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William & Mary football hosts Villanova in home conference opener

Posted at 9:13 AM, Oct 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-05 09:13:26-04

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (TribeAthletics.com) – The William & Mary football team will play the first of three consecutive nationally ranked opponents when it hosts No. 5/8 Villanova for its home conference opener at Zable Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

W&M enters Saturday’s contest with a 2-3 overall record and a 0-1 mark in conference play after falling at UAlbany in its CAA opener last weekend. The Tribe boasts a 2-0 record at home this season with wins against Lafayette and Colgate at Zable Stadium.

The Tribe has scored at least 30 points in all three of its games against FCS opponents and is averaging 33.3 points per game in those contests.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – SEPTEMBER 02: Tommy McKee #6 of the William & Mary Tribe rushes for a gain. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)

Defensively, W&M has forced 10 turnovers, which ranks 15th nationally, while its 2.6 sacks per game also ranks among the nation’s top 20.

Bronson Yoder highlights W&M’s impressive play on special teams and leads the nation in kickoff return average (36.8) and kickoff return touchdowns (2).

Ranked No. 5/8 nationally, Villanova owns a 5-0 overall record and a 2-0 mark in league play. Both of the Wildcats’ CAA victories have come against ranked opponents – Towson and Maine. Villanova currently leads the conference in scoring offense (40.4), while it ranks third in the league in scoring defense (19.2). Justin Covington leads the Wildcats’ rushing attack and ranks first in the CAA with 134.8 yards per game on the ground.

Saturday’s game will mark the 35th meeting between W&M and Villanova, as the Tribe owns an 18-15-1 all-time record against the Wildcats. After losing six consecutive contests to VU from 2005-09, W&M has won four of the last six matchups. Additionally, six of the last seven matchups have been decided by a touchdown or less. Saturday’s game will mark just the third time in the last nine meetings that the contest has been played in Williamsburg.