WHERE: Zable Stadium, Williamsburg, Va.
KICKOFF: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
ALL-TIME SERIES: William & Mary leads, 7-6.
LAST MEETING: Oct. 29, 2017, won by Maine, 23-6.
LAST WEEK: Maine defeated Rhode Island, 38-36; William & Mary lost to Towson, 29-13.
WHEN MAINE HAS THE BALL: With the return of redshirt freshman RB Ramon Jefferson, look for the Black Bears to try to re-establish their running game against a run defense that ranks last in the CAA (218.5 yards per game). Jefferson will provide a nice balance to Joe Fitzpatrick’s inside runs with his big-play threat. QB Chris Ferguson threw for career highs in completions and yards last week, so expect the Black Bears to continue to take their shots down field. Micah Wright, Jaquan Blair and Devin Young are all capable of breaking a deep one.
WHEN WILLIAM & MARY HAS THE BALL: The Tribe suffered a blow when wide receiver DeVonte Dedmon suffered an injury last week. He’ll miss this game. William & Mary struggles to run the ball, ranking last in the CAA, and is going up against the nation’s second-best run defense. So if the Tribe are going to beat the Black Bears, it’s most likely through the air. And that means the William & Mary offensive line, which has allowed 24 sacks, somehow must contend with Maine’s pass rushers, who led the CAA with 26 sacks.
KEY STAT: 50 tackles for a loss this season by Maine’s defense, 10th among the nation’s FCS teams.
OUTLOOK: Maine should have a big advantage. But William & Mary actually led co-CAA leader Towson at the half last week and can pose a threat with some imposing line play. W&M defensive lineman Bill Murray blocked two kicks last week and has three in the last two. And Maine, for all its last-second field goal heroics, has had two field goals blocked this season. Look for Maine’s pass rushers to put a lot of pressure on the Tribe, who played two quarterbacks last week. Maine’s run defense should handle William & Mary, but the Black Bears have to keep the big pass plays to a minimum. Offensively, Maine should have an advantage running the ball, especially with the return of Jefferson.
OF NOTE: In addition to Jefferson, Maine is getting back several other injured players, including center Chris Mulvey (hand) and defensive linemen Alejandro Oregon (ankle), Jamehl Wiley (shoulder) and Andrew Stevens (hip) … The Black Bears have won the last four games between the schools … Maine is ranked 16th and 20th in the two national FCS polls … William & Mary head coach Jimmye Laycock is retiring at the end of this season, his 39th with the Tribe.
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