Tribe Football Outlasts VMI, 34-24

W&M earns 18th straight win over in-state rival

09/13/03 8:14PM

LEXINGTON, VA - Redshirt freshman Matt Trinkle (Whitehall, PA) caught his first career touchdown pass with 9:20 remaining in the fourth quarter to break a 24-24 tie, and William and Mary held on for a 34-24 victory over VMI before a crowd of 7,125 at Alumni Memorial Field.

“Anytime you’re in a close game, the team that makes the big plays usually comes out on top,” Tribe head coach Jimmye Laycock said.

The Tribe (1-1, 0-0) captured its 18th consecutive victory over the Keydets, though VMI gave W&M quite a test in the 60th-straight meeting between the squads.

W&M got on the board first, as sophomore placekicker Greg Kuehn (Potomac Falls, VA) converted a 36-yard field goal just as time expired in the opening quarter to put the Tribe up, 3-0.

VMI (1-2, 0-0) then battled back to take the lead, 10-3, behind a five-yard touchdown run by Sean Mizzer and a 36-yard field goal by Matt Sharpe. The College came back to tie the score as junior quarterback Lang Campbell (Winchester, VA) hit senior wideout Danny Wade (Martinsville, VA) on a 10-yard touchdown pass. The drive was keyed by a 3rd and 22 completion from Campbell to wideout John Pitts (Kernersville, NC) for 27 yards across the middle.

With the score even at halftime, 10-10, the Tribe needed a big play to break through, and it came from sophomore linebacker Travis McLaurin (Wilmington, DE). VMI quarterback Jonathan Wilson threw a pass to Mizzer that was ruled a backwards lateral, and after the ball lay on the turf for a second, McLaurin alertly scooped it up and ran 28 yards to paydirt to put W&M up, 17-10.

The Keydets refused to give up, though, as Mizzer got around the left side of the line for a 19-yard scoring run, and once again, the game was tied. Campbell then put the Tribe back ahead, as he found tailback Steven Hargrove (Alexandria, VA) for a 48-yard catch and run to give the Tribe a 24-17 edge. The touchdown catch was Hargrove’s third of the season, a team-high.

Wilson evened the game with an 11-yard scoring run, before Campbell and Trinkle hooked up on what proved to be the game-winning score. Campbell faked to his tailback before rolling to the right and lofting a pass in the back corner of the end zone, where Trinkle pulled it in for his first career TD reception.

VMI was attempting to even the game again when senior cornerback Billy Parker (Mechanicsville, VA) intercepted a Wilson pass and returned it into Keydet territory. Then, after the Keydet defense had thwarted the W&M offense, Kuehn came on to try to put the Tribe up by 10 with just 2:05 left. His 47-yard attempt was right through the uprights, and W&M had its first win of the season.

The Tribe defense played a big role in the win, as W&M recorded 10 tackles for loss, including three by senior defensive end Donte Lewis (Bowie, MD). W&M had three sacks. Senior safety Marques Bobo (Charlotte, NC) led the squad with eight tackles. Sophomore defensive end Adam O’Connor (Greensboro, NC) had a strong game, with five tackles, including two TFLs and a sack. He also forced and recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter.

Campbell threw three touchdown passes for the second time in as many games for W&M, as he completed 12 of 24 passes for 167 yards, with two interceptions. He also led the Tribe on the ground with 52 yards on 17 carries, though he gained 86 yards before counting yardage lost on sacks.

Senior wideout Rich Musinski (West Pittston, PA) led W&M with four receptions on the day, totaling 53 yards. Hargrove finished with 63 yards through the air, and 146 all-purpose yards.

The Tribe special teams excelled on the afternoon, as McLaurin blocked a field goal in the first quarter, while Kuehn and punter Mike Mesi (Eatontown, NJ) had good games. Kuehn made both of his field goal attempts, while Mesi averaged 43.2 yards on six punts.

The Tribe will complete its season-opening three-game road trip with a game at Northeastern next Saturday at 1 p.m.

Box Score

Game Photos