Tribe-Georgia Southern kicks off 1:30 Saturday at Zable; 12 players honored by CAA
Don’t lock the gates to Zable Stadium just yet; there’s a lot more football to be played there this season.
Colonial Athletic Association champion William & Mary, installed as a No. 2 seed by the FCS selection committee, will host Georgia Southern, a first-round winner over South Dakota State on Saturday, Dec. 4. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m, with the winner taking on the winner of Wofford-Jacksonville Stateon Dec. 11. As long as they win, the Tribe will host games throughout the playoffs, leading to the Jan. 7 national championship game in Frisco, Texas.
Meanwhile, it was announced last week that 12 Tribe players garnered 15 all-conference awards based on voting by the league’s 10 head coaches. The impressive list of honorees matches the program’s single-season record number of selections established last season.
Junior running back Jonathan Grimes, senior fullback Jimmy Hobson, junior tight end Alex Gottlieb, senior left tackle Keith Hill, Jr., sophomore cornerback B.W. Webb, and senior punter David Miller all received first-team honors, while Grimes was also chosen as the special teams player of the year as a kick returner. Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Moody, junior defensive end Marcus Hyde, senior defensive tackle Mike Stover, and sophomore linebacker Dante Cook earned second-team accolades, while Grimes (kick returner) and Webb (punt returner) were both second-team selections on special teams.
Senior wide receiver Chase Hill and junior center James Pagliaro earned third-team distinction.
Assuming the top seeds win, W&M would end up hosting third-seed and co-CAA champion Delaware in the national semifinals the weekend of Dec. 17-18. The title game is Jan. 7, 2011, at Pizza Hut Park.
Having advanced to the NCAA semifinals in two of the past six seasons, W&M will be making its ninth playoff appearance under head coach Jimmye Laycock. The No. 2 seed represents the program’s highest in school history, as its previous best seeding was No. 3 in 2004.
Playoff tickets may be purchased online or by calling the ticket office at 757-221-3340.
The complete pairings:
#1 Appalachian State vs. W. Illinois
Villanova @ Stephen F. Austin
N. Dakota State @ #4 Montana State
SE Missouri St @ #5 E. Washington
Lehigh @ #3 Delaware
UNH @ Bethune-Cookman
GA Southern @ #2 William & Mary
Wofford @ Jacksonville St
