RICHMOND — William and Mary coach Jimmye Laycock described himself as “disappointed” following Saturday’s 20-9 loss to Richmond. He also must have been fairly surprised.
Not necessarily that the Tribe lost — these Spiders aren’t as easy to squash as the ones that crawl across your floor. But with how it lost, and how ineffective his team was in areas that had been strengths all season.
Quarterback Steve Cluley was intercepted three times, two more than he had thrown in the season’s first 10 games. An offensive line that had become the team’s cornerstone offered no push, resulting in a season-low 95 rushing yards and Cluley being under constant duress.
A defense that had defined solid all year couldn’t get a handle on UR tailback Jacobi Green (217 yards on a career-high 36 carries) or get off the field when it mattered at Robins Stadium.
The result: a blown chance to clinch W&M’s first outright Colonial Athletic Association championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. The No. 7 Tribe (8-3, 6-2) remains likely to make the field as an at-large team, but it wasn’t able to throw a postgame celebration Saturday.
“I don’t think we were nearly to the level we had been in most of our games this year, specifically on the line of scrimmage,” Laycock said. “We certainly didn’t come close to controlling either side, and that was probably as big a factor as any. And it caused some other things to escalate from there.
“Steve was under more pressure today than he’s used to being under, and I think that affected some of his decision-making. … I don’t know. One of those days, I guess.”
The CAA’s regular season ended in a three-way tie for first place: No. 14 Richmond (8-3, 6-2), No. 7 W&M and No. 12 James Madison. Because the Spiders went 2-0 against the Tribe and Dukes, they won the tie-breaker and automatic bid.
That bid, and probably a first-round bye, were there for the Tribe’s taking. Instead, W&M made a season’s worth of mistakes.
A critical swing came late in the first half after W&M’s Keanu Reuben recovered a fumble at the Richmond 20-yard line. W&M trailed 7-3 at that point but had an opportunity at reclaiming the lead. Instead, Cluley was intercepted on the next play.
The Tribe was able to make it a 7-6 game at halftime on Nick Dorka’s 51-yard field goal on the final play. But to start the third quarter, Richmond went 75 yards on seven plays — all first or second down — to make it 14-6.
After W&M answered with another field goal, Richmond had a third-and-10 from its 20. A stop would have been huge. Instead, unable to find a receiver, UR quarterback Kyle Lauletta scrambled for 11 yards.
UR followed that by converting third-and-7 and third-and-5. Lauletta then threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Diggs, a Surry County High graduate, to make it 20-9.
“We weren’t stopping them on third down,” W&M safety DeAndre Houston-Carson said. “And we weren’t stopping the run.”
Richmond looked like a team with more on the line, and it was. A loss would have been the Spiders’ third straight, making for a tense lead-up to the selection show.
“We had an awful lot to play for,” Richmond coach Danny Rocco said. “We may have had to win to get in the postseason. Let’s make it very clear: We earned our way in.”
Richmond did what it had to do, especially on defense. Tribe backs Kendell Anderson and Mikal Abdul-Saboor came in averaging a combined 185 yards a game. They didn’t even get half that (91 on 24 carries) Saturday.
“We didn’t get as much push as we’re used to up front,” Abdul-Saboor said. “They were playing eight in the box, so it was hard to get some running lanes. Our guys have been great all season and we definitely believe in our O-line. We’ll work hard this week and get back to what we’re used to.”
Cluley’s remarkable interception rate (one every 141 throws coming in) had plenty to do with an offensive line that had allowed one sack the last five games. The Tribe gave up only one Saturday, but Cluley saw more pressure than he had in weeks, if not all season.
“We wanted to make him feel uncomfortable and take away his easy throws,” UR linebacker Trevor Jones said. “He’s not afraid to let his guys make plays for him, but we tried to make him win the game (for W&M).”
William and Mary will find out its opponent during ESPNU’s selection show at 11 a.m. Sunday. The Tribe will watch on a big-screen television at Kaplan Arena. The public is invited.
Johnson can be reached by phone at 757-247-4649.
