William & Mary Advances To Quarterfinals Of FCS Playoffs
Rob Washburn
William & Mary 54, Gardner-Webb 14
Box Score
Fifth-seeded William & Mary (11-1) sprinted out to a 34-point halftime lead and rolled past Gardner-Webb, 54-14. With the victory, the Tribe advances to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2009, where they will face Montana State.
Quarterback Darius Wilson was 14-of-24 passing for 240 yards and three touchdowns and also contributed a team-high 89 yards rushing on just eight carries as William & Mary piled up a season-high 608 yards of total offense and set a school record for points in a playoff game. Bronson Yoder ran for 72 yards and 2 TD’s and JT Mayo contributed a pair of TD catches and 77 receiving yards.
The Tribe took a quick 7-0 lead as Yoder found the end zone from three yards out on the opening drive of the game. Early in the second quarter, Wilson connected on TD passes of 34 and 43 yards to Mayo in a 1:02 span, with the second score set up by a Ryan Poole interception. A 4-yard Donavyn Lester TD run and field goals of 49 and 27 yards by Ethan Chang put W&M ahead 34-0 at the half. The Tribe tacked on two more third-quarter TD’s on a 12-yard Yoder run and an 8-yard pass from Wilson to Tyler Rose.
W&M’s defense forced six turnovers, including four interceptions. Tye Freeland picked off a pair of passes while Ryan Poole and Malcolm Spencer each had one.
Sacramento State 38, Richmond 31
Box Score
Quarterback Reece Udinski passed for 216 yards and three touchdowns but Richmond (9-4) was edged 38-31 at 2
nd-seeded Sacramento State.
After falling behind 7-0, the Spiders responded with 21 unanswered points to gain some early momentum. Udinksi threw a 25-yard TD pass to Jasiah Williams, Savon Smith had a 1-yard scoring run and Udinski connected with Leroy Henley on a 24-yard TD strike to make it 21-7 early in the second quarter. The contest was tied at 24-24 when Udinski found Henley once again with a 21-yard touchdown pass to put the Spiders ahead by seven with 4:53 left in the third period. However, the Hornets got a game-tying TD early in the fourth quarter and then hit on a 51-yard scoring strike with 6:28 remaining for the game-winner.
Aaron Dykes rushed for a team-best 109 yards and Smith added 75 on the ground for the Spiders, while Henley finished with seven receptions for 84 yards. Defensively, Donovan Hoilette had 11 tackles and 2.0 TFL’s and Tyrek Funderburk intercepted a pair of passes.
Holy Cross 35, New Hampshire 19
Box Score
Quarterback Max Brosmer passed for 242 yards and two touchdowns, but New Hampshire (9-4) dropped a 35-19 decision at 8
th-seeded Holy Cross (12-0).
The Wildcats trailed just 7-5 at the half after Josiah Silver blocked a HC punt out of the end zone for a safety in the first quarter and Nick Mazzie booted a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter. The Crusaders extended their lead to 16 in the third quarter before Brosmer connected on an 11-yard scoring pass to tight end Kyle Lepkowski to make it 21-11. Holy Cross quarterback Matthew Sluka tallied a pair of TD runs in the fourth quarter to put the Crusaders in control. New Hampshire got a 14-yard TD pass from Brosmer to Sean Coyne with 1:46 remaining.
New Hampshire was limited to 264 total yards and suffered five turnovers. Freshman Joey Corcoran made four catches for 77 yards and Lepkowski had four receptions for 71 yards. Dylan Laube picked up 52 yards on the ground. Silver finished with six tackles, 1.5 TFL’s and a fumble recovery in addition to the blocked punt.
South Dakota State 42, Delaware 6
Box Score
Despite taking an early lead, Delaware (8-5) dropped a 42-6 decision at top-seeded South Dakota State.
The Blue Hens’ Jake Reed recovered a muffed punt and UD was able to convert the turnover into a 27-yard Brandon Ratcliffe field goal to take a quick 3-0 advantage. However, the Jackrabbits scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions to go up 21-3 midway through the second quarter. Ratcliffe was able to convert a 39-yard field goal to pull the Hens within 21-6 at the half. SDSU was able to put the game away with three third-quarter touchdowns.
Reserve quarterback Ryan O’Connor, who came on after an injury to Nolan Henderson, completed 10-of-21 passes for 104 yards. Thyrick Pitts made five receptions for 57 yards. Linebacker Johnny Buchanan paced the Blue Hens’ defense with 14 tackles and 2.5 TFL’s.