ELON, N.C. (Oct. 7, 2017)—The William & Mary football team nearly rallied back from a 20-point second half deficit but fell at No. 18/23 Elon, 25-17, on Saturday afternoon.
 
Although W&M (2-3, 0-2) trailed 23-3 at halftime, it outscored the Phoenix (5-1, 3-0) 14-0 during the third quarter to draw within six points as the teams entered the final stanza.
 
However, the Tribe's final scoring threat ended late in the fourth quarter when its offense stalled at Elon's 13-yard line and was forced to attempt a field goal, which missed wide left with 4:26 remaining.
 
The Tribe's next possession ended with a safety, while its final drive concluded near midfield when the clock expired on a sack.
 
Tribe Standouts
Freshman running back Nate Evans posted his third consecutive impressive effort and totaled 77 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown, which came with 1:06 left in the third quarter and cut the margin to just six points. It marked the third straight game in which he has rushed for a touchdown.
 
Sophomore quarterback Brandon Battle saw his first significant game action and completed 11-of-21 passes for 155 yards with his first career touchdown pass, which he threw to sophomore tight end Riley Wilson with 4:17 left in the third quarter. The score was Riley's first career catch. Junior wideout Isaiah Kinder led all W&M receivers with four catches for 61 yards.
 
Defensively, junior linebacker Josh Dulaney totaled eight tackles, a sack and 2.5 TFL, while sophomore defensive end Gavin Johnson posted 1.5 sacks and 2.5 TFL to go with his five tackles. Sophomore safety Isaiah Laster also came up big with an interception, while sophomore linebacker Nate Atkins finished with a team-high nine stops.  
 
Inside the Numbers
Although W&M allowed no offensive points in the second half and outgained the Phoenix, 180-63, during the final 30 minutes, Elon outgained the Tribe, 319-271.
 
W&M's defense held Elon to just 12 first downs and limited the Phoenix to 4 of 14 on third down situations. The Tribe limited EU to just two first downs in the second half.
 
However, Elon scored on all four of its trips into the red zone – three of which ended with touchdowns.
 
Additionally, the Phoenix defense posted 7.0 sacks and 10.0 TFL.
 
The Opposition
Tailback Malcolm Summers rushed for 81 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns, while quarterback Davis Cheek also found the end zone on the ground. Davis also completed 12 of 16 passes for 179 yards.
 
Kortez Weeks accounted for half of Elon's receptions with six catches for 66 yards.
 
Defensively, T.J. Speight totaled a game-high 10 tackles, while Marcus Willoughby and Dondre Howell both posted 2.0 sacks apiece.
 
Notes
The game marked the second consecutive contest in which W&M trailed by at least 20 points in the second half and nearly rallied back … The Tribe has outscored its opposition 32-9 during the second half of its last two games … W&M's defense held Elon to just 2 yards in the third quarter … W&M converted both its fourth down attempts … Sophomore running back Albert Funderburke made his season debut and rushed for 20 yards on six carries … Placekicker Kris Hooper kicked a 40-yard field goal late in the second quarter, which was just 2 yards shy of equaling a career long … Elon evens the all-time series with W&M, 2-2 … The game was W&M's first outside the Commonwealth of Virginia this season.
 
Up Next
The Tribe will return to action when it plays at Delaware next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
Join the excitement of Homecoming 2017 with premium seats! TribeAthletics.com has released a limited number of premium bleacherback seats to the Homecoming Game with James Madison. Previously unavailable to the general public, the tickets cost $35. To purchase tickets, visit TribeAthletics.com/FBTixs or call 757-221-3340.
 
Be sure to follow @TribeAthletics on social media (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) for another important #WMHomecoming announcement next week.