No. 16/19 Tribe Shuts Down Towson in Second Half to Earn 34-14 Victory

11/01/08 4:30PM

TOWSON, Md. - The No. 16/19 William and Mary football team limited Towson to just seven yards of total offense in the second half as it extended its winning streak to four games with a 34-14 victory on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Tribe improves its record to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play, while the Tigers fall to 3-6 overall and 1-4 in league play.

After trailing 14-7 at halftime, the College outscored the Tigers 27-0 following the intermission. In addition to limiting TU to just seven yards of total offense in the final two quarters, W&M also came up with a pair of second half interceptions and recovered a fumble. Offensively, the Tribe totaled 296 yards of total offense in the second half and dominated time of possession, 21:01 to 8:59.

W&M was led by senior quarterback Jake Phillips, who completed 21-of-33 passes for 265 yards and threw three touchdowns. True freshman running back Jonathan Grimes also had a big afternoon and finished the contest with 96 yards rushing on 20 carries with a touchdown. Junior tight end Rob Varno hauled in five catches for 67 yards with a touchdown, while junior wide receiver D.J. McAulay had a pair of catches for 96 yards with a touchdown. Sophomore wide out Chase Hill had W&M’s other touchdown catch.

Defensively, senior cornerback Derek Cox equaled a team high with seven tackles (six solo) and also tallied his third interception of the season. Sophomore safety Michael Alvarado also recorded an interception, while junior defensive end Adrian Tracy had 1.5 sacks, increasing his season total to 8.5.

After holding Towson to a three-and-out on its first possession, the Tribe took an early 7-0 lead when Phillips connected with McAulay for a 65-yard touchdown strike down the right sideline with 12:46 remaining in the first quarter. It was McAulay’s team-leading eighth touchdown catch of the season.

The Tigers looked like they might get on the board late in the first quarter, but their 16-play drive ended when place kicker Mark Bencivengo failed to connect on a 35-yard field goal attempt.

TU evened the score at 7-7 with 11:14 showing in the second quarter when quarterback Sean Schaefer hit tight end John Godlasky for a 27-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-one. The score capped off a five-play, 81-yard drive that lasted just 2:34.

W&M had an opportunity to reclaim the lead midway through the second quarter, but Pate missed a 41-yard field goal attempt wide to the right.

After blocking a W&M punt with less than a minute remaining in the opening half, Schaefer threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tommy Breaux to give the Tigers a 14-7 lead with four seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Although the College held an 81-57 advantage in rushing yards at the half, Towson outgained W&M in total yardage, 231-210. Additionally, the Tigers controlled the time of possession 16:19-13:41.

The Tribe evened the score at 14-14 with a touchdown on its opening drive of the second half. The 10-play, 80-yard drive culminated with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Phillips to Hill.

After W&M recovered a fumbled snap by Towson on the first play of the ensuing possession, the Tribe quickly moved 36 yards and scored another touchdown to go ahead, 21-14, when Phillips hit Varno over the middle for a 17-yard scoring strike.

After holding Towson to a three-and-out on its next possession, W&M added a field goal when Pate converted a 29-yard attempt to go ahead, 24-14, with 5:13 to play in the third quarter. The scoring drive’s big play came on a 31-yard pass from Phillips to McAulay along the left sideline.

Derek Cox intercepted Schaefer on the first play of TU’s following possession at the Tigers’ 31 yard line, and Pate later hit a 39-yard field goal to put the Tribe ahead, 27-14, late in the third quarter.

In addition to outscoring Towson 20-0 in the third quarter, the Tribe recorded 203 yards of total offense while limiting the Tigers to negative four yards.

Following an interception by safety Michael Alvarado, the Green and Gold marched 49 yards on seven plays and scored a touchdown when Grimes found the end zone from three yards out to tack on W&M’s final score with 9:20 remaining.

The Tribe will return to action when it hosts Northeastern next Saturday at 7 p.m.

Box Score