Tribe Tops Hofstra in Homecoming Contest, 23-9

Musinski breaks A-10 receiving record in victory

11/01/03 4:18PM

WILLIAMSBURG, VA - Redshirt freshman tailback Delmus Coley (Virginia Beach, VA) rushed for a career-high 133 yards on 25 carries and scored twice in the second half as William and Mary rallied to defeat Hofstra, 23-9, before a Homecoming crowd of 9,051 at Zable Stadium.

"Our guys hung in there early when we were struggling and fought back to get the win," Tribe head coach Jimmye Laycock said.

In addition to it being W&M’s second-straight victory, the win also saw senior wideout Rich Musinski (West Pittston, PA) break the Atlantic 10’s all-time receiving yardage record, as he made five receptions for 44 yards, including a 13-yard catch in the second quarter that broke Brian Forster’s mark of 3,944 career receiving yards.

"Its definitely something I'll look back on," Musinski said. "I've been fortunate to play with some great players here that have helped me out along the way."

W&M (3-5, 2-5) trailed 9-0 with just under nine minutes remaining in the third quarter when junior quarterback Lang Campbell (Winchester, VA) hit junior wideout Dominique Thompson (Durham, NC) on a 51-yard play-action pass to cut into the deficit.

"That play got things turned around for us," Laycock said.

On the Tribe’s next possession, Coley broke free for a 49-yard run that brought the ball all the way down to the Hofstra five-yard line. Three plays later, Coley carried the ball in from the one-yard line to give the Tribe a 13-9 advantage. Campbell then carried the ball in for the two-point conversion to put the College up by six points.

"I knew after that long run that I had to get it in the end zone," Coley said. "We needed that touchdown."

Clinging to the six-point lead, Coley set the final margin when he went off left-tackle from 19 yards out to cap a five-play, 74-yard drive with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game. Musinski then caught a conversion pass from Campbell to make the score 23-9.

Hofstra (1-8, 1-6) had a pair of 77-yard scoring drives in the opening half, but thanks to solid red zone play by the Tribe defense, the Pride had to settle for field goals of 20 and 18 yards by Chris Onorato and a 6-0 halftime lead.

Onorato booted a 35-yard field goal early in the third quarter to put Hofstra up 9-0, and that’s when Coley took over. Using a mix of power running and game-breaking speed, the 5-foot-9, 195-pounder rushed for 80 yards in the third quarter alone en route to his second-consecutive 100-yard game.

Campbell finished 14 of 23 for 200 yards and one touchdown in the victory. He also ran for 35 yards on seven carries. Thompson led the Tribe with 54 yards, and also recorded a special teams tackle on four of Hofstra’s five returns.

Defensively, senior linebacker Paul Carpenter (Winchester, VA) led W&M with 16 tackles, including one tackle for loss. Senior safety Marques Bobo (Charlotte, NC) and sophomore linebacker Travis McLaurin (Wilmington, DE) each had 10 tackles. Also, sophomore defensive lineman Adam O’Connor (Greensboro, NC) continued his strong play, making six tackles, including 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.

The Tribe will be off next week before returning to action when it hosts New Hampshire on November 15 at Zable Stadium.