The first of two fourth-quarter interceptions from junior cornerback Aaron Swinton and an onside kick gamble that paid off sparked William and Mary Saturday to rally from an 11-point deficit against Delaware on homecoming at Zable Stadium.
With the game and possibly any hope of an FCS playoff berth in dire jeopardy, the Tribe surged from behind to outscore the Blue Hens 21-3 in the final quarter for a 24-17 victory, ending a three-game skid for its first first Colonial Athletic Association win.
Vital were Swinton’s initial pick that came in the end zone on third down with William and Mary (3-4, 1-3) trailing 14-3, and the Tribe’s onside kick recovery following a 1-yard Kendell Anderson touchdown run to pull within 14-10 with 9:05 left.
The onside kick could have reflected William and Mary coach Jimmye Laycock’s confidence in redshirt freshman kicker Kris Hooper, who started for the third-consecutive week in place of injured starter Nick Dorka.
“That shows me that we haven’t won a conference game and I said we better do something to shake this doggone thing up a little bit,” Laycock said. “That’s what that showed me. Sometimes you can’t just play it by the books. Sometimes you have to roll it.”
After sophomore receiver Jack Armstrong recovered the onside kick, the Tribe marched 54 yards and went ahead 17-14 with a 4-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Steve Cluley, who was 4 for 4 on the drive and finished 24 for 31 for 204 yards and no interceptions.
A 9-yard run by Anderson on fourth-and-1 at Delaware’s 27 kept the drive alive. Anderson finished with 115 yards on 27 carries.
Then Swinton iced it for the Tribe with a 63-yard interception return for touchdown with 1:43 to play to put William and Mary ahead 24-14.
The throw from Delaware redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Walker came on third-and-6 as he threw across the field to his left, near the left hash mark.
Swinton, who suffered a season-ending injury the first week of the 2015 campaign, snagged it and sped down the sideline. The Lancaster, Pa., native shed a two-handed tackle attempt at Delaware’s 12-yard line before pouncing into the end zone to electrify the crowd of 11,713.
“I knew it was coming,” Swinton said, “just waited there and he threw the ball. From that point, my teammates did a great job blocking and we got it done.”
Swinton’s first pick, on third-and-6 from the Tribe’s 14, brought William and Mary back to life after it had struggled to convert offensively, going 4 for 10 on third downs entering the fourth quarter.
Laycock said, “They score there — the way we weren’t moving the ball then — it didn’t look good. … That was huge.”
It set up an 11-play, 80-yard drive that included a steady dose of Anderson and passes from Cluley to redshirt freshman receiver Jalen Christian for gains of 29, 5 and 12 yards. Junior receiver DeVonte Dedmon also had grabs of 7 and 14 yards before Anderson trotted over the goal line standing up.
Christian, a South Carolina transfer, has battled injuries throughout the season and easily had his best showing with a game-high seven catches for 83 yards.
Delaware kicker Frank Raggo added a field goal with eight seconds left, but William and Mary recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt to end it.
Ahead 7-3 at halftime, Delaware scored with 6:17 to play in the third quarter on a 34-yard touchdown run by Walker, who finished with 109 rushing yards.
William and Mary capped the opening drive of the game with a 42-yard field goal from Hooper, his second of the season.
Delaware answered on its opening drive when sophomore receiver Jamie Jarmon found the end zone for the Blue Hens, taking a handoff from Walker and running left on a sweep for 9-yard score to put Delaware ahead 7-3.
The Tribe is off next week before it hosts Maine Oct. 29.
“We just have to carry the momentum,” Cluley said. “We have to make sure we don’t lose that momentum and have a great week of practice next week. … We have a four-game stretch where we have to win four games. We’ll take it one at a time and get going.”
Holtzman can be reached by phone at 757-298-5830.
