Noon, ACC Network

William & Mary Tribe (4-1)

Head Coach: Mike London

Conference: CAA (FCS)

Last Game: 14-6 loss to Elon (last week)

The Cavaliers come home after a trip to Chestnut Hill last weekend still searching for their first win of the 2023 season. They have struggled finishing games this year and tomorrow’s opponent comes in with a winning pedigree. Although an FCS opponent, William & Mary has built a great program under former UVa head coach Mike London. The Hampton native is at home in the 757 and has his Tribe team playing good football.

Coming off an 11-win season in 2022, William & Mary is picking up where it left off, starting the season 4-1 with the lone loss coming against Elon last week. The former UVa head coach is hoping to do for the Tribe what he did for his alma mater prior to landing in Charlottesville: Winning a national championship.

This year’s edition of the William & Mary football team relies heavily on the run game. The Tribe rush for 258 yards a game, which ranks fourth nationally. This run-heavy offense is spearheaded by quarterback Darius Wilson. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior from New York is a threat on the ground with 176 yards rushing, but has also thrown for 666 yards and four touchdowns this season. Before injury, Bronson Yoder was the team’s leading rusher. However, Malachi Imoh (5-foot-8, 180 pounds) has filled in nicely. The junior from Winchester has rushed for 475 yards this season, including 136 last week against Elon. Look for 6-foot-2, 240-pound bruiser Martin Lucas to get some carries as well on Saturday. He rushed for 95 yards last weekend.

In the pass game, W&M only has two receivers with double-digit receptions. JT Mayo (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) leads the team with 13 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns, while Imoh is a receiving threat out of the backfield with 12 catches. Look for former E.C. Glass standout DreSean Kendrick to join Mayo at wideout, to.

The Tribe are buoyed by their offensive line, which returns all five starters from last year’s FCS Quarterfinal team. This unit churned out 307 yards last week in their loss against. Elon. Charles Grant (6-foot-4, 280 pounds) anchors the group, as he is a preseason All-American candidate at left tackle. Make no mistake about it: William & Mary is going to run the ball and eat up the clock and hand the game over to its defense, which is an elite unit.

Coming into Saturday, the Tribe D leads the nation in scoring defense (10.8 points per game) and ranks second in total defense, giving up 200 yards per contest in their first five games. Co-DCs Bo Revell and former UVa standout Ras-I Dowling feature their 3-4 defensive scheme with a lot of high-end talent on the roster. They will bring some pressures off the edge and mix up coverages on the backend, but this is a very capable unit.

On the defensive line, W&M is led by Nate Lynn. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound senior from Charlotte has seven sacks in five games. At linebacker, the Tribe feature former Monticello HS quarterback Kevin Jarrell (6-foot-1, 245 pounds) as their leading tackler. However, W&M gets its defensive edge from outside linebacker and 2022 CAA Defensive Player of the Year John Pius. Standing at 6-2, the 235-pounds preseason conference DPOY and All-American simply makes impact plays. He has four sacks this season to go along with eight tackles for losses and four quarterback hurries.

In the secondary, W&M returns three preseason all-conference selections in corners Jalen Jones, Ryan Poole, and Marcus Barnes. At safety, Barnes is the team’s second leading tackler and has forced a fumble and collected an interception this season.

1. Find a way to FINISH.

Finish drives, finish quarters, finish halves, and finish games. This UVa team has not yet come close to playing four quarters of quality, mistake-free football. Regardless of who’s on the field, they need to lock in on the details and complete the mission. Tony Elliott has preached all season that this team needs to learn how to win. Through the 2022 season and five games into 2023, UVa has yet to figure out how to consistently be a winning football team.

2. Be stronger at the point of attack.

Defensively, UVa needs to put together a tough and physical performance to give its offense a chance to succeed. Once again, Elliott preaches complementary football. In this matchup, the defense needs to prevent long drives by this William & Mary offense. The Tribe are going to want to shorten the game and put it in the hands of their defense. UVa’s defense needs to bow up and get off the field on those 3rd and mediums. Jahmeer Carter has to be a dominant player on Saturday afternoon.

3. Don’t settle for field goals.

Tony Muskett had a nice “debut” performance on Saturday at Boston College, as he was able to stay in the game and throw for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Against William & Mary, he needs to lead this offense on touchdown drives.

UVa should have an advantage in the pass game, so the Hoos need Muskett to connect with Malik Washington, Malachi Fields, and Co. in a big way. There will be opportunities for big plays in the secondary.

This game is tough to predict. In most years, you would expect a Power 5 FBS team to roll against an FCS opponent, regardless of ranking. However, this year William & Mary is stout on both lines and has the recipe for an “upset.”

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, have yet to play anything resembling a clean game and their miscues have haunted them each and every week.

I do not think that UVa has a distinct advantage over William & Mary in the trenches, and that’s usually where these games are won by the bigger schools.

Nevertheless, I think UVa is able to scratch across a couple of plays in the pass game and contain a William & Mary offense that is content with running the ball and taking shots. We think the Hoos earn victory No. 1 and head into the bye week with a very tight win over William & Mary.