No. 3 Delaware Halts William and Mary's Win Streak

Record-setting performance by Thompson not enough for 14th-ranked Tribe

10/23/04 6:00PM

Newark, DE - Despite a record-setting performance from senior wide receiver Dominique Thompson (Durham, NC), the 14th-ranked College of William and Mary dropped a hard-fought 31-28 decision to third-ranked Delaware Saturday at Delaware Stadium.

The loss snaps the Tribe’s five-game winning streak and drops its Atlantic 10 conference record to 3-1, 5-2 overall, while the Blue Hens won their sixth straight overall and improved to 5-0 in A10 play, 6-1 overall.

Thompson caught six passes for 244 yards, which set a W&M single-game record for receiving yards, surpassing the previous mark of 240 set by Dave Conklin against VMI in 1997. Thompson also caught four touchdown passes from senior All-American candidate, quarterback Lang Campbell (Winchester, VA), which matched a W&M single-game record for touchdown receptions.

Campbell completed 20 of 30 pass attempts for 355 yards and four touchdowns, eclipsing the 300-yard mark for the fourth time this season.

Facing a top-five team on the road in front of a sellout crowd, the Tribe could not have asked for a better start against the Blue Hens, as sophomore Elijah Brooks (Largo, MD) took the Hens’ short opening kickoff back 37 yards to the UD 44-yard line, where Campbell and the Tribe offense went to work immediately. Senior tailback Jon Smith (Cincinnati, OH) set the wheels in motion, darting nine yards on W&M’s initial play from scrimmage. Campbell completed all three of his attempts on the opening drive, including a 10-yard completion to Thompson in the back-right corner of the end zone on third-and-one. The drive covered 44 yards on six plays and the Tribe led 7-0 just 2:27 into the game.

The W&M defense kept the early momentum in tact, forcing the Blue Hen offense three plays and out on its first possession. After an 11-yard punt return by junior John Shaw (Altamonte Springs, FL), Campbell and the Tribe offense set up shop at the WM 31-yard line.

An incomplete pass and seven-yard run by Brooks had the Tribe facing third-and-three at the W&M 38-yard line, when Campbell connected with Thompson again for what appeared to be a 10-yard gain and a Tribe first down. However, on the play, Thompson slipped the tackle and raced 62 yards for his second touchdown reception of the game, giving the Tribe a 14-0 lead less than 3:30 into the game.

Delaware cut the lead in half on its next possession, moving 62 yards on 12 plays, capped by a five-yard touchdown pass from Sonny Riccio to Justin Long with 6:12 remaining in the quarter.

The Tribe’s ensuing possession had a rather ominous start, as a false start penalty pushed the ball back five yards, before Campbell was sacked for a nine-yard loss on first down. Smith rushed four yards on the next play, and W&M faced a seemingly unmanageable third-and-20 from its own 13-yard line. Campbell dropped back to pass on third down and was forced out of the pocket, but scrambling to his left he hit Thompson, who was camped behind the UD secondary near midfield, for an 87-yard touchdown pass. The play matched the longest reception in W&M football history, and it gave the Tribe a 21-7 lead with 4:20 remaining in the first quarter.

Thompson became the first W&M player to record three touchdown receptions in one quarter since Corey Ludwig did it against Maine in 1993, as he hauled in three scoring catches for 159 yards in the opening frame Saturday.

Unfortunately for the Tribe, the second quarter was a much different story, as UD responded to the Tribe’s early blows with 17 unanswered points to end the half.

UD sophomore Niquan Lee found the end zone from two yards out with 8:33 remaining in the second quarter, capping a seven-play, 48-yard drive that pulled the Blue Hens to within 21-14.

On the Tribe’s next possession, senior Mike Mesi’s (Eatontown, NJ) punt was blocked and UD took over at the W&M xx-yard line. The Tribe defense made a valiant stand, holding the Hens to minimal yardage on three plays, but a 43-yard field goal by senior Brad Shushman cut the deficit to 21-17 with 5:58 remaining in the half.

The Tribe offense stalled again on its next possession, but an excellent special teams’ tackle by Thompson after a xx-yard punt by Mesi had the Blue Hens backed up to their 12-yard line with less than six remaining in the half. The Blue Hens, however, moved 88 yards on seven plays in 2:21 to take their first lead of the game, 24-21, on another two-yard touchdown run by Lee with just 44 second remaining on the clock.

Neither team was able to muster any points in the third quarter, though the Blue Hens had the best scoring chance of the frame. UD began its second possession of the second half at its own 28-yard line, after a 44-yard Mesi punt. The Hens went 64 yards on 11 plays, including two key third-down conversions, and had a first-and-goal at the Tribe eight-yard line. Two rushes by Lee gained five yards and Riccio hit Long for a two-yard completion to set up fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line. Riccio kept the ball on an option play to the right and was stopped short of the goal line by junior linebacker Thad Wheeler (Canton, GA), turning the ball over to W&M on downs.

Unable to move the ball effectively deep in its own territory, the Tribe was forced to punt it away again, but the W&M defense continued its spirited second-half play, forcing a Blue Hen punt that sailed into the end zone with 13:10 remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Tribe took over at its 20-yard line.

After a six-yard run by Smith and a 10-yard Campbell pass to sophomore receiver Joe Nicholas (Sugarloaf, PA), the Campbell-to-Thompson connection struck again, this time for a 64-yard touchdown pass that put the Tribe ahead, 28-24, with 12:15 remaining. With the scoring pass, Campbell set a career-high with his fourth touchdown pass of the game, while Thompson tied a W&M record with his fourth touchdown reception of the game.

On the ensuing UD possession, the Tribe defense again prevented a first down, and the Blue Hens were forced to punt. W&M took over at its own 30-yard line, gained a pair of first downs and appeared to have continued the drive with another first-down completion, but a costly holding penalty negated the play. After an incomplete pass to Nicholas, W&M was forced to punt again and UD regained possession at its 23-yard line with 6:39 remaining.

Delaware started its next drive at its own 23 and quickly found the endzone, cutting through the Tribe defense on a five-play, 77 yard drive that took just under two minutes. The final play came on a 25-yard slant pass to Joe Blyemaier, which provided what proved to be the decisive points of the contest.

Thompson also returned three kickoffs for a total of 52 yards, giving him a W&M season-high 296 all-purpose yards.

Junior cornerback Stephen Cason (Richmond, VA) and junior linebacker Chris Ndubueze (Lanham, MD) shared the team-lead with 11 tackles apiece, while sophomore defensive end Josh Wright (Madison Heights, VA) recorded a career-high 10 total stops.

W&M returns to action next Saturday with a 6 p.m., A10 contest at Towson.


Game Notes: Senior WR Dominique Thompson set a W&M single-game record with 244 receiving yards, surpassing the previous total of 240 set by Dave Conklin against VMI in 1997 … Thompson’s four TD receptions match a W&M single-game record, also held by Corey Ludwig (vs. Maine, 1993) and Vito Ragazzo (vs. Wake Forest, 1949) … Campbell surpassed the 300-yard passing mark for the fourth time this season with 355 … Campbell’s 87-yard scoring pass to Thompson in the first quarter matched the longest passing play in W&M history, tying Dan Henning’s 87-yard completion to Tom Scott against Navy in 1961 … With four TD passes, Campbell brought his career total to 35, just one shy of sixth place on the W&M career list (Buddy Lex, 36, 1946-49) … With 341 total yards of offense, Campbell moved into seventh place on the W&M career offensive yards list (4,867) … Campbell now has four, 300-yard plus afternoons in seven games this year … It is also the third time this season he has thrown for three or more TDs.

Game Quotes
W&M Head Coach Jimmye Laycock
On the game
"Both teams played hard and competed well. It just came down to the fact that they made more plays than we did. The turnover and blocked punt kind of played out to be the difference."

UD Head Coach K.C. Keeler
On Tribe quarterback Lang Campbell
"There’s not a better quarterback in the country. He has my All-American vote."