Tribe Edges Maine, 21-20, For CAA Road Win

10/13/07 8:30PM

Orono, Maine - Tony Viola’s (Broadway, Va.) fourth-quarter touchdown run, and a strong defensive effort in the second half helped William and Mary hang on for a 21-20 victory at Maine on Saturday.

Jake Phillips (Warm Springs, Va.) overcame a slow start and passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns, both to Cameron Dohse (Clifton, Va.), and engineered two long second-half scoring drives, but it was Viola’s late hard running and the defense limiting Maine to two fourth-quarter field goals that secured the Tribe’s second CAA win.

Viola finished with 44 yards rushing with 36 of those yards coming on nine fourth-quarter attempts. Viola’s 3-yard run with 11:13 remaining capped a 90-yard, 13-play drive that gave W&M (4-3, 2-2 CAA) its first lead, 21-14.

Maine (1-5, 0-4), which managed only one first down on five third down tries and 132 total yards in the second half, reached the Tribe 12-yard line on its next possession, but Adrian Tracy (Sterling, Va.) sacked Adam Farkes on third down to halt the drive. Bobby Donnelly then kicked a 32-yard field goal with 7:20 remaining to cut the Tribe lead to 21-17.

A fumbled punt snap after a three-and-out gave it right back to Maine deep in Tribe territory at the 24-yard line. Jhamal Fluellen, who rushed for 200 yards on 31carries, was stopped for a short gain on first down, before an incompletion and short pass set up fourth-and-three at the Tribe 17. With W&M having denied two earlier fourth-down tries, Maine settled for a 35-yard Donnelly field goal with 4:46 remaining, pulling within 21-20.

W&M regained possession at its 29 with another shot to run out the clock, and this time behind overpowering blocking from the offensive line, Viola and Phillips put it away. Viola carried twice for seven total yards to start the drive, and Phillips moved the chains with a key pass to R.J. Archer (Charlottesville, Va.) for a 16-yard gain. Viola carried four consecutive times from there for 24 yards, and the Tribe faced third-and-one at the Maine 28 with 1:41 remaining after the Black Bears used their final timeout.

Viola plowed through an opening for three yards, giving W&M the game-clinching first down that snapped a two-game losing streak to the Black Bears. Viola carried seven times on the drive for 37 yards.

After the Tribe trailed 14-7 at the break, Phillips, who completed 23 of 37 attempts and rushed for an additional 25 yards, put together the first of two brilliant long scoring drives late in the third after W&M took over at its 11-yard line. Viola also had a key play on the drive, getting the first of four third-down conversions on the series with a 3-yard run, though it was a bit of lucky bounce that allowed W&M to pull even.

Following a holding penalty, Phillips completed a 13-yard pass to Dohse and then converted a third-and-seven with a 12-yard strike to Elliott Mack (Irvington, N.J.). Later facing a third-and-four at the Maine 40, Phillips scrambled for 10 yards down the right sideline and another first down. Then, up against a third-and-13 at the 33, Phillips again moving to his right sent a high pass toward the left hash that was batted down by a Maine defender near the 5-yard line into the hands of Dohse, who trotted the final few yards untouched into the end zone. Dohse’s second scoring catch came with 1:27 remaining in the third evened the score at 14-14.

Dohse finished with seven receptions for 123 yards, both career highs, and also scored on a 31-yard reception in the final two minutes of the first half. It was the second-straight 100-yard receiving game for the redshirt freshman, who has 15 receptions for 240 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games.

With the score knotted, Maine looked to answer on its next possession after a 34-yard kickoff return by Antonio Walcott. Fluellen gained four yards on first down, but Farkes, who completed 11 of 19 attempts for 125 yards and two first-half touchdowns, misfired on two-straight attempts and the Tribe defense had itself a huge three-and-out.

W&M took over once again deep in its own territory but covered 90 yards on 13 plays and took the lead for the first time on Viola’s touchdown plunge. Thomas Schonder (Round Hill, Va.) had a key 12-yard to jump-start the drive, before Phillips’ 17-yard connection with Mack put the ball at the Tribe 41. Phillips hit Dohse again for a 14-yard gain, and a 15-yard pass to Joe Nicholas (Sugarloaf, Pa.) converted a crucial third down and gave the Tribe a first down at Maine 14. Phillips found tight end Rob Varno (Wilmington, N.C.) for an 11-yard gain on the next snap, and after an incompletion, Viola bulled his way over the right side into the end zone.

Mack finished with five receptions for 53 yards, and Archer had four catches for 29 yards. Schonder rushed for 34 yards on carries, and Courtland Marriner (Chesapeake, Va.) ran for 33 yards on 15 attempts.

After going 0-for-7 on third down conversions in the first half and gaining only 142 total yards, the Tribe offense erased a sluggish start with 237 total yards in the second half. W&M was 8-for-10 on second-half third down conversions.

After the teams exchanged punts to start the game, Maine broke through on its second possession, going 64 yards on just five plays. Farkes completed a 15-yard pass to Kenneth Fersner, before Fluellen ripped off a 19-yard run to the Tribe’s 20-yard line. On the next snap, Farkes connected with Landis Williams in the end zone.

W&M tried to answer on its ensuing series moving inside the Maine 30-yard line, but Phillips was stopped a yard short of a first down on a fourth-down scramble at the Black Bears’ 27.

Maine threatened again midway through the second, but the Tribe defense returned the favor with its own big fourth-down stop. Fluellen’s 11-yard run moved Maine inside W&M territory, and three more carries by Fluellen set up a fourth-and-one at the 34. Fluellen’s number was called one more time, but tackle Derek Toon (Chester, Va.) was in the backfield to greet the Black Bear tailback as soon as he took the handoff.

W&M couldn’t capitalize though, as the offensive struggles continued against the Bears’ stout early defense. A holding call erased a first-down run by Schonder, and Maine sacked Phillips for a 9-yard loss on third down to end the possession.

The Black Bears used another quick drive and extended the lead to 14-0 on their next series, covering 65 yards on just six plays this time. Fluellen broke through the line and raced 24 yards to the W&M 38, and a couple plays later Farkes hooked up with Williams once again for a 31-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline.

Facing a two-possession deficit, the Tribe offense finally awoke in the closing minutes of the half, as Phillips executed an efficient two-minute drill. Back-to-back runs by Phillips gained a total of 15 yards, and a 7-yard pass to Archer moved the Tribe to the Maine 43 inside the two-minute mark. An 11-yard pass to Mack put it at the 31, and then Phillips found Dohse wide open in the end zone with 1:01 on the clock to cut the deficit in half.

Fluellen rushed for 131 of his 200 yards in the first half and the Black Bears gained 242 of their 374 total yards in the opening half.

Josh Rutter (Union Bridge, Md.) paced the defensive effort with 10 total tackles, and Derek Cox (Greenville, N.C.) recorded eight unassisted stops.

W&M is idle next weekend and returns to action on Oct. 27th, hosting fourth-ranked Massachusetts at Zable Stadium on Homecoming Weekend.

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