The No. 4/5 William and Mary football team extended its regular-season home winning streak to 11 games with a 13-10 victory against New Haven in its home opener on a rainy evening at Zable Stadium Saturday.
Sophomore placekicker Drake Kuhn kicked a 28-yard go-ahead field goal with 5:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, and junior linebacker Jabrel Mines halted a New Haven (2-1) scoring opportunity on its ensuing drive with an interception on the goal line. UNH had one more chance late, taking over at its own 23-yard line with 1:47 left to play, but was unable to move into Tribe (2-1) territory.
Senior All-American running back Jonathan Grimes rushed for 128 yards on a career-high 32 carries. The Palmyra, N.J., native also hauled in four catches for 34 yards with a touchdown, while he finished the contest with 208 all-purpose yards.
Sophomore quarterback Michael Graham entered the game after halftime and played the entire second half, completing 6-of-11 passes for 112 yards with a touchdown.
Defensively, W&M held the Chargers to just 33 rushing yards on 27 carries (1.2 ypc) and intercepted three passes. Senior linebacker Jake Trantin totaled a game-high eight tackles with 2.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks, while Mines, senior cornerback Terrell Wells and junior cornerback B.W. Webb recorded interceptions.
UNH got on the scoreboard first following a blocked punt with a 28-yard field goal by Chris Scifo with 10:28 showing in the first quarter.
New Haven had another scoring opportunity on its next drive, but a fake field goal attempt failed when Brice DeRosa’s 22-yard pass attempt to Kameel Lashley was incomplete in the end zone.
W&M knotted the score at 3-3 on a 21-yard field goal by Kuhn as the first half clock expired. The drive began at UNH’s 35-yard line following an interception by Webb, the 10th pick of his career. Grimes carried the ball seven times on the eight-play drive and had a 21-yard scamper.
The College outgained New Haven, 123-49, in the first half, while Grimes rushed for 101 yards on 19 carries in the opening 30 minutes.
Graham engineered a 10-play, 59-yard touchdown drive on W&M’s initial possession of the second half. The sophomore quarterback completed 3-of-4 passes for 42 yards on the drive, including an 11-yard touchdown strike to Grimes to put the College ahead, 10-3.
W&M had a chance to extend the margin to 13-3 early in the fourth quarter, but Kuhn’s 30-yard field goal attempt from the right hash missed to the left. The drive began at the UNH 25-yard line after Wells returned an interception 29 yards.
The Chargers tied the game on its ensuing possession when quarterback Ryan Osiecki completed a 17-yard touchdown pass to wideout Demetrius Washington-Ellison on a third-and-10. The play capped off an 8-play, 80-yard drive that lasted just 2:43 and was highlighted by a 35-yard screen pass to running back Mike DeCaro.
Kuhn’s go-ahead field goal came later in the quarter and was set up with a 56-yard strike from Graham to senior wide receiver D.J. Mangas down the middle of the field.
After a 28-yard return by DeCaro gave the Chargers starting field position at their own 43-yard line on the following kickoff, Osiecki completed a 39-yard pass to Jason Thompson down the middle to move into the red zone. However, Mines intercepted Osiecki two plays later on a third-and-13 from the 21-yard line to stop the drive.
Following a three-and-out by W&M, New Haven took over at its own 23-yard line with 1:47 remaining. Although the Chargers picked up a first down, it failed to convert a fourth-and-3 from its own 44, and W&M kneeled on the ball to run out the clock.
The Tribe will return to action when it hosts James Madison in its conference opener next Saturday.
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