WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Lafayette's outstanding defensive effort, which held William and Mary without an offensive touchdown through nearly three quarters, saw the Leopards come up short in a 24-3 final on Saturday night at Zable Stadium.
 
A blocked punt and an interception led to the hosts first two scores (a field goal and a TD), and then the Tribe added a 38-yard TD on a fluke reception with seven seconds left in the third quarter that put the game out of reach.
 
Freshman Micah Pettit's 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, the first of his career, accounted for all of Lafayette's scoring, and was the longest field goal for a Leopard kicker since Sept. 12, 2015 (Jacob Bissell).  
 
The Leopards again used two quarterbacks, splitting time between sophomore Aaron Angelos, who started the contest, and classmate Rent Montie. Montie saw the bulk of the action, completing 24-of-41 for 188 yards with two picks.

Defensively, linebackers Major Jordan and Marco Olivas combined for 18 tackles for the Leopards (0-2). The Maroon and White held William and Mary's offense to 173 yards and just seven first downs. 
 
It was a defensive battle in the first half with the Leopards slightly out-gaining William and Mary 96 to 63. Both Leopard quarterbacks faced significant pressure as W&M combined for four QB hurries and two sacks in the opening half and 10 hurries and six sacks for the game.
 
With seven minutes left in the first quarter, with Angelos under center, Lafayette took a shot downfield that was intercepted by Tye Freeland at the 14-yard line. The Leopard defense stepped up, pinning the William and Mary offense at the one-yard lone after a bad snap aided the effort. The Leopards forced a punt and the game remained scoreless through end of the first quarter.
 
William and Mary's special teams made the first big play of the game, blocking a punt in the Leopards' half and returning it for a touchdown. A blindside block right in front of the referee nullified the TD and took the ball back to the 35-yard line. William and Mary picked up a first down via the run, but the Leopard defense did its job, holding the Tribe to a 36-yard field goal by Ethan Change at 11:13. That was the only score of the half.
 
The Leopards were moving the ball successfully on their first drive of the second half, covering 12 plays for 55 yards over seven minutes. Montie picked up three first downs on the drive, with runs of six, one and four yards and added another with a 12-yard completion to TE Mason Gilbert. On 2^nd-and-3 three at the William and Mary 23-yard line, Montie was picked off by Gage Herdman who returned it 78 yards for the score and the 10-0 William and Mary advantage.
 
When the Leopards got the ball back, the faced a 4^th-and-5 at their own 45. Montie complete the pass to K.J. Rodgers, but it was just short and Lafayette turned it over on downs.
 
William and Mary (1-1) scored on a fluke play on its next offensive drive. Facing pressure, QB Hollis Mathis underthrew a wide-open Anthony Mague who dove for the ball and tipped it up to Cole Blackman who caught it in the air and took it in for the 38-yard touchdown. Lafayette trailed 17-0. The play was reviewed, but it was ruled a catch.
 
The Leopards got on the scoreboard with 9:08 left in the game when Pettit made a 47-yard field goal, the first of his career. Montie converted a key 4^th-and-10 at midfield for 23 yards that kept the drive going.
 
The hosts tacked on a final score just before end of the game, returning an interception 18 yards for the 24-3 final.
 
The Leopards play their first home game of the 2021 fall season on Sept. 18 vs. New Hampshire. Kick off is set for 12:30 p.m. against the second straight CAA opponent.