William & Mary at North Carolina Central

William & Mary at North Carolina Central

This is Missed It. William and Mary at North Carolina Central, Saturday, October 10, 68 and overcast at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, with the Tribe. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a crisp afternoon for Tribe football, and we've got a big one ahead. William and Mary comes in at two and four, and North Carolina Central sits at two and four as well. Both teams need this one, and the Eagles get the ball first. We're on the road, we're hungry, and we need to start fast. Let's see what we're made of.

Q1

The Eagles take the field first, and our defense is ready. They push forward, but we hold them in check early. Then it happens. A punt. Our punt. And it's blocked. Jack Reuter scoops it up and returns it 10 yards for the touchdown. Just like that, we're down seven. The crowd is buzzing, but not for us. We've got to answer. The Eagles get the ball back and put together a solid drive, but our defense stiffens and forces a punt. Now it's our turn. We take over and try to get something going, but we can't sustain it. Four plays and we're punting it right back. We need to find a rhythm. North Carolina Central gets the ball again, and they're moving. But then, a gift. Dobson takes the handoff, rushes middle for 3 yards, and the ball comes loose. Dobler forces the fumble, and Rainer recovers it at the North Carolina Central 35. We've got the ball in their territory. This is our chance. We take over and try to make something happen. Four plays, and we're lining up for a field goal. But it's no good. We come away empty-handed. The missed field goal stings, but we're still in this. The Eagles take over and march down the field. They're methodical, eating clock. But our defense holds in the red zone, and they miss a field goal of their own. We escape the quarter down just seven, but we've got work to do.

Q2

We start the second quarter with the ball, but we can't convert on fourth down. Turnover on downs. The Eagles take over, and they're driving. Addison rushes left for 20 yards, getting them into our territory. Then Jones finds Addison again, a short pass that goes for 18 yards down to our 3-yard line. They're knocking on the door. Jones keeps it himself, rushes middle for 1 yard, and it's a touchdown. The extra point is good, and we're tied at seven. We get the ball back, but we can't get anything going. Punt. The Eagles take over and drive, but our defense holds and forces a turnover on downs. Now we've got the ball, and we're trying to take the lead before the half. Watkins drops back and fires deep left to Mullins, a 31-yard completion that gets us into their territory. We're moving. But then, disaster. Watkins throws a pass that's intercepted by Martin II at the North Carolina Central 3, and he returns it 42 yards to the North Carolina Central 45. The half ends with the score tied at seven.

Halftime

We're tied at seven at the break, and it feels like we should be ahead. The play that turned this half was that 18-yard pass from Jones to Addison that set up their touchdown. Before that, we were in control. Now we're even, and we need to come out in the second half and take this game over. We've had our chances, but we've let them slip away. The defense has been solid, but we need the offense to find its footing. We need to be sharper, more aggressive, and we need to put points on the board.

Q3

We get the ball to start the second half, and we're trying to make a statement. We drive down the field, but we come up short on fourth down. Turnover on downs. The Eagles take over, but we force a quick punt. Now we're back on offense, and this time, we're not letting it slip away. Chavis rushes middle for 13 yards, and a personal foul penalty on North Carolina Central moves us even closer. We're in their territory. Then Watkins drops back and finds Honesty short left, a 16-yard pass that goes for the touchdown. The kick is good, and we've got the lead, 14 to 7. But the Eagles answer right back. Thompkins takes the handoff and rushes middle for 69 yards. Touchdown. Just like that, we're tied again at 14. That one stings. We had the momentum, and they took it right back. We get the ball and try to respond, but we can't get anything going. Punt. The Eagles take over, but our defense forces another punt. We get the ball back with a chance to take the lead before the end of the quarter, but we can't convert. Punt. The quarter ends with the score tied at 14.

The Sequence

This is where the game is decided. The fourth quarter, tied at 14. The Eagles get the ball first, but our defense holds and forces a punt. Now it's our turn. We take over and start to move. King rushes middle for 2 yards to the North Carolina Central 24. Then Watkins throws incomplete, broken up by Davis. We're facing a field goal attempt. Lipinski lines up from 41 yards out. The snap is good, the hold is good, and it's through the uprights. We've got the lead, 17 to 14. But the Eagles aren't done. They take over and start driving. Dobson rushes left for 9 yards. Then Thompkins rushes middle for 7 yards and a first down. They're moving into our territory. They're setting up for a field goal. Daniels lines up from 32 yards out. The snap is good, the hold is good, and it's... no good. We escape. The lead is still ours. We get the ball back and try to run out the clock. We drive, but we can't sustain it. Punt. The Eagles get the ball back with under a minute to go. They need a touchdown. Thompkins drops back and throws deep middle to Wall, a 25-yard completion that gets them into our territory. They're driving. But our defense holds. Fourth down. They can't convert. Turnover on downs. We take over and kneel it out. The game is over. We win, 17 to 14.

Wrap-up

What a game. We came in at two and four, and we leave at three and four. The Eagles fall to two and five. We found a way to win on the road, and that's what matters. Our defense came up big when we needed it most, and Lipinski's field goal was the difference. We're back in the win column, and we're moving in the right direction. Let's keep it going. Go Tribe.

By the Numbers

The Tribe by the numbers. Final score, William and Mary 17, North Carolina Central 14. 221 yards of offense to their 439, 106 through the air and 115 on the ground. 13 first downs. 3 of 14 on third down. 2 turnovers for us, 1 for them. We held the ball for just over 26 minutes.

Outro

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

William & Mary at North Carolina Central

This is Missed It. William and Mary at North Carolina Central, Saturday, October 10, 68 and overcast at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, with the Eagles. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a crisp afternoon here as the William and Mary Tribe roll into town to face our North Carolina Central Eagles. Both teams come in at two and four, and you can feel the weight of that in the air. This is a game that tells us who we are. We've got the ball first, and the crowd is ready to make some noise. Let's go to work.

Q1

We start with the ball, and the drive is moving. Six plays in, and we're feeling good. But then the punt team comes out, and the snap, the block, the chaos. Jack Reuter is there, and he scoops it up and takes it ten yards to the house. The blocked punt, the return, the touchdown. Seven to nothing, Eagles. The crowd erupts. That's how you start a game. That's how you set a tone. We're flying right now. We get the ball back after that score, and we're driving again. Eleven plays, chewing clock, moving the chains. But it stalls out, and we have to punt it away. Still, we're up seven, and the defense is playing with fire in their eyes. William and Mary gets the ball, and they go three-and-out. Four plays and they're punting it right back to us. This is exactly what we wanted. We're controlling the game, we're physical, we're in their heads. We take over, and we're moving again. Four plays in, and then it happens. Dobson takes the handoff, cuts middle, and he's fighting for yards. Three yards, and then the ball comes out. Fumbled. Dobler forces it, Rainer recovers it for William and Mary at our own thirty-five. Just like that, the momentum shifts. The crowd goes quiet. We gave it right back to them. William and Mary takes over in our territory, and they're knocking on the door. Four plays, and they line up for a field goal. The kick is up, and it's no good. We dodged a bullet. The defense held, and we get the ball back with a chance to extend the lead. We take over and we're driving again. Eleven plays, eating up the rest of the quarter. We're moving the ball, we're in their territory, and we're knocking on the door as the quarter ends. Seven to nothing, Eagles, and we've got the ball with a chance to make it a two-score game.

Q2

The second quarter starts, and we're still driving. But William and Mary's defense stiffens, and we come up empty on fourth down. They take over, and they're moving. Five plays, and they're driving, but our defense holds and forces them to give it back on downs. We're still up seven. We get the ball back, and this is where the game starts to turn. Nine plays, and we're methodical. Addison takes the handoff, cuts left, and he's gone. Twenty yards to the William and Mary forty-eight. First down. We're in business. The crowd is on its feet. Then Jones drops back, and he finds Addison again. Short right, caught at the three, and he's out of bounds. Eighteen yards. First down at the three. This is it. This is our chance to put some distance between us and them. Jones keeps it himself, rushes middle, and he's in. One yard, touchdown. The kick is good, and it's fourteen to nothing. We're rolling. The crowd is deafening. That's how you answer. William and Mary gets the ball back, and they're desperate. Five plays, and they're punting it away. We take over, and we're trying to put this game away. Eight plays, but we come up short on downs. We give it back to them. They take over, and Watkins drops back. He throws deep left to Mullins, caught at the forty-one, and it's a thirty-one-yard gain. First down. They're in our territory now, and you can feel the tension. But our defense holds, and they have to give it back on downs. We take over with a chance to add to the lead before the half. Ten plays, and we're driving. But we come up short on downs again. We give it back to them with seventeen seconds left. Watkins drops back, and he's looking downfield. He throws, and Martin II is there. Intercepted at our own three, and he's returning it. Forty-two yards to the forty-five. The crowd is losing it. That's how you end a half. We go into the break up fourteen to nothing.

Halftime

Seven to seven at the break. Let's be honest, that's not where we wanted to be. We were up fourteen to nothing, and we let them back in. The play that turned it was that eighteen-yard pass from Jones to Addison, caught at the three. It set up our touchdown, and for a moment, it felt like we were in control. But we couldn't finish drives, and they found a way to get on the board. We need to come out in the second half and be the team we were in that first quarter. We need to be physical, we need to be sharp, and we need to put this game away.

Q3

The second half starts, and William and Mary has the ball. Six plays, and our defense holds. They're punting it away. We take over, and we're trying to get something going. Four plays, and we're punting it right back. We're stuck in the mud. William and Mary takes over, and they're moving. Chavis rushes middle for thirteen yards, and then a personal foul on us. Fifteen yards. They're in our territory, and you can feel the momentum shifting. They're driving, and they're not stopping. Watkins drops back, and he finds Honesty short left. Caught at the one, and he's in. Sixteen yards, touchdown. The kick is good, and it's fourteen to seven. They've taken the lead. The crowd is stunned. We gave it all back. But we're not done. We take over, and we need an answer. Four plays. That's all it takes. Thompkins takes the handoff, rushes middle, and he's gone. Sixty-nine yards. Touchdown. The kick is good, and it's fourteen to fourteen. The crowd is back in it. That's how you respond. That's how you show your heart. William and Mary gets the ball back, and they're trying to answer. Nine plays, but our defense holds. They're punting it away. We take over, and we're trying to take the lead. Four plays, and we're punting it right back. We can't get anything going. William and Mary takes over, and they're trying to drive before the end of the quarter. Four plays, and they're punting it away. We get the ball back as the quarter ends. Fourteen to fourteen. It's anybody's game.

The Sequence

The fourth quarter starts, and we have the ball. Five plays, and we're punting it away. We can't get anything going. William and Mary takes over, and they're driving. King rushes middle for two yards to our twenty-four. Then Watkins drops back, and he throws short middle to Johnson, but Davis breaks it up. Incomplete. They're setting up for a field goal. Lipinski lines up from forty-one yards out. The kick is up, and it's good. Seventeen to fourteen, William and Mary. They've taken the lead, and the clock is ticking. We need an answer. We take over, and we're driving. Dobson rushes left for nine yards to their thirty-one. Then Thompkins rushes middle for seven yards to their twenty-nine. First down. We're in field goal range. This is it. This is our chance to tie it up. Daniels lines up from thirty-two yards out. The kick is up, and it's no good. The crowd groans. We had our chance, and we missed it. William and Mary takes over, and they're trying to run out the clock. Eleven plays, but our defense holds. They're punting it away. We get the ball back with a minute left. We're in our own territory, and we need a miracle. Thompkins drops back, and he throws deep middle to Wall. Caught at the thirty, and he's out to the thirty-five. Twenty-five yards. First down. We're moving. But time is running out. We're driving, but we can't get into the end zone. Seven plays, and we come up short on downs. William and Mary takes over, and they kneel it out. The game is over.

Wrap-up

Final score, William and Mary seventeen, North Carolina Central fourteen. We had our chances, and we couldn't finish. We're two and five now, and that one stings. We were up fourteen to nothing, and we let it slip away. We have to learn from this. We have to be better. The series moves on, and we have to find a way to get back in the win column.

By the Numbers

The Eagles by the numbers. Final score, North Carolina Central 14, William and Mary 17. 439 yards of offense to their 221, 157 through the air and 282 on the ground. 21 first downs. 9 of 19 on third down. 1 turnover for us, 2 for them. We held the ball for just under 34 minutes.

Outro

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