WILLIAMSBURG — Among the distinguishing characteristics of William & Mary football in 2025 are few turnovers and penalties, and invariably close games. The formula worked perfectly in front of 12,841 on Saturday at Zable Stadium for homecoming, as the Tribe defeated Elon 26-21 in a Coastal Athletic Association game.
Although it fell behind by double digits in the first half, the Tribe (4-3, 3-1 CAA) hung tough and played cleanly — four penalties for 30 yards and zero turnovers being typical numbers for a team highly ranked nationally in both categories. By contrast, an interception the Tribe cashed in for three points and a snap out of the end zone by Elon (4-4, 2-2) for a safety accounted for the five-point difference.
The Tribe clinched its second consecutive win — and third in five games decided by seven or fewer points — on sophomore linebacker Clayton Dobler’s 12-yard sack of Phoenix quarterback Landen Clark on fourth-and-7 at the W&M 45 with 1:47 remaining. Tribe coach Mike London related that to the five opportunistic points his team scored.
“It’s huge,” he said. “With the safety and things like that, now they have to go for a touchdown driving the field.
“Not having penalties, that’s been a focal point for us, a discipline thing, and so far we’ve been pretty good with that. Turnovers are critically important, all part of it when you give the ball back to the offense.”
The only glaring mistakes the Tribe made put W&M in a double-digit hole in the first half. Clark (184 yards passing, 83 yards and a TD rushing) threw touchdown passes of 24 yards to Zimere Winston and 47 yards to Nansemond-Suffolk Academy graduate Isaiah Fuhrmann, both ridiculously open.
“That was two blown coverages that (defensive backs) got the initial call, but didn’t see the additional parts (of the call),” London said. “We’ll get that corrected.”
William & Mary linebacker Clayton Dobler (55) sacks Elon quarterback Landen Clark (11) during a game at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)
In between the first and second touchdown passes, safety David Roulley from Ocean Lakes High made an interception at the Elon 40 as Clark threw a harried pass following a poor center snap. Backup quarterback Noah Brannock, called on briefly after starter Tyler Hughes’ slow start, passed for 26 yards to Deven Thompson to the Elon 3, setting up Keegan Shackford’s 22-yard field goal for W&M’s first points.
The Clark-to-Fuhrmann touchdown pass pushed the Elon lead to 14-3. Hughes (19-of-25 passing for 190 yards and two TDs) regained his form and led the Tribe on a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive in just 1:32 late in the first half.
Hughes completed 6 of 7 passes on the drive. He also escaped the pocket, and a would-be tackler in the open field, on a 23-yard run, then passed 16 yards to Thompson (three catches, 81 yards, two TDs) on a fade for a touchdown to make it 14-10 with 24 seconds to go before the half.
Thompson, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound transfer from Stetson, made a spectacular catch on the 39-yard touchdown pass from Hughes that gave the Tribe a 17-14 lead on its first possession of the second half. Elon safety DJ-James Hamilton got a hand on the ball, but Thompson snatched it from him and fell in the end zone for the score.
“Yes, he did get his hand on it, but I just had to control it with my left hand and pin it with my right,” Thompson said. “I pinned it on his helmet after he tipped it.
“My mindset is ‘When you see ball, get ball.”
Following the safety that increased the W&M lead to 19-14, Jor’dyn Whitelaw returned the free kick 37 yards to the Elon 46. Hughes passed 40 yards to Damian Harris on the next play, then soon ran 6 yards to give the Tribe a 26-14 lead with 1:51 left in the third quarter.
Clark ran 1 yard for a touchdown with 4:48 left in the fourth quarter, capping a 75-yard Elon drive, to make it 26-21. But Dobler’s sack capped an effort by the defense that drew the praise of London, happy that CAA championship and FCS playoff hopes remain alive.
“We know that every game at this point is a series of whether you stay in (contention) or you’re out of it,” he said. “The goal is always to win the championship, or an opportunity perhaps to play in the postseason.”
