KINGSTON, R.I. - The fifth-ranked William and Mary football team established a school record by allowing -46 rushing yards and junior running back Courtland Marriner rushed for three touchdowns as the Tribe earned a 39-14 victory at Rhode Island on a windy Saturday afternoon in Kingston.

With the victory, W&M improves to 7-1 and owns its best record through eight games since 1986. Additionally, the Tribe improves to 4-1 in conference play for the second consecutive season.

In addition to setting a school record in rushing defense, the Tribe outgained the Rams (1-7, 0-5), 374-149. W&M's defensive unit also allowed just 11 first downs and held the Rams to just 3-of-16 on third-down conversions.

Senior quarterback R.J. Archer was efficient and completed 18-of-23 passes with a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Cam Dohse recorded a game-high six catches for 76 yards, while senior tight end Rob Varno recorded four catches and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Tribe earned season highs with six sacks and 14 tackles for a loss. Senior All-American defensive end Adrian Tracy tallied 3.5 tackles for a loss and a sack, while sophomore defensive end Marcus Hyde had 3.0 TFL, two sacks and a forced fumble. Junior defensive tackle Michael Stover also came up big with 3.0 TFL and a sack.

Junior punter David Miller made a significant impact on special teams and averaged 48.7 yards per punt (six punts), while registering a career-long 71-yard punt early in the fourth quarter.

After taking over at the Tribe's 26-yard line following a bad snap on a W&M punt attempt, Rhode Island recorded the contest's initial points when quarterback Chris Paul-Etienne connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Shawn Leonard with 7:38 showing in the first quarter. Highlighting the short drive was a 9-yard completion from Paul-Etienne to Joe Bellini on a fourth-and-nine from 13-yard line.

The College evened the contest later in the quarter when Marriner capped off a four-play, 36-yard drive with a 9-yard cutback touchdown run up the middle. Dohse helped key the short drive with a pair of catches.

The Tribe took its first lead on an 18-yard touchdown run by junior running back Terrence Riggins up the middle with 5:44 remaining in the second quarter. In addition to completing all three of his passes for a total of 30 yards, Archer posted a 17-yard run on the 7-play, 70-yard drive.

Archer engineered another scoring drive on the Tribe's next possession, as he connected with Varno on 4-yard touchdown strike with just 14 seconds remaining in the half to put W&M ahead, 21-7. Archer threw for 50 yards on the 13-play, 67-yard drive that lasted 3:13. Facing a fourth-and-7 at URI's 22-yard line and moving into a strong wind, Dohse recorded a key 8-yard reception over the middle to help keep the scoring drive alive.

W&M's defensive unit was dominant in the first half, allowing just 56 yards of total offense and five first downs. The Tribe was especially tough against the run and held the Rams to -9 yards rushing on 15 carries.

The Tribe took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 67 yards on eight plays into the end zone to extend its lead to 27-7. Marriner capped off the impressive drive when he bounced out to the right side for a 16-yard touchdown run with 11:06 showing. Most of the College's yardage on the drive came via the ground, as sophomore Jonathan Grimes and Marriner piled up 30 and 28 yards, respectively.

The Green and Gold pushed the margin to 30-7 on a 19-yard field goal by Pate with 3:05 remaining in the third quarter. Pate's 15th field goal of the season was helped set up with a 36-yard reception by Dohse on the left sideline. The 11-play, 74-yard drive looked to be stalled with a 3-and-out, but URI was penalized for being off sides on the Tribe's punt attempt.

Marriner scored his third rushing touchdown of the afternoon on a 39-yard reverse down the URI sideline with 12:32 remaining in the contest that increased W&M's lead to 37-7.

The Tribe tacked on its final score of the afternoon when junior Kyle O'Brien recorded a safety with 3:29 remaining, while Rhode Island's Paul-Etienne threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Leonard with 1:29 left.

The Tribe will return to action when it hosts Towson next Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Box Score