William & Mary Tribe
Overall Rank: #2
#1 Colonial
William & Mary Team Page
2010 Record: (8-4, 6-2)
2010 Postseason: FCS Playoffs
Coach: Jimmye Laycock (208-145-2 at William & Mary, 208-145-2 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Jonathan Grimes, RB, 887 yards
Passing: Michael Paulus, QB, 883 yards
Receiving: Ryan Moody, WR, 731 yards
Tackles: Dante Cook, LB, 111
Sacks: Marcus Hyde, DE, 5.5
Interceptions: Dante Cook, LB, 2; Brian Thompson, S, 2
William & Mary has reached the playoffs for two straight seasons in large part due to their stout defense. This year the Tribe are looking to make a deep run in the playoffs with another strong defense and an offense that is full of potential. Getting ousted in their first playoff game at home against Georgia Southern will not be forgotten once the playoffs begin in 2011 and this group will be ready.
Strengths:
It has been the defense that has won games for William & Mary over the last two years and the unit is strong again. The rush defense has room to improve, but this is a team that ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing a mere 16.67 points per game. It all starts up front where Marcus Hyde hopes to be the catalyst who gets into the backfield and forces the opposition to make mistakes. The Tribe had some trouble getting to the quarterback last season, but Hyde is a proven playmaker who tallied 5.5 sacks last year. Harold Robertson is a big run stuffer in the middle, but the Tribe will need some production out of youngsters like George Beerhalter and Bryan Stinnie. The linebackers should be better this year even without Evan Francks, who was second on the team with 82 tackles. Dante Cook will play on the outside after leading the team with 111 tackles a year ago and will be joined by Jabrel Mines. The return of Jake Trantin, a second-team All-CAA selection and the Tribe’s leading tackler two years ago, will give the team plenty of experience in the middle of the defense. The secondary may even be the best unit on the defensive side of the ball. Cornerback B.W. Webb will vie for All-American accolades and he will be joined by former starting free safety Terrell Wells. Strong safety Brian Thompson is also back after totaling 80 tackles last season.
Weaknesses:
Despite having a rather average rush attack and losing their top passer, it is hard to call the offense a weakness. But compared to the defense, there are certainly more questions that need to be answered. Quarterback Michael Paulus started a few games last season before getting injured. He missed the spring as well, but is back and ready to go now. At 6-4, he has the size and the arm strength to run the Tribes pro-style offense. Paulus has played well when he has been healthy, but remaining healthy has been an issue. Ryan Moody may miss the entire season after suffering a knee injury in the spring. That leaves W&M with no receivers who have ever started a game. D.J. Mangas and Ryan Woolfolk are seniors, but they obviously are relatively inexperienced seniors. In an offense that likes to pass and a quarterback who has a great arm, finding some receivers is a must. The good news is tight end Alex Gottlieb is one of the best in the nation and caught 34 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns a year ago. However, finding a receiver who can stretch the field is a must if Moody is out for the year. The offensive line also has to shuffle things around a bit with the graduation of Keith Hill. Center James Pagliaro is a nice player to build around, but Mike Salazar better be ready to make the move over to left tackle.
The Bottom Line:
If the receivers do not step up, Coach Jimmye Laycock may need to change the system a little bit. The Tribe want to be a pass first team, but they do not have to be when Jonathan Grimes is in the backfield. He has 3,110 career rushing yards and is a capable pass catcher out of the backfield as well. The 5-10 back may see a bigger workload this year and the Tribe may use him to help shorten games and count on their defense to make plays. That is not a bad plan and relying on Grimes and the defense will get the Tribe into the playoffs, but they need to find a receiver or two, and keep Paulus healthy, if they want to reach their lofty expectations.
Projected Postseason: FCS Playoffs
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 129.17 (78th in nation, 9th in conference)
Passing Offense: 214.83 (43, 4)
Total Offense: 344.00 (66, 5)
Scoring Offense: 24.75 (57, 5)
Rushing Defense: 147.00 (54, 7)
Pass Defense: 174.83 (24, 2)
Total Defense: 321.83 (30, 4)
Scoring Defense: 16.67 (6, 4)
Turnover Margin: .83 (11, 3)
Sacks: 1.58 (74, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 2.00 (64, 8)
Madness 2011 FCS Football Recruit Rankings:
#14 Jared Velasquez
#115 Anthony Johnson
#141 Mikal Abdul-Saboor
