WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Sept. 30, 2017)—The William & Mary football team nearly rallied back from a 21-point second-half deficit but was edged by Stony Brook, 21-18, in its conference opener at Zable Stadium on Saturday evening.
W&M's (2-2, 0-1) final drive ended with a false start penalty at Stony Brook's (4-1, 3-0) 17-yard line in the waning seconds, as the penalty included a 10-second runoff that concluded the hard-fought contest.
Trailing 21-0 late in the third quarter, the Tribe began its comeback bid with a 34-yard field goal by sophomore
Kris Hooper with 4:36 showing in the third frame. A pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, coming on a 3-yard run by freshman tailback
Nate Evans with 11:12 left and a 21-yard strike from junior quarterback
Tommy McKee to sophomore wideout
Chris Conlan with 7:54 remaining, helped W&M draw within a field goal. Conlan's touchdown was followed by a successful 2-point conversion on a pass from junior wide receiver
Isaiah Kinder to McKee.
W&M's final drive was one of two offensive possessions in the waning minutes, as it also took over at its own 30-yard line with 3:44 left but turned it over with an interception on the first play of the series.
Tribe Standouts
Evans recorded a career-high 162 all-purpose yards, as he finished with 82 rushing yards on 14 carries and a touchdown to go with a team-high five catches for 80 yards.
Sophomore linebacker
Arman Jones totaled a team-high nine tackles with 2.0 TFL, while sophomore linebacker
Nate Atkins matched Jones' tackle total and recovered a fumble. Senior defensive tackle
Isaiah Stephens posted a sack and 2.0 TFL, while sophomore defensive tackle
Bill Murray tallied a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery – all of which came on the same play.
Inside the Numbers
Although W&M recorded more first downs that SBU (20-18), the Seawolves outgained the Tribe, 382-300, and held a significant advantage on the ground, 200-88. W&M entered the game allowing just 72.0 rushing yards per game, which ranked 10th nationally.
The Seawolves were penalized nine times for 97 yards, all of which came during the second half.
Both teams committed two turnovers apiece, as SBU lost a pair of fumbles while W&M was intercepted twice.
The Opposition
Tailback Stacey Bedell rushed for 104 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown, while tailback Donald Liotine rushed for 42 yards on 11 carries with a score.
Quarterback Joe Carbone completed 12-of-17 passes for 182 yards, which included a 61-yard touchdown pass to Liotine.
Defensively, John Haggart posted seven tackles and 3.0 sacks.
Notes
W&M's defense held SBU to just 49 total yards on its last four possessions … Conversely, the Tribe piled up 258 of its 300 total yards on its final five possessions … Conlan's touchdown catch was the first reception of his career … Stephens has recorded a sack in three consecutive games … Evans has posted a rushing touchdown in each of the last two contests and is averaging 85.5 yards per game on the ground during the stretch … W&M's successful 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter marked the second time in its last five games dating back to last season that it has converted a 2-point attempt … The loss was W&M's first against Stony Brook, as it won the first three matchups in the series … The Tribe has lost seven consecutive games following its bye week … The loss was just the third for W&M in its last 13 home games … W&M's two turnovers matched its total through the first three games this season, as the Tribe entered the game ranked fourth nationally in fewest total turnovers … SBU's two touchdown runs were twice as many allowed by W&M during the first three contests this fall, as the lone rushing score allowed came in the opener at Virginia … W&M lost the opening coin toss for the first time this season.
Up Next
The Tribe will return to action when it plays at Elon next Saturday at 2 p.m.
