Holy Cross at William & Mary

Holy Cross at William & Mary

This is Missed It. Holy Cross at William and Mary, Saturday, October 3, 65 and overcast at Walter J. Zable Stadium, with the Crusaders. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a big one for us today, Crusaders fans. We come in at one and four, William and Mary sits at two and three, and we've got the ball first. We need this one. Plain and simple. A win today gets us back to two and four, keeps us breathing in the race, and gives this team something to build on. Let's see what we're made of.

Q1

We open with the football, and we waste no time. Twelve plays to start the game, and we're marching. Then, at the nine thirty-six mark, Lynch drops back, scans, and finds Curran on a short pass to the left. Curran catches it at the goal line, fourteen yards, and he's in. Touchdown, Crusaders. Saraceno's kick is good, and just like that, it's seven to nothing. That's how you answer the bell. But William and Mary answers right back. Two plays. That's all it takes. Watkins drops back, throws deep left to Johnson, and Johnson hauls it in at our thirty-eight. Seventy-five yards. Just like that, it's tied at seven. You hate to see it, but we've got a game on our hands. We take the ball back and put together a ten-play drive that stalls, but Saraceno knocks through a field goal. Ten to seven, us. Then our defense steps up. William and Mary is driving, Watkins completes a short pass to Blee, and Blee is running. But Jones strips the ball, and Baldwin is right there to recover it at the William and Mary twenty-eight. Turnover. That's the kind of play that changes games. And we make them pay. Williams takes a rush left for five yards, and the William and Mary defender gets flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, moving us to the two. That's a momentum swing if I've ever seen one. Then, with the clock showing fourteen eleven, Williams takes it right, two yards, and he's in. Touchdown. Saraceno's kick is good. Seventeen to seven, and we're rolling.

Q2

William and Mary gets the ball back and starts moving. Watkins hits McElwain on a short pass, and we get flagged for a face mask, fifteen yards. That's a big down, a costly mistake, and it gives them life. Then another penalty on us, holding, ten yards, and they're in our territory. But our defense holds. They push all the way down, they set up for a field goal, and they miss it. Huge. We dodge a bullet there. We get the ball back, but we can't do anything with it. Five plays, punt. William and Mary takes over, but our defense is locked in. Four plays, and we stop them on downs. We're not letting them breathe. Then we take over, and we strike fast. Two plays. Croce takes a rush up the middle, one yard, and he's in. Touchdown. Saraceno's kick is good. Twenty-four to seven. That's how you close out a half. We're up by seventeen, and we've got all the momentum in the world.

Halftime

Let's take a breath, Crusaders fans. Twenty-four to seven at the half, and we're in control. The play that turned this half? That fumble recovery by Baldwin. We were tied at seven, William and Mary was driving, and Jones forced that fumble. We took over, punched it in, and never looked back. That's the kind of play that wins games. Now we need to keep our foot on the gas. We can't let them back in this. We need to come out, stay aggressive, and put this one away.

The Sequence

The second half starts, and we're looking to put this game away. William and Mary gets the ball first, but our defense holds. Eleven plays, and they're punting. We take over, and we're moving. But then, at the thirty-one mark, Lynch drops back and throws. Roulley steps in front of it. Interception. He returns it eight yards, and we get flagged for a personal foul on top of it. Fifteen more yards. That's a turnover that could shift everything. William and Mary takes over with good field position, but the clock runs out on the half. They get the ball to start the third, and on their fourth play, we force a turnover. Huge. We take over, and we go to work. Six plays, and Lynch finds Curran again, this time on a short pass to the right. Seven yards, and Curran is in. Touchdown. Saraceno's kick is good. Thirty-one to seven. That's the dagger. William and Mary tries to answer. Eight plays, but they're punting. We take over, but we can't convert. Six plays, and we turn it over on downs. Then William and Mary finally gets something going. Watkins throws deep right to Austin, twenty-eight yards, and he's in. Touchdown. The kick is good. Thirty-one to fourteen. They're not going away quietly. We take over, and we're trying to answer. Seven plays, and we're moving. Williams takes a rush up the middle, fifteen yards, and then it happens. He fumbles. Ratliff forces it, Rainer recovers. Turnover. That's a mistake we can't afford. But we're still up by seventeen, and we've got the defense to hold.

Q4

The fourth quarter starts, and William and Mary has the ball. Eight plays, and they're punting. We take over at the twelve thirty-one mark, and we're looking to put this game to bed. Lynch drops back, throws short right to Williams, and Williams takes it thirty-six yards. First down. Then Williams takes a rush right for twenty-four yards, out of bounds. We're in business. We keep grinding. Fifteen plays on this drive, and we're wearing them down. Then, at the five fifty-three mark, Jones takes a rush right for twelve yards, and he's in. Touchdown. Saraceno's kick is good. Thirty-eight to fourteen. And then, on the kickoff, we force another fumble. Baldwin recovers. We're not letting up. We take over at the William and Mary twenty-seven, and we're looking for more. We push it down, and Saraceno lines up for a field goal from thirty-nine yards. It's good. Forty-one to fourteen. That's the ballgame. William and Mary gets the ball back, but they're not doing anything. Five plays, and we stop them on downs. We take over, and we're just running out the clock. Swanson takes a rush left for no gain, but it doesn't matter. We punt, and William and Mary gets one last chance. They're moving a little, but they get flagged for a personal foul, and it kills their drive. Seven plays, and we stop them on downs. We take over, kneel it out, and that's the game.

Wrap-up

Final score: Holy Cross forty-one, William and Mary fourteen. We win by twenty-seven. That's a statement. We're now two and four, and William and Mary drops to two and four as well. We came in needing this one, and we got it. We're back in the race. That's all that matters tonight, Crusaders fans. We got the win, and we're moving forward.

By the Numbers

The Crusaders by the numbers. Final score, Holy Cross 41, William and Mary 14. 389 yards of offense to their 251, 186 through the air and 203 on the ground. 26 first downs. 7 of 12 on third down. 2 turnovers for us, 3 for them. We held the ball for just under 38 minutes.

Outro

That was Holy Cross at William and Mary, from the Crusaders side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.