Two of the top conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision, this year and for most of this century, have been the Colonial Athletic Association and the Big Sky.
On Saturday, the champions of the CAA play at the champions of the BSC as the fourth-seeded Montana State Bobcats host a quarterfinal game in the FCS Playoffs against fifth-seeded William & Mary.
Montana State moved into the round of eight for the third fall season in a row thanks to a 33-25 win over Weber State in which the Bobcats rushed for 388 yards and saw All-American running back Isaiah Ifanse return for the first time this season.
William & Mary’s 13th conference title has the Tribe into the FCS playoffs for the 11th time, including the first time since 2015. Last week’s 54-14 win over Gardner-Webb was the eighth playoff win in program history.
Montana State and William & Mary play for the first time on Friday night at Bobcat Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m.
QUICK HITS
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Nickname: The Tribe
Founded: 1693, making The College of William & Mary the second-oldest college in the country, behind only New College, which was founded in 1636 and is now known as Harvard.
William and Mary is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III and Queen Mary II is also the ninth-oldest in the English-speaking world. Institutional rankings have placed it among the best public universities in the United States.
The college educated American presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler. It also educated other key figures pivotal to the development of the United States, including the first President of the Continental Congress Peyton Randolph, the first U.S. Attorney General Edmund Randolph, the fourth U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, Speaker of the House of Representatives Henry Clay, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Winfield Scott, sixteen members of the Continental Congress, and four signers of the Declaration of Independence. Its connections with many Founding Fathers of the United States earned it the nickname “the Alma Mater of the Nation”.
George Washington received his surveyor’s license from the college in 1749 and he would become the college’s first American chancellor in 1788. The position was long held by Bishops of London and Archbishops of Canterbury, though in modern times has been held by U.S. Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet Secretaries, and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Benjamin Franklin received William & Mary’s first honorary degree in 1756.
Enrollment: 9,507 students, including 6,543 undergraduates. The school as a $1.3 billion endowment.
Stadium: The Tribe plays at Walter J. Zable Stadium. WM averaged 9,540 fans per game in six home games with a season-high of 12,506 on hand to see a 27-21 win over then-No. 6 Delaware.
THE TEAM (11-1 this season)
The Coach: Mike London, fourth season at William & Mary.
London has been a fixture in the Hampton Roads region for quite some time. The 62-year-old from West Point, New York played his college ball at Richmond (1979-1982) and started his coaching career with the Spiders in 1989 after a brief stint playing for the Dallas Cowboys.
London was the defensive line coach at William & Mary from 1991 until 1994, then returned to Richmond in 1995 for two seasons, which would become a theme of his career. He spent 1997 until 2000 at Boston College before taking the defensive line coach job at Virginia in 2001, which would also become a theme.
In 2005, London spent a season in the NFL with the Houston Texans before returning for two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Virginia. In 2008, London took over as the head coach at his alma mater.
That first season leading the Spiders, London led Richmond to the 2008 FCS national championship. The Spiders defeated the University of Montana 24-7 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to earn the first national championship in any sport for the university.
By 2010, that success helped land London a Power 5 head coaching job. He served as the head coach at Virginia for six seasons. He also was the head coach at Howard in 2017 and 2018 before returning to William & Mary.
He is 85-75 as a head coach including an impressive 6-1 in the FCS playoffs.
WHAT TO WATCH — THE OFFENSE
Darius Wilson, quarterback, 6-3, 190, sophomore — the native of the Bronx, New York has been a model of efficiency this season, completing 66 percent of his passes for 2,190 yards and 16 touchdowns. The southpaw, who was the CAA Rookie of the Year last season, has rushed for 522 yards and four touchdowns as well.
Colby Sorsdal, offensive tackle, 6-6, 310, senior — Sorsdal is the leader and the most talented player on a stout, impressive offensive front that London called “the caltalyst of our team” earlier this week.
Sorsdal was an all-league selection the last two years and exploded into All-American form this season. He was named first-team All-American by Hero Sports on Thursday.
The Tribe offensive line has helped the squad rush for a school record 3,320 yards and average 277 yards per game on the ground, the fourth best average in the nation. William & Mary is averaging 6.1 yards per rush and have given up 0.58 sacks a game, the top mark in the FCS.
“Obviously, there are dynamic players who help you win,” London said in a W&M press release. “But when you have an offensive line that can establish a run game and protect the quarterback, that’s a tremendous thing.
“To me, our offensive line has been the catalyst of a lot of things that are going on, particularly in the running game and the ability to throw the ball downfield. They’ve done a fantastic job.”
Bronson Yoder, running back, 5-11, 205, senior — Yoder has been the most prolific back in William & Mary’s three-back attack, rushing for 1,133 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has six 100-yard games this season.
Sophomore Malachi Imoh is a 5-foot-8, 185-pound slasher who’s rushed for 709 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 8.6 yards per carry. Donovyn Lester is a 6-2, 210-pound senior who has rushed for 533 yards and eight touchdowns.
WHAT TO WATCH — THE DEFENSE
John Pius, linebacker, 6-2, 230, sophomore
The stud from nearby Arlington, Virginia has had some monster games so far this season on the way to leading the Tribe in total tackles (71) and earning Sophomore All-American honors from Hero Sports. Pius had 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks against Charlotte plus 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks against Lafayette. He has 11. 5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss this season, plus 12 quarterback hurries.
Jalen Jones, defensive back, 6-0, 185, freshman
The rookie corner is a Freshman All-American this season after leading the Tribe with four interceptions. He had three picks against Campbell in the second game of the season.
Nate Lynn, defensive end, 6-3, 255, junior
Lynn has been the best play-making defensive lineman on W&M’s defense. He has 55 tackles, six sacks and 10 tackles for loss plus 11 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
