WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary found itself in a slugfest Saturday for the second consecutive week to begin the 2025 football season.

Unlike in their opener, the Tribe landed all of the key punches down the stretch, getting the defensive stops and offensive production needed to rally for a 28-27 win over Maine in the Coastal Athletic Association opener for both.

Rashad Raymond scored the game-tying touchdown for the Tribe on a 1-yard plunge with 3 minutes, 11 seconds remaining. Next, holder Andrew Piercy did a clutch job of quickly pulling down a high snap for kicker Keegan Shackford to boot through the point-after that proved to be the winning point.

Then the preseason All-Americans clinched the victory for the Tribe (1-1 overall, 1-0 CAA). Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, linebacker Luke Banbury tipped a pass by Black Bears quarterback Carter Peevy into the hands of cornerback Jalen Jones to clinch the home-opening victory for W&M.

But it was a clutch stop earlier in the fourth quarter, followed by a pair of spectacular runs from quarterback Tyler Hughes (13-of-19 passing for 129 yards, 10 carries for 72 yards), that made the late-game heroics possible.

The Black Bears held a 24-21 lead midway through the fourth quarter and were poised to put the game on ice, thanks to a 23-yard run by Sincere Baines (87 yards rushing) to the Tribe 7-yard line. But linebacker Harrison Johnson dropped Peevy (98 yards rushing) for a 2-yard loss on first down, then stopped him for a 4-yard gain to the 5 on second down.

Following a third-down incompletion by Peevy — harried by defensive end Nathaniel McDonald, an Atlantic Shores Christian graduate — the Bears settled for a short field goal and a 27-21 lead with 7:09 to play. The Tribe countered with the game-winning 65-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by Hughes runs of 25 and 20 yards — escape acts when it appeared the Bears had him stopped.

The finish was a contrast to the opener, when the Tribe failed to score on their final three possessions as Furman drove for three consecutive field goals to pull out a 23-21 victory. The Tribe started slowly Saturday following a lightning delay effectively two hours long (the opening three minutes were played between two delays).

Peevy adroitly operated the run-pass option in the first half — when he covered 75 yards on six carries, the Bears rolled to a 14-0 lead. He converted twice on fourth-down RPOs on a 15-play, 66-yard touchdown drive in the opening quarter — the first an 11-yard run, the second a 1-yard touchdown pass to Baines.

His 45-yard touchdown run that made it 14-0 in the second quarter was an RPO on fourth-and-1. Hughes’ 26-yard pass to Garrett Robertson on a flea-flicker led to his 23-yard touchdown pass to Deven Thompson. Peevy runs of 14 and 11 yards set up a short field goal to give Maine a 17-7 halftime lead.

Stephon Hicks’ punt-block on the first series of the second half gave the Tribe new life, leading to Hughes’ 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sean McElwain that cut the Maine lead to 17-14. The Tribe drove 55 yards on their next possession, Hughes passes of 16 yards to Isaiah Lemmond and 20 yards to McElwain setting up Josh Miller’s 2-yard touchdown run. That gave W&M a 21-17 lead with 8:04 to play in the third quarter.

The Black Bears reasserted control via a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by Peevy’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Scott Woods (six receptions, 48 yards) that pushed Maine back in front 24-21 late in the third quarter.  When the Bears forced a punt early in the fourth quarter, then mounted the long drive to the Tribe 5, W&M appeared to be on the ropes.

This time the Tribe punched back.

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/09/07/william-mary-fights-back-overtakes-maine-in-a-caa-thriller/