When William & Mary played 17th -ranked Towson last Saturday, the Tribe did more than suffer a conference loss to the Tigers.
They also suffered a few injuries, most notably one to senior wide receiver DeVonte Dedmon.
Dedmon, one of the Tribe’s few big-play threats, was third in the CAA with 98.4 yards a game but had no catches against Towson. Coach Jimmye Laycock said Dedmon took a shot to the ribs on the fourth play of the game.
“He’s injured right now … and he won’t play this weekend,” Laycock said. “We’ll see how he progresses. I really can’t tell. We’ll miss him, but we have to have some other guys step up.”
Quarterback Shon Mitchell also got hurt, coming out of the game in the third quarter after completing just seven of 17 passes for 71 yards. He was sacked four times.
“Shon got a little banged up,” Laycock said after the game. “So we thought instead of put him in a tough situation, throw Dean (Rotger) in there.”
The good news is Mitchell is listed as the starting quarterback for Saturday’s homecoming game, which is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Zable Stadium.
The bad news is they are facing another ranked opponent, this time No. 16 Maine (4-2, 3-0), which is tied for first in the conference with Towson.
The Tribe (2-4, 1-2) has been benefiting from the return of two injured players, linebacker Josh Delaney and tight end Nick Muse, both of who missed time earlier in the season. Against, Towson, Delaney was in on eight tackles and forced a fumble. Muse had four catches for 36 yards.
“Our coaches did a really good job scouting Towson and we kind of knew what they were coming in with,” said Delaney, who missed the first two games after suffering a herniated disk in the summer. “I was able to get my keys really well and fit the gaps and be where I needed to be.”
Muse missed four weeks because of an injured collarbone.
“Standing on the sideline is not the funnest thing,” he said. “You realize how much you miss it once you’re not practicing and playing. But once I got back, (the coaches) are counting on me to do my job, and basically that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
Maine has had injury concerns also, but last week quarterback Chris Ferguson played for the first time since Sept. 22, when he suffered an injury to his right shoulder. He was 30 for 44 for 278 yards, all career highs, as he rallied the Black Bears to a last-second victory over Rhode Island. The previous week, the Bears rallied to down Villanova.
Another big player for Maine is receiver Micah Wright, who had 10 receptions (career high) for 125 yards last week.
“They’re playing very well. … They are clicking offensively,” Laycock said. “Hopefully, we’ll get ourselves prepared and we’ll play the best we can.”
