Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Ethan Hyman / TNS
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Grant Halverson / Getty Images
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Ethan Hyman / AP
Ethan Hyman / AP
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Daniel Sangjib Min / AP
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Grant Halverson / Getty Images
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
P. Kevin Morley/Richmond Times-Dispatch
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Andrew Shurtleff / AP
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Ethan Hyman / AP
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
P. Kevin Morley/Richmond Times-Dispatch
Andrew Shurtleff / AP
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Grant Halverson / Getty Images
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Ethan Hyman / AP
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Ethan Hyman / AP
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Andrew Shurtleff / AP
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Aileen Devlin / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Ethan Hyman / AP
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Grant Halverson / Getty Images
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
P. Kevin Morley/Richmond Times-Dispatch
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Sarah Holm / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
An often disappointing 2016 football season ended on a high note for William and Mary, which defeated Richmond 34-13 in their Colonial Athletic Association game Saturday at Zable Stadium to reclaim the Capital Cup for the first time in five years.
No one was shrouded more in glory for the Tribe (5-6) on Senior Day than 5-foot-9, 200-pound senior running back Kendell Anderson. Anderson ran 42 times for 219 yards, carrying 25 times in the third and fourth quarters as the Tribe rallied from a 13-6 halftime deficit to win behind a dominant, ball-hogging run attack.
“It’s been kind of an up-and-down year, some things better than others,” Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock said. “It’s been tough, but we hung in there and hung in there and played hard. That’s what we did today, played hard and very consistently.
“We had a lot of guys that just really laid it on the line really good today. I’m happy for them, happy for our seniors and our entire team that they could wrap up the season on this kind of note.”
For No. 7-ranked Richmond (8-3), the regular-season ending could hardly have been more sour. Not only did the loss likely cost the Spiders a ranking in the top eight and a bye in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, they probably lost the best quarterback in the CAA for what’s left of their season.
Kyle Lauletta had a solid first half (7 of 11 for 107 yards) while staking the Spiders to the 13-6 lead and surpassing 3,000 yards in the air for the season, in addition to setting a program record for completions. But the Spiders’ chances of victory and their season took a sharp turn for the worse when he injured the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee while sliding on a run late in the first half.
Spiders coach Danny Rocco said he does not expect Lauletta to return for the rest of the season. His replacements, Jake Clise and Reid Chenault, were a combined 1-of-5 passing for 11 yards, with an interception.
“They’re not the same team without him, I’ll be the first to admit that,” Laycock said. “But you (still) had to play the game, and we did very well.”
Senior quarterback Steve Cluley began the Tribe’s march to victory with a masterful display on the Tribe’s first drive following the second-half kickoff — completing 5 of 6 passes for 61 yards on a 68-yard touchdown drive. Warhill High product DeVonte Dedmon made a nice run after the catch for a 26-yard gain on the drive.
Four plays later, Cluley connected with tight end Andrew Caskin for a 5-yard touchdown. Richmond maintained a 13-12 lead as Winston Craig blocked the point-after try.
Two plays after the kickoff, W&M cornerback Aaron Swinton intercepted a pass by Clise and returned it to the Spiders’ 18. Two holding penalties moved the Tribe back, but a targeting penalty on Richmond linebacker Justin Rubin for his hit on Cluley gave the Tribe an automatic first down on third-and-30.
Richmond coach Danny Rocco, who disagreed with the call, said it was a game-changer. Anderson made sure that was true.
Anderson followed with runs of 19 and 4 yards, the latter for a go-ahead touchdown. Cluley’s 2-point conversion run increased the Tribe lead to 20-13 with 8:50 to play in the third quarter.
Anderson ran 12 times for 59 yards on the Tribe’s next drive. That last of his nine consecutive carries was for a 3-yard touchdown that gave the Tribe a 27-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Cluley’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Caskin was the icing on the cake. The day, however, clearly belonged to Anderson, who surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the season and 3,000 for his career.
“Hats off to big guys like (6-foot-8, 305-pound right tackle Jerry Ugokwe) and the other offensive linemen,” Anderson said. “I can’t do what I do unless they’re blocking well, and they blocked pretty well today.
“That allowed me to just run, and I had to take on safeties, which is a lot better than taking on D-linemen and linebackers. At the beginning of the season I was banged up, and to finish off the season the way we did and to have the game I did – there’s no better way to go out.”
O’Brien can be reached by phone at 757-247-4963.