WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary football team fell to Lafayette, 19-14, at Zable Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
W&M (3-7, 1-6) built a 14-0 lead in the first half, but Lafayette (4-5, 3-3) scored 19 unanswered points to earn the road conference victory.
The Tribe had an opportunity to mount a late comeback after forcing a three-and-out and taking possession at the Lafayette 42-yard line with 2:01 remaining. However, W&M was unable to gain any yardage and turned the ball over on downs.
Quarterback Winston Watkins connected with wide receiver Carson Jenkins on a 68-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter to give the Tribe an early lead. Running back Andrew King extended the advantage to 14-0 with a 39-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.
King led the Tribe with 96 rushing yards on 17 carries, adding a touchdown, while Jenkins finished with two receptions for 71 yards and a score.
Defensively, linebacker Elijah Rainer recorded a career-high 14 tackles and a half sack. Fellow linebackers Ryan Matheny (12 tackles), Christopher Higgins (11 tackles, one sack) and Stephon Hicks (11 tackles, half sack) also posted double-digit tackle totals. Rainer added a forced fumble that Matheny recovered.
Punter Carter Boyd averaged 45.1 yards on nine punts, pinning Lafayette inside its own 20-yard line five times. His final punt traveled a career-long 71 yards and pinned the Leopards at their own 3-yard line with 3:07 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Lafayette quarterback Jason Penza led the Leopards with 140 rushing yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. He also threw the go-ahead 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mason Kuehner with 4:41 remaining.
Placekicker Jack Simonetta converted both field goal attempts for Lafayette, including a 44-yard kick early in the fourth quarter that narrowed the Tribe's lead to 14-13.
Defensively, linebacker Callahan Blair paced the Leopards with seven tackles, 2.0 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss.
Lafayette outgained William & Mary, 401-275, including a 201-61 advantage in total offense in the second half.
The Tribe returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Bucknell for Senior Day at Zable Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
