As trainers carted Jerry Ugokwe off the Unitas Stadium field last November, William and Mary football coach Jimmye Laycock couldn’t avoid the thought: His team’s entire starting offensive line, a group with so much promise and youth, was wiped out by injury.
“That was pretty discouraging,” Laycock said.
Ya think? The Tribe contended for the playoffs and rose to No. 10 in the Championship Subdivision polls with a national-caliber tailback, emerging quarterback and above-average defense. What might the ceiling have been were the offensive line not cursed?
With training camp set to begin later this month, William and Mary faithful may soon find out.
Sure, the Tribe lost some key personnel from last season’s 7-5 squad, most notably All-America defensive end Mike Reilly and all-conference receiver Tre McBride. But most everyone else returns, including tailback Mikal Abdul-Saboor, linebacker Luke Rhodes and quarterback Steve Cluley.
Oh, and all five of those offensive linemen, led by center Andrew Jones, the unit’s lone senior and a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection in 2014.
Excuse them if they need some time to get reacquainted. Jones, guards Domenic Martinelli and Connor Hilland, and tackles Chris Durant and Ugokwe last started together Oct. 11, against New Hampshire. Jones was the only one to participate in spring practices.
Entering his 36th season leading his alma mater, Laycock is Division I football’s longest-tenured active head coach. Never before has he witnessed such carnage on the offensive line.
The group’s individual and collective talent is clear. But the nuanced teamwork and instinctive reactions that define the most effective fronts won’t magically reappear and need to be rediscovered during preseason drills and scrimmages.
“All those guys should be back and should be healed and should be ready to go,” Laycock said. “If that is the case, we’ve got a chance to have a pretty good offensive line. If that’s the case, and we’ve got Abdul-Saboor back there? He did a remarkable job last year with the piecemeal line we had.”
The fragmentation commenced in the season’s fourth game, a victory over Lafayette that Durant missed with a shoulder injury, Hilland with a concussion. Lower-leg ailments subsequently shelved Martinelli and Ugokwe, plus Hilland after he returned from his concussion, while Jones sustained an undisclosed injury in the next-to-last game, a victory at Towson in which Ugokwe also was hurt.
Durant and Martinelli missed five games each, Hilland four. Neither Ugokwe nor Jones started the finale, a loss to Richmond that doomed William and Mary’s playoff aspirations.
Such instability can ruin an offense, and while the Tribe averaged a modest 25.2 points, sixth among the CAA’s 12 teams, Abdul-Saboor still led the conference with 115.1 rushing yards per game. Most impressive, he averaged a stout 5.1 yards per carry and shared the league lead with 12 rushing touchdowns.
Credit goes to Abdul-Saboor, whose intellectual appearance — he wears stylishly large eyeglasses and is pursuing his MBA — belies his ability to churn for extra yards. He totaled 1,266 yards last year and as a senior rates a good bet to become only the second back in program history with consecutive seasons of 1,200-plus yards — Alvin Porch in 1996 and ’97 was the first.
And credit also goes to reserve linemen such as Jared Templeton, Nick Easter and Baron Goodman. Templeton and Easter are seniors and again should provide valuable depth.
Where line stability could most help William and Mary is with the passing game. Laycock and offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers have impeccable credentials there, and Cluley showed flashes in 2014 as a sophomore.
Cluley played much of the season banged up, a foolproof way to earn teammates’ respect but hardly ideal. Among the culprits was sketchy pass protection. He was sacked 35 times for 269 yards in losses, and the only CAA team to allow more sacks per game was Maine.
“We’ve got to get better in the passing game than we were last year,” Laycock said. “I think Steve will be fine, and if those guys stay healthy, our protection will be better. That would be a big thing.”
An XXL thing for a program that’s missed the playoff four consecutive years since a 2010 CAA championship. The last two seasons were especially maddening for players and coaches, with the Tribe one victory away on each occasion and derailed by a combined five setbacks of a touchdown or less.
West Virginia, Villanova and Towson in 2013. Villanova and James Madison in ’14. Reverse any of those defeats and the playoffs are at hand.
“You mention it but you don’t harp on it,” Laycock said. “I don’t dwell on it. Just dwell on what you have to do to get better. Players figure it out.”
“I’m confident going into the season,” Abdul-Saboor said. “Having the entire offensive line back is big. We have a lot of guys who are hungry, a lot of guys who are motivated. Unfortunately we’ve ended our last two seasons …”
His voice trailed off. He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to.
“Finish has been our motto,” Abdul-Saboor said. “We’re there, and I think we’re ready to turn the curve and take it to the next level.”
David Teel can be reached at 757-247-4636 or by email at dteel@dailypress.com. For more from Teel, read his blog at dailypress.com/teeltime and follow him at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP.
