The No. 25 William and Mary football team opened its conference slate with an impressive 21-0 victory against Stony Brook on a rainy evening at Zable Stadium on Saturday.
En route to handing SB (2-1, 1-1) its first shutout since 2008, W&M (2-1, 1-0) outgained the Seawolves, 466-167, and piled up 301 rushing yards. Stony Brook entered the game with the nation’s top-ranked defense, allowing just 186.5 total yards per game.
Junior running back Kendell Anderson outgained the entire Stony Brook offense, as he rushed for a career-high 191 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns. The impressive effort marked the ninth-best single-game rushing effort in school history.
Although SB entered the contest with one of the nation’s top rushing attacks (286.5 rushing yards per game), W&M held the Seawolves to just 64 rushing yards on 28 carries (2.3 ypr). Additionally, Stony Brook moved inside W&M’s 40-yard line just once. Senior defensive tackle Tyler Claytor led the outstanding defensive effort and totaled a team-high seven tackles with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 TFL.
W&M jumped out to an early 7-0 lead when junior quarterback Steve Cluley capped off the game’s opening drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Andrew Caskin. In addition to providing the score, Caskin also hauled in a 24-yard catch to help fuel the drive.
A 28-yard touchdown run by Anderson with 8:58 remaining in the second quarter increased the Tribe’s lead to 14-0. The impressive 10-play drive covered 88 yards and was highlighted by a 24-yard catch by redshirt freshman wideout Jack Armstrong.
W&M outgained SB, 265-99, in the opening 30 minutes and owned a 17-5 advantage in first downs.
Stony Brook’s lone scoring opportunity came early in the fourth quarter when it marched to W&M’s 23-yard line, but senior safety Jared Velasquez intercepted quarterback Joe Carbone at the 4-yard line to halt the drive.
Anderson sealed the victory on the ensuing possession when he rattled off a career-long 59-yard touchdown to put W&M ahead, 21-0, with 11:47 remaining.
Stony Brook running back Stacy Bedell entered the game as the nation’s leading rusher with 163.0 yard per game but was held to just 28 yards on eight carries. Additionally, W&M limited SB’s quarterbacks, Carbone and Connor Bednarski, to combine for just 103 passing yards.
The Tribe will return to action when it plays at Delaware next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The contest will be televised nationally by NBC Sports Network.
– Courtesy TribeAthletics.com
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