WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Tribe Communications) – The William & Mary football team utilized big plays in all three phases of the game en route to concluding its non-conference home slate with a convincing 38-10 victory against Colgate at Zable Stadium on Saturday night.
W&M (2-1) blitzed out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter after scoring on each of its first three possessions to open the contest.
Although Colgate (0-3) narrowed the margin to 17-10 with a 21-yard field goal by Chirs Puzzi midway through the third quarter, Bronson Yoder returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown.
The Tribe closed out the victory with a pair of interceptions, as well as two touchdown runs in the fourth quarter – coming from running backs Owen Wright and Donavyn Lester – to punctuate the 28-point victory.
Tribe Standouts
Wright led the Tribe offensively with a career-high 108 yards on 16 carries to go with his touchdown.
Quarterback Hollis Mathis also came up big with 62 rushing yards on 13 carries with a touchdown, while the true freshman also completed 11 of 19 passes for 189 yards with a 27-yard touchdown pass to wideout Jordan Lowery. Mathis was especially effective in the first half when he completed 8 of 12 passes for 159 yards with the touchdown.
Wide receiver Zach Burdick continued his recent trend of producing big plays, as he recorded two catches for 81 yards.
Defensively, defensive tackle Bill Murray posted six tackles with a sack and 2.0 TFL, while safety Isaiah Laster (six tackles) and cornerback Latrelle Smith both tallied interceptions.
Linebacker Nate Atkins led the squad with seven tackles, while defensive end Will Kiely (five tackles) and linebacker Gavin Johnson (three tackles) both registered 1.5 TFL.
Inside the Numbers
W&M outgained the Raiders, 443-215, and piled up 254 rushing yards.
Additionally, W&M scored on all four trips into the red zone, which included three touchdowns.
While Colgate held an advantage in time of possession (33:18-26:42), W&M earned nine more first downs (23-14) and limited the Raiders to just 4 of 14 on third down.
In addition to recording a pair of interceptions, the Tribe posted 9.0 TFL.
The Opposition
Running back Malik Twyman led Colgate offensively with 75 rushing yards on 15 carries with a touchdown.
Defensively, cornerback Collin Heard recorded a game-high 10 tackles with an interception and half sack.
Three W&M true freshman scored touchdowns for W&M (Mathis, Lester, Yoder) … Yoder’s score marked the first time a Tribe player has returned a kickoff for a touchdown since DeVonte Dedmon’s 89-yard return at Delaware in 2015 … Yoder is averaging 40.4 yards per return this season … Yoder’s score also marked the second consecutive week in which W&M has recorded a non-offensive touchdown, as Arman Jones recorded a 47-yard pick-six at Virginia … With his two catches for 81 yards, Burdick is now averaging 34.3 yards per catch this season … W&M’s 254 rushing yards marks the second time in the first three games that it has totaled more than 250 yards on the ground … W&M has now won 35 of its last 37 games against non-conference FCS opponents during the regular season.
Up Next
The Tribe will return to action when it travels to ECU next Saturday at 6 p.m.
