GREENSBORO, N.C. (Courtesy of William & Mary Athletics) – The No. 24 William & Mary football team earned an impressive 45-7 victory at North Carolina A&T on Saturday afternoon.
W&M (6-3, 3-2) scored on seven of its first eight drives, which included six touchdowns, en route to earning the lopsided conference win. The Tribe scored on all but two of its possessions during the contest and did not punt until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Tribe led 28-0 at halftime and extended the margin to 35-0 before the Aggies (1-8, 0-5) got on the scoreboard midway through the third quarter.
Quarterback Darius Wilson completed 16-of-21 passes for 242 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for 64 yards on nine carries with another score to lead W&M’s offensive attack. His outstanding effort helped him pass Stan Yagiello for second on the Tribe’s all-time list for total yards (8,423).
Much of Wilson’s production came in the opening half when he completed 9-of-14 passes for 158 yards with two touchdowns, while he also tallied 39 rushing yards on five carries with a touchdown.
Running back Malachi Imoh also came up big offensively with 71 rushing yards on seven carries with two scores and recorded a 9-yard touchdown reception. Bronson Yoder rushed for 73 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown.
Hollis Mathis posted a career-high 10 receptions for 121 yards, while tight end Sean McElwain recorded three catches for 96 yards, highlighted by a 58-yard touchdown.
Defensively, linebacker Alex Washington totaled a team-high eight tackles, including seven solo stops, with a TFL. Safety Marcus Barnes also came up big with six stops and an interception in the end zone that halted a NCAT scoring opportunity. It marked the second consecutive game in which Barnes picked off a pass in the end zone.
Defensive lineman Ty Gordon and linebacker Christian Hamm both registered sacks.
Placekicker Eric Bernstein kicked a career-long 50-yard field goal for the Tribe’s final score in the fourth quarter.
The Tribe outgained NCAT, 489-246, and utilized a balanced attack – totaling 251 yards through the air and 238 yards on the ground. It marked the sixth time in the last seven games W&M has totaled more than 400 yards of total offense.
W&M scored touchdowns on all five of its trips into the Red Zone, converted 7-of-10 third downs and dominated the time of possession by nearly 10 minutes (34:17-25:43).
Shimique Blizzard led the Aggies with 132 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown, while Kade Moledor posted a team-high 13 tackles.
W&M will return to action when it hosts Elon at Zable Stadium next Saturday at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at TribeAthletics.com.