The No. 25/22 William and Mary football team was edged at Delaware, 24-23, on Saturday evening. UD (2-3, 1-1) placekicker Frank Raggo secured the victory with a 29-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
Although W&M (2-2, 1-1) led, 23-14, midway through the fourth quarter, UD rallied back by scoring the contest’s final 10 points. An 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Walker to wideout Tre Brown with 6:41 left helped fuel the comeback prior to the late field goal.
W&M limited UD to just 71 passing yards, but the Blue Hens piled up 353 yards on the ground en route to outgaining the Tribe, 418-290.
Sophomore wide receiver DeVonte Dedmon scored both of W&M’s touchdowns – coming an 89-yard kickoff return and a 57-yard reception – while sophomore placekicker Nick Dorka connected on all three of his field goal attempts. Junior running back Kendell Anderson also posted his second-consecutive 100-yard effort on the ground, as he rushed for 101 yards on 23 carries.
Defensively, junior linebacker Stephen Lubnow and senior safety DeAndre Houston-Carson totaled 16 and 15 tackles, respectively. Houston-Carson also added a forced fumble and a PBU.
Delaware jumped out to an early 7-0 lead when running back Kareem Williams posted a 5-yard touchdown run. The score punctuated the game’s opening drive, which covered 75 yards on 14 plays.
W&M quickly answered when Dedmon returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown to even the score.
The Blue Hens reclaimed the lead, 14-7, with 0:27 left in the first quarter when Que’Shawn Jenkins recovered a blocked punt by Ryan Torzsa in the end zone.
Although W&M trailed by just a touchdown at halftime, Delaware outgained the Tribe, 244-101, and controlled the clock, 22:56-7:04.
The Tribe scored 16 unanswered points to open the second half to build a 23-14 advantage. Dorka connected on all three of his field goal attempts during the stretch, while Dedmon and junior quarterback Steve Cluley connected on a 57-yard touchdown pass.
Delaware totaled just 43 yards on its first three drives of the second half before scoring on its final two possessions.
UD was led by running back Thomas Jefferson’s 174 rushing yards on 28 carries, while Williams finished with 106 yards on 23 carries.
The Tribe will return to action when it plays at No. 14/17 Villanova next Saturday at noon. The game will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.
– Courtesy TribeAthletics.com
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