Central Football Falls at #7 William and Mary on Saturday Night

The Central Connecticut State University football team dropped to 1-1 on the season with a 33-14 loss on the road at #7 William and Mary on Saturday night. Senior running back James Mallory scored twice and rushed for 56 yards in the loss. CCSU trailed 30-14 at the half and held the Tribe to just three second half points. CCSU could not overcome a pair of costly turnovers in the game. CCSU is off next week and will travel to Columbia on Sept. 26 at 12:30 p.m.

"This is a very good football team," head coach Jeff McInerney said following the game. "We had too many self-inflicted wounds in this game to come away with the win. We had too many turnovers, those little things add up."

The Tribe took a 16-0 lead in the first quarter, including a safety after CCSU quarterback Hunter Wanket fumbled at his own five yardline and the Blue Devils recovered in the end zone. Tribe quarterback R.J. Archer scored the first touchdown of the game on a one-yard run with 7:56 on the clock. Following the safety the Tribe led 9-0.

The Tribe's Cortland Marriner scored on a 37-yard touchdown run to complete the scoring in the first quarter and give the Tribe the 16-0 lead.

CCSU got on the board with an eight-play, 64-yard drive to open the second quarter. Mallory scored from five yards out to cap the drive and make it 16-7.

But the Tribe answered quickly, needing just two play to go 65 yards to up their lead to 23-7.

Central struck again, this time with a 14-play, 68-yard drive, led by senior quarterback Aubrey Norris. Mallory scored again, this time from eight yards out, to cut it o 23-14 with 3:50 left before halftime.

William and Mary answered before halftime with an eight-play drive that took three minutes off the clock and made it 30-14 before the break. D.J. McAulay caught a 21-yard pass from Archer for the score.

Neither team could get in the end zone in the second half, and a field goal by Brian Pate in the third quarter provided the only scoring.

Mallory's two scores give him 21 in his career, moving ahead of former Blue Devil Justise Hairston on the all-time scoring list. He now has 126 points in career, good for eighth all-time in school history.

Jeff Marino led the Blue Devil defense with 14 tackles in the game, including six solo and one for a loss. Alondre Rush had 10 stops in the loss. Marcus Dorsey had his second interception of the season in the third quarter. Linebacker Isaiah Boddie had four stops, one for a loss, and a forced fumble.

"We have to continue to compete and stop making those mistakes," McInerney said. "If we can get rid of those mistakes we can be a very good football team. We played a good team tonight and you can't make those kind of mistakes against that team and expect to win."

CCSU is off next week and plays again on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Columbia beginning at 12:30 p.m.