Tribe Football welcomes Maine for Zable Stadium dedication game on Saturday
{{youtube:medium:left|u0gOJ5t5QgQ, Week eight press conference with Head Coach Jimmye Laycock}}
The William & Mary football team will return from its bye week when it hosts Maine for the Zable Stadium dedication game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
During a halftime dedication ceremony, the university will celebrate the generosity of Hunter J. Smith '51 and James W. '62, J.D. '64, L.L.D. '00 and Frances G McGlothlin '66, who along with the now deceased Walter J. Zable '36, made the Zable Renovation project a reality.
As part of the celebration, more than 60 former Tribe Football captains will join Smith and the McGlothlins on the field, along with W&M President Taylor Reveley and Athletics Director Terry Driscoll, at halftime to officially dedicate the Smith-McGlothlin Grandstands.
The festivities will also include a post-game laser light show.
Tickets can be purchased at TribeAthletics.com or by calling the ticket office at 757-221-3340. The game will be streamed online for free in HD on TribeAthletics.TV and is available by clicking here. Fans can also listen to the live broadcast on the Tribe's flagship stations 92.3 FM The Tide and 107.9 Bach FM, while a live audio stream will be available at TribeAthletics.com. Live stats will be available at TribeAthletics.com, while fans can follow the action on Twitter at @TribeGameDay.
Although W&M (3-4, 1-3) is coming off an open date, it earned a thrilling, fourth-quarter comeback homecoming victory against Delaware in its last outing. The Tribe currently ranks fourth nationally in pass defense (154.1) and has allowed just one of its FCS opponents to score more than 30 points. Additionally, W&M has recorded eight interceptions — and at least one in all but one game — and ranks eighth nationally with 193 interception return yards. Offensively, senior running back Kendell Anderson has been outstanding recently and is averaging 144.0 rushing yards per game during the last three contests.
After opening the season with a three-game losing streak, Maine has bounced back with four consecutive wins and enters Saturday's contest with a 4-3 record overall and a 3-1 mark in conference play. All four victories during the recent streak have been hard-fought, as none have come by more than a touchdown. Although Maine ranks 10th in the CAA in rushing offense (139.7), it has relied heavily on its passing attack as quarterback Dan Collins ranks second in the league with 214.6 passing yards per game. Defensively, linebacker Christophe Mulumba Tshimanga leads the CAA in tackles per game (10.7), while free safety Darrius Hart is tied for the league lead with three interceptions.
Saturday's contest against Maine will mark the 12th meeting between the two schools, with the Tribe currently controlling the all-time series, 7-4. However, UM has won the last two matchups. W&M owns a narrow 3-2 edge in games played in Williamsburg. The Tribe won the first five meetings versus the Black Bears before Maine earned its first victory in the series in 2002. Four of the first five meetings were lopsided affairs and resulted in double-digit margin outcomes, while three of the last five matchups have been decided by three points or less.
