WILLIAMSBURG — The No. 20/21 William & Mary football team was edged by Elon, 40-36, at Zable Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
W&M (6-4, 3-3) claimed a 36-33 lead following a 3-yard touchdown run by Bronson Yoder and a successful 2-point conversion with 1:31 remaining, but Elon (4-6, 3-3) responded with a 13-play, 72-yard game-winning drive that culminated with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Downing to Onuma Dieke with just 0:05 remaining.
The frenetic finish featured four touchdowns in the contest’s final four possessions, as the pair of last-minute touchdowns were proceeded by scores. W&M briefly took a 28-27 lead after a 16-yard touchdown run by Darius Wilson with 8:58 remaining before Elon answered with a 1-yard touchdown run by Downing with 5:12 left.
Things looked good for the Tribe early as it answered an early Elon touchdown by scoring 21 of the next 24 points. Yoder got W&M on the board with a 1-yard touchdown late in the first quarter, while tight end Sean McElwain hauled in a pair of touchdown strikes from Wilson and Hollis Mathis during the second quarter to build a 21-10 advantage.
The Phoenix countered with 17 consecutive points to take a 27-21 lead midway through the third quarter before the back-and-forth finish.
Tribe Standouts
Wilson led the Tribe in rushing with 87 yards on 12 carries to go with a score, while he completed 16-of-25 passes for 181 yards with a touchdown.
McElwain led the receiving corps with four catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while Mathis posted four receptions for 58 yards with an 18-yard touchdown pass.
In addition to his pair of touchdown scampers, Yoder rushed for 61 yards on 15 carries en route to passing Robert Green for third on the program’s career rushing list (3,596).
Running back Malachi Imoh also provided production on the ground and finished with 53 yards on 12 carries.
Safety Marcus Barnes recorded an interception for the third consecutive game, while linebackers Alex Washington and Quinn Osborne led the team in tackles with 10 and nine, respectively.
Defensive lineman Ty Gordon registered a pair of sacks and a PBU.
Punter Reuben Anderson averaged 48.0 yards per punt on his four kicks.
Inside the Numbers
Elon outgained W&M, 493-405, which included 315 yards through the air and 28 first downs.
W&M scored touchdowns with all four of its trips in the Red Zone, but Elon was 5-of-5 in the Red Zone with four touchdowns.
The Tribe limited Elon to just 4-of-12 on third downs.
Both teams committed one turnover apiece.
The Opposition
Downing completed 18-of-35 passes for 315 yards with four touchdowns, while he also found the end zone on the ground once.
Running back Rushawn Baker led the Phoenix’s ground attack with 167 yards on 22 carries, while Chandler Brayboy (6-93, TD), Zimere Winston (3-101, TD) and Dieke (3-63, TD) all came up big in the passing game.
Up Next
W&M will return to action when it hosts Bryant for Senior Day at Zable Stadium next Saturday at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at TribeAthletics.com.
