 2.0 TFL, while defensive lineman Davin Dzidzienyo posted five stops with 1.5 TFL, a half sack and a PBU.
Garcia tallied a career-high four pass breakups.
Inside the Numbers
W&M outgained Wofford, 428-354, which included a 243-124 advantage on the ground.
The Tribe also piled up 25 first downs and dominated the time of possession by more than 15 minutes (37:44-22:16).
W&M was outstanding on third down and converted 11-of-16 opportunities, while the Tribe’s defense limited WC to just 3-of-12 on third down.
The Opposition
Quarterback Amari Odom completed 15-of-32 passes for 230 yards with a touchdown, while Isaiah Scott totaled a team-high six catches for 119 yards.
Ryan Ingram rushed for a team-high 80 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown, while J.T. Smith also found the end zone on the ground.
Defensively, CJ Coombes totaled a game-high 13 tackles with a TFL and fumble recovery, while Maximus Pulley recorded nine tackles with a TFL.
Notes
With the win, W&M improves to 85-20 all-time against teams currently in the Southern Conference … The Tribe has now won 43 of its last 45 games against non-conference FCS opponents during the regular season … W&M’s defense has limited its last two opponents to a combined 5-of-23 on third downs … The Tribe has not thrown an interception this season.
Next Up
W&M will return to action when it hosts Furman at Zable Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at TribeAthletics.com.
