Tribe Scores Two Second-Half Defensive Touchdowns in Loss

10/29/05 9:05PM

Villanova, Pa. - Villanova quarterback Frank Jankowski threw for 325 yards and
three touchdowns on 25-for-35 passing to lead the Wildcats to a 35-21 upset of
ninth-ranked William and Mary Saturday night at Villanova Stadium.

Jankowski and the Villanova (4-4, 2-3 A10) offense racked up 540 yards of total
offense, and the Wildcatsâ?T defense forced two turnovers and held W&Mâ?Ts (5-3,
3-2) high-scoring attack off balance and in check for most of the evening.

Villanova wide out John Dieser was Jankowskiâ?Ts main target, pulling in 11
receptions for a career-high 182 yards and a touchdown, while Wildcatsâ?T
running back Moe Gibson added a career-high 176 yards rushing and a touchdown on
34 carries.

The Wildcats built a 28-0 third-quarter lead and withstood two Tribe defensive
touchdowns on interception returns to snap W&Mâ?Ts four-game winning streak.

Despite W&M forcing two first-half turnovers, Villanova dominated the opening
two quarters, outgaining the Tribe, 279-96, in total yards in the first half to
take a 14-0 lead at the break. It was the first time W&M has been shut out in
the first half of game since 2003.

The Wildcats opened the gameâ?Ts scoring on their second possession, driving 94
yards on nine plays in just 2:51. The drive was spurred by a 47-yard Jankowski
to Dieser pass that put Villanova at the W&M 37-yard line. Jankowski capped the
drive with his first touchdown pass of the evening, a 15-yard strike to J.J.
Outlaw with 4:49 remaining in the first quarter.

Villanova pushed the advantage to 14-0 in the second quarter on Jankowskiâ?Ts
second scoring pass, a 14-yard toss to tight end Anton Ridley with 2:45 left
before the break.

The second half started much like the first half ended, as W&M could not sustain
any offensive momentum and punted on its first touch of the third quarter. After
Villanova regained possession at its 12, the Wildcats marched 88 yards on nine
plays and pushed the lead to 21-0 on a 23-yard pass from Jankowski to Dieser.

After the Tribe went three plays and out on its next touch, the Wildcats wasted
little time in extending the lead to four touchdowns, as Moe Gibson raced 30
yards for a touchdown to cap a four-play, 71-yard drive that gave Villanova a
28-0 lead with 6:03 remaining in the third quarter.

W&M junior Trevor McLaurin (Wilmington, Del.) gave the Tribe a glimmer of hope
late in the third, intercepting a floating Jankowski pass at the Villanova
14-yard line and taking it the end zone to cut the deficit to 28-7 with 41
seconds left in the period.

The Tribe pulled to within 28-14 on a 37-yard touchdown pass from redshirt
freshman Jake Phillips (Warm Springs, Va.) to senior wide receiver Josh Lustig
(Erie, Pa.) with 7:41 remaining in the game.

It looked like Villanova would effectively run out the clock and put the game
away on its next series, but after the Wildcats ran the clock to under three
minutes and moved deep into W&M territory, senior free safety James Miller
(Norfolk, Va.) stepped in front of a Jankowski pass and raced 80 yards for a
touchdown to pull the Tribe within 28-21 with 2:05 on the clock.

Senior place-kicker Greg Kuehn (Potomac Falls, Va.) executed a perfect onside
kick attempt on the ensuing restart, but after a high hop the ball sailed out of
bounds giving it back to Villanova.

The Wildcats were stuffed on three consecutive running plays, and the Tribe used
all three of its timeouts to stop the clock and force a punt. But, Villanova
punter Adam James pinned the Tribe at its own 3-yard line, and Phillipsâ?T
second pass of the next series was picked off and returned 15 yards for a
touchdown by Rodney Badger to set the final margin at 35-21.

Junior Elijah Brooks (Largo, Md.) paced the Tribeâ?Ts offense with 78 yards
rushing on 14 attempts and added three receptions for 11 yards.

Phillips completed 13-of-33 attempts for 137 yards a touchdown but was picked
off twice. Lustig finished with five grabs for 92 yards.

The Tribe returns to action next Saturday night, hosting defending national
champion James Madison in a 7 p.m. start at Zable Stadium.

Game Notes: W&M was shut out in the first half of a game for the first time
since 2003, when the Tribe trailed Hofstra, 6-0, on Nov. 1 before taking a 23-9
victory â?| VU outgained W&M, 279-96, in the first half â?| W&M senior
place-kicker Greg Kuehnâ?Ts two first-half missed field goals were the most in a
game since the first round of the 2004 NCAA Playoffs, when Kuehn misfired on
three attempts against Hampton on Nov. 27 â?| With four caused turnovers, W&M
brought its season total to 20, surpassing last seasonâ?Ts entire 14-game total
of 19 â?| Trevor McLaurinâ?Ts 14-yard INT return for a touchdown in the third
quarter was McLaurinâ?Ts first-career INT and first-career INT return for a TD
â?| McLaurinâ?Ts TD was W&Mâ?Ts third defensive touchdown of the season â?|
Senior James Miller returned a fourth-quarter INT 80 yards for a touchdown, his
second INT return for a TD of his career â?| Millerâ?Ts TD gave the Tribe two
non-offensive TDs in a game for the first time since the !
2003 season-finale at Richmond, when Miller returned an INT for a score and
Marques Bobo returned a punt 69 yards for a TD â?| With three points on the
evening, Kuehn moved into fourth place on the NCAA Division I-AA career scoring
list for kickers with 328 points â?| Villanova held a 12-minute advantage in
time of possession (36:00-24:00), a Tribe opponent season-high.