TOWSON, Md. — The William & Mary football team fell at No. 17/18 Towson, 29-13, Saturday night.
Although W&M (2-4, 1-2) owned a 13-10 lead at halftime, Towson (5-1, 3-0) held the Tribe scoreless during the final 30 minutes en route to securing the conference win.
The Tigers built a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run by Kobe Young and a 46-yard field goal by Aidan O’Neill, but W&M rallied back with a pair of touchdowns before halftime.
Linebacker Arman Jones got W&M on the scoreboard when scooped up a blocked field goal by defensive tackle Bill Murray and returned it 71 yards for a touchdown.
The Tribe then took the lead on its ensuing possession when running back Albert Funderburkecapped off a 15-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with just 20 seconds remaining in the opening half.
With Towson leading 23-13 midway through the fourth quarter, W&M had an opportunity to draw within a score but Jake Johnston’s 35-yard field goal attempt missed wide left. The Tigers sealed the victory on its ensuing possession with a 53-yard touchdown run by Yeedee Thaenrat.
Tribe standouts
Funderburke led the Tribe offensively with 50 rushing yards on 16 carries, highlighted by his touchdown run in the second quarter, while he also added a 27-yard catch.
Wideout Chris Conlan (4-40), tight end Nick Muse (4-36) and wideout Anthony Mague (4-26) all posted four catches apiece.
Quarterback Dean Rotger made his collegiate debut when he entered the game late in the third quarter and completed 12 of 18 passes for 92 yards.
Safety Isaiah Laster totaled a team-high 10 tackles, while linebacker Josh Dulaney, defensive tackle Will Kiely and defensive end Gavin Johnson all posted sacks. Dulaney added a forced fumble, while Kiely recorded 2.0 TFL.
In addition to his blocked field goal that resulted in Jones’ touchdown, Murray also blocked a PAT. Jones also finished with eight stops and 0.5 TFL.
Inside the numbers
Towson outgained W&M, 456-233, and held a significant advantage on the ground (255-70).
Although W&M held Towson to just 2 of 10 on third down – and stopped TU on its only fourth down conversion attempt – the Tribe scored on just one of its three trips in the red zone. Conversely, Towson found the end zone on four of its six trips inside W&M’s 20.
Neither team committed a turnover.
The opposition
Towson quarterback Tom Flacco completed 17 of 26 passes for 188 yards with a touchdown and posted a game-high 109 rushing yards on 16 carries.
Young, Thaenrat and Shane Simpson all registered rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, Robert Heyward totaled a game-high 13 tackles, while Bryce Carter posted 2.0 sacks.
Notes
W&M is the lone FCS team to lead Towson in the second half this season … The loss marked just the third time W&M has lost when leading at halftime dating back to 2014 – all three setbacks have come against Towson … With Jones’ touchdown in the second quarter, W&M has recorded a defensive or special teams touchdown 11 of the last 12 seasons … Murray has posted three blocks the last two weeks, including two on PATs … W&M is now 9-6 all-time against Towson and owns a 4-3 edge in games played at Towson.
Up Next
The Tribe will return to action when it hosts No. 21/22 Maine for Homecoming at Zable Stadium next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
