HAMILTON – Colgate played a strong second half, outscoring William & Mary 7-6 over the final 30 minutes but it wasn't enough to overcome a 21-point first half deficit as the Raiders fell to the Tribe 27-7.
Colgate's touchdown, the first of the season for the Raiders, came with 12:40 remaining in in the game as quarterback
Harry Kirk took a quarterback draw up the middle and cut to his left for a 23- yard romp. The play capped a seven play 72-yard drive that began at the end of the third period. Rushes by
John Cox of 13, 24 and 4 yards covered more than half the distance in the drive.
The Tribe opened the scoring on its second possession of the first quarter as Donavyn Lester bolted 74 yards up the right sideline for a quick 6-0 lead just under four minutes into the contest. Colgate was able to pick up only three yards on the ensuing possession and following a punt to the William & Mary 17, the Tribe went 83 yards in eight plays covering 3:40 on the clock. Darius Wilson opened the drive with a 43-yard gallop on first down and then covered the final five yards on a quarterback keeper for a 14-0 lead.
William & Mary extended the margin to 21-0 with 5:16 remaining in the first half on a split end reverse by JT Mayo. Mayo started on the right side of the formation and a took the pitch from Lester who was sweeping to the right. The Raider defense couldn't recover from the misdirection and Mayo bolted into the left corner of the end zone.
The Tribe outgained the Raiders 456-262 in total offense. Lester rushed for 117 yards on only 12 carries (9.8 ave.). Wilson also averaged 9.8 yards per carry on six attempts. Colgate rushed for 114 yards with Cox's 38 yards leading the way. Kirk picked up 30 yards on three carries. Kirk and
Grant Breneman each had nine completions for 74 yards for the Raiders, with
Max Hurleman the leading receiver with six grabs for 50 yards.
Jake Spencer had a good day as the Raiders' kickoff return man averaging 25 yards on a pair of returns.
Keshaun Dancy led Colgate with nine tackles including eight solos.
Milton Braasch II and
Trevor Thompson each made eight stops.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Stan Dakosty
"We didn't really play well on either side of the ball in the first half. We challenged our guys to fight in the second half and that's what we did. We made a few adjustments, made less mistakes, and that showed some positives that we have to build off of. Sometimes it just takes a play to spark that.
John Cox had a couple nice runs to get things moving and then
Harry Kirk scored a few plays later. We get some positive momentum and then we start believing. That helps us moving forward.
"We have to focus on ourselves. Getting into Patriot League play is exciting, but at the end of the day it's about us getting better. We have to do that and it doesn't matter who we play next week. We will focus on the details, work hard next week, and keep pushing for that first win."
UP NEXT
Colgate will host Lehigh University in a Patriot League contest on Saturday, September 25, at 1 p.m.
