LEWISBURG, Pa. (Sept. 1, 2018)—The William & Mary football team opened the 2018 season with a 14-7 victory at Bucknell on Saturday evening.
 
After Bucknell (0-1) tied the game at 7-7 early in the fourth quarter, W&M (1-0) answered on its ensuing possession when quarterback Shon Mitchell connected on a short pass to wideout DeVonte Dedmon who raced down the field for a 75-yard touchdown with 11:55 remaining.
 
The Bison had three more possessions down the stretch, the final of which ended at W&M's 41-yard line when the game clock expired with a 10-second runoff for an injured player.
 
The Tribe's other score came on a 2-yard touchdown run by Mitchell midway through the first quarter, which capped off a 15-play, 68-yard drive that opened the contest.
 
En route to limiting Bucknell to just one score, W&M's defense held the Bison to just 257 total yards and forced two turnovers.
 
Tribe Standouts
In addition to helping account for both of W&M's touchdowns, Mitchell completed 21 of 32 passes for 267 yards with an interception. 
 
Dedmon was one of nine Tribe players to record at least one catch and finished the contest with three receptions for 125 yards, including the game-winning 75-yard touchdown. Wideout Jack Armstrong (5-50) and tight end Nick Muse (5-48) also came up big in the passing game.
 
Running back Albert Funderburke led the rushing attack with 61 yards on 17 carries.
 
Defensively, linebacker Arman Jones totaled a career-high 10 tackles with a TFL, while safety Isaiah Laster recorded an interception in the end zone to halt a Bucknell scoring opportunity on the Bison's first drive. W&M's other forced turnover came when safety Corey Parker recovered a fumble caused by cornerback Nate Lewis near midfield with 4:16 left in the fourth quarter.
 
Safety Gage Herdman provided a special teams highlight with a blocked punt midway through the third quarter.
 
Inside the Numbers
W&M outgained BU, 348-257, and recorded nearly twice as many first downs (20-11). Additionally, the Tribe held nearly a 15-minute advantage in time of possession (37:25-22:35).
 
W&M was especially dominant in the opening half when it outgained Bucknell, 226-93, and controlled the time of possession, 22:43-7:17.
 
In addition to posting a touchdown on the game's opening possession, W&M had multiple scoring opportunities in the first half. However, Kris Hooper missed a 44-yard field goal, which would have been a career long, and a 43-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Dedmon was negated due to an illegal blocking penalty.
 
Bucknell's lone red zone opportunity resulted in its only score of the contest.
 
The Opposition
Running back Marquis Carter rushed for a game-high 81 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown, while quarterback John Chiarolanzio completed 20 of 32 passes for 143 yards with an interception.
 
Wide receiver Brandon Sanders recorded a team-high four catches for 59 yards.
 
Defensively, safety Joe Lauro (11) and cornerback Bryan Marine (10) both registered double digit tackle totals.
 
Notes
W&M has won 33 of its last 34 games versus non-conference FCS opponents in the regular season … Four Tribe players earned their first career starts (left tackle Griffin Gilder, right tackle Colby Sorsdal, linebacker Alex Purviance, cornerback Nate Lewis) … Sorsdal became just the third W&M true freshman offensive lineman to earn a start, joining Bob Solderitch (1982) and Cody Morris (2003) … True freshman offensive lineman Marcus Crowell also played and joined Morris and Sorsdal as the only W&M offensive linemen to see action as true freshman dating back through 1989 … DeVonte Dedmon totaled 138 all-purpose yards and passed Alvin Porch to move into eight on W&M's career list (3,296) … Kicker Jake Johnston made his collegiate debut after redshirting last season and recorded touchbacks with all three of his kickoffs ... The win marked just the third time in the last 17 years that the Tribe has won its season opener … W&M improves to 6-0 all-time versus Bucknell and is 4-0 all-time in Lewisburg … W&M has won 14 of its last 16 games when leading at halftime and improves to 28-3 when leading after three quarters dating back to the start of the 2013 season … The Tribe improves to 14-5 during the month of September during the last five seasons … W&M is now 25-9 all-time against Patriot League opponents.
 
Up Next
The Tribe will return to action when it plays at No. 20 Virginia Tech next Saturday at 2 p.m.