THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511120262
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
William and Mary won't be heading to the Division I-AA playoffs this year, while Richmond still has a chance to go.
But Saturday at Zable Stadium, the Tribe left little doubt as to the identity of the better team, handling the 13th-ranked Spiders rather routinely, 27-7, in front of 12,779.
William and Mary ended a frustrating season with a 7-4 record, 5-3 in the Yankee Conference, and with its seventh consecutive win over its oldest rival. The Richmond-William and Mary series, the oldest in the south, dates to 1898.
``The season's been so up and down, we just wanted to come out and prove we're a quality football team,'' offensive tackle John Teza said.
Richmond coach Jim Reid was convinced.
``I can't believe William and Mary's season is over,'' Reid said. ``That was by far the best football team we've played all year.''
Richmond (7-2-1, 5-2 Yankee) has been one of the nation's most surprising I-AA teams, scoring several improbable victories and seemingly finding a way to win each week.
But with both its starting quarterback and its starting tailback out of commission Saturday, Richmond ran out of luck. The Spiders scored on the game's first possession to take a 7-0 lead but didn't get close to the end zone after that.
Yet Reid didn't pin the loss on the missing players. He said backup quarterback Joe Elrod, who started last year, is a virtual clone of missing starter Jason Gabrels. And Antoine Lee, a wide receiver starting at tailback in place of Minoso Rodgers, gained 62 yards on 14 carries.
``Where we didn't get it done was up front,'' Reid said. ``They dominated the line of scrimmage.''
William and Mary limited Richmond to 193 total yards, more than 100 below its average. Richmond managed just 33 yards passing.
Gabrels, who has rushed for more than 600 yards this season, was serving a one-game suspension after being charged with assault after an on-campus fight. Elrod started in his place, but left the game in the third quarter after taking a knee to the helmet. That put the offense in the hands of redshirt freshman Mat Shannon, who had not taken a snap all season.
After Richmond jumped up 7-0, William and Mary scored on consecutive possessions to make it 14-7 with 2:20 left in the first quarter.
A 44-yard punt return by Darren Sharper set up William and Mary's next score, a 5-yard pass from tailback Derek Fitzgerald to Josh Whipple with 4:51 remaining in the half.
A steady rain began falling at halftime. William and Mary managed just two first downs in the second half, Richmond three.
``We played well defensively, but they've also got a good defense, and in the second half we kind of played like the weather - dreary,'' Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock said. ``But it was a good win. What are they ranked? Thirteenth? And we handled them fairly easily.''
The Tribe got 94 yards rushing from Fitzgerald and four catches for 91 yards from Whipple. Sharper returned four punts for 97 yards and also had an interception.
Richmond plays at Villanova next week. A win could get the Spiders into the Division I-AA playoffs. William and Mary, with 19 starters returning this year, had expected to be playoff-bound also. But the Tribe opened with a loss to Virginia, then lost a close game to James Madison. They were also upset by Massachusetts and lost by three points to Delaware, the nation's fourth-ranked team.
``There were no weeks off, and no blowouts,'' Laycock said. ``A couple of plays here and there and we could have been 10-1, or 9-2.
``I want the players to feel like they've accomplished something, and they have.'' by CNB