WILLIAMSBURG — The William & Mary football team rallied back from a 12-point deficit with a pair of touchdowns late in the fourth quarter to earn a thrilling 25-22 victory against Albany at Zable Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
W&M (2-3, 1-1) quarterback Shon Mitchell scored the game-winning touchdown on a 4-yard run with just 50 seconds remaining. Wide receiver Isaiah Kinder put a punctuation on the exciting comeback when he connected on a short pass to Mitchell for the 2-point conversion that gave the Tribe a 25-22 lead with just 0:50 remaining.
Albany (2-3, 0-2) advanced near midfield on its ensuing possession, but quarterback Vincent Testaverde was intercepted by safety Corey Parker at the W&M 22. The Tribe then ran out the final 10 seconds to preserve the conference victory.
W&M’s fourth quarter comeback began when wide receiver DeVonte Dedmon hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell with 5:17 remaining that narrowed the margin to 22-17.
W&M’s defense held UA to a three-and-out on the following series to set up the game-winning touchdown drive.
In addition to throwing and rushing for touchdowns on W&M’s final two possessions, Mitchell completed 8 of 9 passes for 110 yards during the pair of series.
Tribe standouts
Mitchell accounted for all three of W&M’s touchdowns – two passing, one rushing – and finished the contest 24 of 32 for 263 yards with an interception.
Dedmon recorded seven catches for 138 yards with two touchdowns, which included a 50-yard score on the opening drive of the game.
Defensively, Parker and linebacker Nate Atkins both tallied interceptions, while defensive tackle Bill Murray added five tackles and 1.5 sacks. Defensive end Carl Fowler continued his impressive play and posted 2.0 TFL.
Inside the numbers
Albany outgained W&M, 395-301, and held a 264-38 advantage in rushing yards.
However, the Tribe was efficient through the air and owned a 263-131 margin in passing yards. UA’s passing yardage was 164.5 yards less than its average entering the contest.
The Great Danes committed nine penalties for 66 yards, while W&M was flagged just four times for 35 yards.
The opposition
Albany running back Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks rushed for 221 yards on 25 carries, which included a 36-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.
Wideout Jerah Reeves totaled a team-high six catches for 111 yards.
Linebacker Levi Metheny posted a team-high 10 tackles.
Notes
The contest was the first meeting between W&M and Albany … The win marked the 18th time during head coach Jimmye Laycock‘s career that W&M has rallied back from a double-digit deficit in the second half … Dedmon posted his third 100-yard receiving game this season and recorded his third touchdown catch of the season that covered at least 50 yards … Dedmon moved into a tie for ninth all-time at W&M in career touchdown catches (18) … He is now tied for 10th at W&M in career receptions (141) and moved up to sixth in all-purpose yards (3,666) … Defensive tackle Bill Murray blocked a PAT early in the fourth quarter, which was the fourth of his career … True freshman linebacker Jack Erwin made his season debut on special teams and became the fourth true freshman to play for W&M this season … Placekicker Jake Johnston converted his first career PAT following Dedmon’s touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter … W&M improves to 21-10 when it scores first dating back to 2013 … W&M held UA wide receiver Dev Holmes without a catch after the talented wideout entered the contest averaging 146.8 yards per game.
Up next
The Tribe will return to action when it plays at No. 23/24 Towson next Saturday at 4 p.m.
