WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary travels to Durham, N.C., on Saturday to face Duke, the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion, in a 3:30 p.m. game at Wallace Wade Stadium.
The Tribe (2-2, 1-2 Patriot League) will try to hand the unbeaten Blue Devils (3-0, 1-0 ACC) their first loss.
The Tribe has scored at least 20 points in 13 straight games, its longest run since 2007-09. Quarterback Winston Watkins leads the Patriot League in total offense at 229 yards per game. Running back Andrew King is 17th nationally among FCS players with 318 rushing yards. On defense, William & Mary has forced 11 turnovers, second most in the country, and linebacker Harrison Johnson is 13th nationally at 10.5 tackles per game.
Duke is coming off a 35-7 win over Stanford in its ACC opener last Saturday. The Blue Devils rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense (12.3 points per game), rushing defense (79.3 yards per game) and third-down conversion defense (27%). Running back Nate Sheppard leads the country in rushing yards per game (176), all-purpose yards per game (196.6) and total touchdowns (8).
The teams have met seven times, and William & Mary leads the series 6-1. The teams met five consecutive years from 1921 to 1925 and twice in the 1950s. Duke’s only win came in the latest meeting, 47-7 in Durham in 1955.
Senior tight end and team captain Sean McElwain was named a semifinalist this week for the 2026 Campbell Trophy, the National Football Foundation announced. The trophy is awarded to the country’s top football scholar-athlete, based on academics, field performance and leadership, according to the foundation.
McElwain, a Glen Allen native, has started for three seasons and has 60 catches for 937 yards and nine touchdowns in his career, according to the school. In the classroom, he has an undergraduate degree in business analytics and data science and is working on a master’s in business analytics.
Away from the field, McElwain has volunteered with Williamsburg House of Mercy, Be The Match, Night to Shine and Slay Hunger, and he has taken part in a reading program at local elementary schools.
The foundation will name 12 to 16 finalists Oct. 21, and each will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. The winner will be revealed Dec. 8 at the foundation’s awards dinner in Las Vegas and will receive a $25,000 scholarship.
Tickets for William & Mary’s home games are available at TribeAthletics.com. The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra. Fans can also hear it on The Tide 92.3 FM and 107.9 FM or online at TideRadio.com, where Jay Colley, the Voice of the Tribe, will call his 500th game.
