2004 William & Mary Tribe football team The 2004 William & Mary Tribe football team represented the College of William & Mary , USA , in National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I - AA ( now called Football Championship Subdivision < nowiki > [ FCS ] < / nowiki > ) college football during the 2004 season . William & Mary competed as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference ( A - 10 ) under head football coach Jimmye Laycock and played their home games at Zable Stadium . The 2004 Tribe football team is considered , within the William & Mary community , to be one of the two greatest teams ever assembled at the college ( the other being the 2009 team ) . For the first time William & Mary reached the NCAA Division I - AA Semifinals . They set a single season school record for wins ( 11 ) and were A - 10 Conference Co - Champions after going 7 – 1 in conference play . Many Tribe players garnered postseason awards and accolades , highlighted by quarterback Lang Campbell ' s selection as the 2004 Walter Payton Award winner , which is given annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I FCS of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors . William & Mary finished the 2004 season ranked # 3 nationally in the final Division I - AA polls . No team in school history had ever finished with a ranking that high , nor had any Tribe squad even reached # 3 at any point during any season . Preseason . The Tribe were not nationally ranked heading into the 2004 season . Coming off of a 5 – 5 record in 2003 in which they had failed to qualify for the playoffs , national media did not predict much more success for them in 2004 . They had lost Rich Musinski to graduation — a wide receiver who graduated as one of three players in NCAA history to collect more than 4 , 000 receiving yards . Though quarterback Campbell was returning for his redshirt senior season , he was not expected to lead the Tribe to the success they would later achieve . Regular season . @ North Carolina . The Tribe began their 2004 campaign by traveling to Chapel Hill , North Carolina to take on the UNC Tar Heels of the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) . Over 43 , 500 people went to Kenan Memorial Stadium to see the match - up . Despite holding a 24 – 14 halftime lead , the Tribe could not hold on for the victory , losing 38 – 49 . @ # 10 New Hampshire . After a bye - week , William & Mary resumed their season on September 18 against # 10 - ranked New Hampshire in Durham . This contest began conference play . The unranked Tribe only mustered three field goal s for the match , but it proved to be enough as they came away with a 9 – 7 win . And , despite the lack of offense , William & Mary held the Wildcats scoreless for the last 50 : 48 of the game in the come - from - behind victory . Virginia Military Institute . Game 3 pitted William & Mary against a lesser VMI Keydets team . They lead 28 – 6 at halftime , and the lead bulged to 35 – 6 by the end of the third quarter . The Tribe won the non - conference game 42 – 6 . William & Mary plays the Virginia Military Institute nearly every season , and consequently a friendly rivalry has spawned from it . # 16 Northeastern . On October 2 , the # 16 - ranked Northeastern Huskies traveled to Williamsburg to face the unranked Tribe . The contest was evenly matched as both teams headed into halftime tied at 14 . William & Mary trailed by four points going into the fourth quarter , but a field goal by All - American kicker Greg Kuehn and a receiving touchdown by future National Football League player Dominique Thompson , followed by a successful two - point conversion , provided the Tribe with 11 points in the final period . Northeastern had also scored one touchdown , and the game went to overtime knotted at 35 points apiece . William & Mary ' s ability to convert a field goal attempt , coupled with their defense holding the Huskies from scoring any points in the extra period , gave the Tribe a 38 – 35 win at home . It was the second victory over a ranked opponent by unranked William & Mary . @ Liberty . William & Mary faced the Liberty Flames in Lynchburg on October 9 . The Tribe scored 10 points in each of the first three quarters en route to their second non - conference win of 2004 . They scored seven more insurance points in the fourth quarter to finish the game with 37 while Liberty managed only 17 of their own . The contest marked the first time of the 2004 season that William & Mary entered a game ranked in the Top 25 nationally . Heading into the game , the 3 – 1 Tribe were ranked # 18 . Rhode Island . The Tribe fell behind 7 – 0 within the first three minutes of the game after the Rams connected on a 52 - yard touchdown pass . By the end of the first quarter , however , the Tribe had scored two unanswered touchdowns of their own to take a 14 – 7 lead . After exchanging field goals in the second quarter , the two teams went into halftime by a score of 17 – 10 . The Rams scored first during the third quarter when they finished their drive with a five - yard touchdown run to tie the game . After William & Mary responded with another touchdown of their own , Rhode Island kept chipping away at the defense and would eventually tie the score at 24 . Once again , the Tribe responded . With 8 : 09 left to play , running back Elijah Brooks powered in for a score from two yards out . Neither team would score again , and William & Mary won 31 – 24 . @ # 3 Delaware . In a highly anticipated match - up between two ranked teams , the # 14 Tribe traveled north to Newark to play # 3 Delaware . It only took 2 : 27 for William & Mary to score first on a 10 - yard touchdown pass to Dominique Thompson . The Blue Hens only mustered a three - and - out on their first possession , and , less than one minute after their first touchdown , Lang Campbell once again found Thompson , this time for a 62 - yard touchdown pass . At the 6 : 12 mark of the first quarter , Delaware would finally get on the scoreboard with a touchdown of their own . But as the Blue Hens soon found out , the first quarter belonged to Dominique Thompson , who hauled in his " third " touchdown reception , which was 87 yards , with 4 : 26 to play . It looked as though William & Mary would win the match in a runaway . A 17 – 0 shutout of the Tribe in the second quarter quickly squashed that idea , and the teams went into halftime separated by three points . The second half was a much more defensive struggle than the first , as both teams only mustered one touchdown and zero field goals apiece ( both in the fourth quarter ) . A fast William & Mary start would not sustain , and the Blue Hens " upset " the lower - ranked Tribe 31 – 28 . The high intensity of the game foreshadowed another great match - up to come later in the season . @ Towson . Like the previous game against Delaware , William & Mary wide receiver Dominique Thompson burned the opposition in the first quarter . Less than two minutes into the game , Lang Campbell connected with Thompson on a 46 - yard touchdown throw . Towson would kick a field goal , but that was all the scoring by either team for the first 15 minutes . The middle two quarters belonged to the Tribe as they scored four touchdowns and a field goal to take a 38 – 3 lead into the final frame . With their substitutes playing most of the fourth quarter , William & Mary gave up 13 points to the Tigers and only managed three of their own . It did not matter as they would roll to a 41 – 16 win . # 19 Villanova . On November 6 , # 19 Villanova traveled to Williamsburg as the # 13 Tribe played their fourth ranked opponent of the season . Things did not start well for William & Mary . Wildcat Martin Gibson returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a quick touchdown . Several minutes later , however , Tribe running back Jon Smith punched in a 1 - yard touchdown run of his own . A Greg Kuehn PAT was good and the two teams were tied at seven . In the second quarter , Villanova would take a 14 – 7 lead at the 12 : 38 mark on a touchdown pass . William & Mary responded four minutes later to tie the game , but another Villanova touchdown with 3 : 38 left would make the score 21 – 14 at halftime in favor of the Wildcats . In the second half , the Tribe would go on to score three unanswered touchdowns and force a safety to take a 37 – 21 lead . Villanova would not score again until 32 seconds remained , but by then the game was out of reach and William & Mary had earned their seventh win of the season . @ # 4 James Madison . Unlike the University of Richmond football rivalry , which is specific to one sport , the W & M – JMU athletic rivalry spans across the board to all sports . When the # 10 Tribe went to Harrisonburg to play # 4 James Madison , both teams were intense from the start . The first quarter was a defensive battle as neither team conceded good field position to the other . It was not until 2 : 49 was left that the first points were scored — a David Rabil 28 - yard field goal for JMU . William & Mary tied the game with a Kuehn field goal in the second quarter , but the Dukes took a 10 – 3 lead with 3 : 19 left in the first half on a 17 - yard passing touchdown . William & Mary played well in the third quarter , outscoring rival Madison 7 – 0 . In the decisive fourth quarter , the Dukes would score first after punching in a 4 - yard touchdown run . After two straight passing touchdowns by Campbell , the Tribe had taken the lead , 24 – 17 . Madison responded to tie the match with only 45 seconds remaining after a successful 27 - yard touchdown pass . Once William & Mary received the ball on the ensuing kick - off , they drove 43 yards in five plays to set up a potential game - winning field goal . After a timeout , Tribe kicker Greg Kuehn drilled a 45 - yard field goal as time expired , giving William & Mary the upset win . The Tribe team and attending fans swarmed the field as they reveled in their defeat of their arch rivals in dramatic fashion . Richmond ( I - 64 Bowl ) . On November 20 , the Richmond Spiders came to William & Mary for the 114th all - time meeting between the teams . The winner of the annual contest — dubbed the I - 64 Bowl — receives the I - 64 Trophy . Prior to kick - off , W & M held the series edge 58 – 50 – 5 . Regardless of how either team is doing in a particular season , the I - 64 Bowl is always a match of pride between schools . The first quarter was relatively fruitless for both teams . The only points came on a 25 - yard pass to Thompson from Campbell to cap a 9 - play , 80 - yard drive . After a Kuehn kick , the Tribe led 7 – 0 . The second quarter was very similar ; many plays , few points . Another W & M touchdown and PAT capped the first half scoring . In the third quarter , however , William & Mary blew a quasi - close game wide open . They outscored the Spiders 24 – 0 to take a 38 – 0 lead into the final frame . During the third , Adam Bratton caught two touchdown passes , Joe Nicholas caught one and Greg Kuehn finished off the scoring with a field goal . Richmond would not score their first points until 5 : 37 left in the game when David Freeman ran in a score from 16 yards out . The Spiders would make the final score look more respectable than it was by scoring another touchdown in garbage time on a seven - yard pass with only five seconds remaining . With the win , William & Mary not only secured their 59th all - time I - 64 Trophy , but also a clinch of the Atlantic 10 Conference title . NCAA Division I - AA Playoffs . # 11 Hampton ( first round ) . As the 6th - ranked team nationally , William & Mary was able to host all of their playoff games ( unless a higher - ranked team were to play them ) . In the opening round , the Tribe hosted the # 11 Hampton Pirates . Hampton was able to jump on William & Mary early . Running back Ardell Daniels punched in a 1 - yard touchdown score 4 : 01 into the first quarter to cap a four - play , 51 - yard scoring drive . Several series by both teams followed , none of which resulted in any points . The Pirates would score their second touchdown with 3 : 31 left in the first quarter , but the PAT was blocked and the score remained 13 – 0 . Both teams were evenly matched in the deeply contested match . The second quarter offered little offense . The only points came from the Tribe ' s 8 - yard touchdown pass to Bratton . William & Mary was losing 13 – 7 , in their home stadium , at the half . The second half was a much more offensively - oriented game . The Tribe received the opening kickoff , and less than two minutes later , Campbell found Thompson on a 27 - yard touchdown pass . Greg Kuehn made the extra point , and William & Mary was now ahead 14 – 13 . Hampton , however , quickly responded . Jerome Mathis returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for the Pirates ' third score of the day . They completed a two - point conversion to take a 21 – 14 lead . There was one more score of the third quarter – a 4 - yard run by William & Mary ' s Jon Smith . The teams headed into the final 15 minutes tied at 21 . Hampton once again scored first . Jerome Mathis caught his second touchdown pass when Pirates quarterback Prince Shepherd connected with him for a 43 - yard score . Like Hampton had done to them earlier , the Tribe responded by returning the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a quick score . The game was now knotted at 28 points with fewer than twelve minutes remaining . William & Mary was able to stop Hampton on the next series for a timely defensive effort . The high - scoring Tribe offense then took the field and , like many times before over the course of the season , Lang Campbell found Dominique Thompson for a touchdown pass . This time it came as the first play of scrimmage in a one - play , 45 - yard pass that encompassed nine seconds . For the first time all game , William & Mary held a lead of seven points . Hampton was unable to respond . Their next offensive series produced zero points , giving possession back to William & Mary . The Tribe then took advantage of their opportunity . Smith ran in his second touchdown of the contest when he punched in a 4 - yard run with only 1 : 58 remaining . Hampton had no choice but to use a no - huddle , hurry - up offense . They managed to complete an eight - play , 56 - yard drive to score on Prince ' s 7 - yard quarterback scurry with 32 seconds remaining . After a successful PAT , the Pirates attempted an onside kick but could not recover it . The Tribe burned the rest of the game clock and walked away with a 42 – 35 opening round victory — their first playoff win since 1996 when they beat Jacksonville State . # 10 Delaware ( Quarterfinals ) . The 2004 Division I - AA Quarterfinal match - up against the defending national champion University of Delaware Fightin ' Blue Hens was one of the most prolific football games in a long William & Mary history . The Tribe hosted the Blue Hens at Zable Stadium on a cold December 4 afternoon . When the double - overtime game finally ended , the Tribe had accumulated 500 yards of offense while Delaware accounted for 491 of their own . The match was also the largest come - from - behind win in Tribe history after they erased a Blue Hen 21 - point fourth - quarter lead to send the game into extra sessions . Delaware opened the contest ' s scoring with an Omar Cuff 37 - yard touchdown run 3 : 32 into the first quarter . A little over one minute later , Tribe quarterback Lang Campbell ( 30 - of - 53 , 342 yards , 3 TDs , 0 INTs ) would find receiver John Pitts for an 11 - yard passing score to even the game at seven apiece . Cuff would score during the first quarter once more , however , as the Blue Hens took a 14 – 7 lead . In the second quarter , Delaware added to their lead and seemingly put the game out of reach by halftime . Blue Hens quarterback Sonny Riccio ( 24 - of - 41 , 262 yards , 3 TDs , 2 INTs ) connected two times for scores with David Boler in addition to a Brad Shushman field goal . William & Mary ' s only points came from a Greg Kuehn field goal . Delaware outscored William & Mary 17 – 3 during the period and took a 31 – 10 lead into halftime . The third quarter was a defensive battle as neither team was able to put any points on the board . The score remained a 21 - point deficit for the Tribe at the start of the fourth quarter . William & Mary exploded offensively in the quarter , however , and ( with a staunch defensive effort ) came back to force overtime at 31 – 31 by putting up 21 straight points in the frame . Stephen Cason ran back an interception 62 yards for a touchdown 10 seconds into the quarter , Jon Smith scored on a two - yard touchdown run , and Campbell threw a 15 - yard scoring pass to Joe Nicholas with just under two minutes to play . The miraculous comeback was not complete as the game headed into overtime . Delaware struck first when Justin Long caught a seven - yard touchdown pass from Riccio for a 38 – 31 Delaware advantage . The Tribe countered with a two - yard touchdown pass from Nicholas , which knotted the score at 38 apiece and set the stage for Smith ' s heroics in the second overtime session . Kuehn missed his first extra point of the season after Smith scored , opening the door for a Delaware victory on the ensuing possession . However , William & Mary stopped the Blue Hens on the next possession to steal the six - point win . William & Mary fans stormed Zable Stadium and celebrated on the middle of the field after the game concluded . The win also thrust the Tribe into their first - ever national semifinal playoff game , which was to be against their biggest rival , James Madison University . # 8 James Madison ( Semifinals ) . For the first time since the 1930s , William & Mary hosted a night - time football game . Using temporary stadium lights to illuminate the field and stands , the sold - out Division I - AA semifinal against James Madison was broadcast live on the ESPN2 television network . The Tribe had a six - game winning streak heading into the contest , and the Dukes had only two losses all season — one early season loss to Division I - A power West Virginia , and the other to William & Mary on a last second field goal . Whereas the Tribe won their first two playoff games at home , James Madison was forced to win both of theirs on the road . In the game ' s early going , all momentum and big plays were going Madison ' s way . They trounced William & Mary in the first quarter and went up 21 – 0 by virtue of rushing , passing and interception touchdowns . The game seemed out of reach for the Tribe before a blink of an eye . However , as quickly as the Dukes gained a lead , they gave it right back . In the second quarter , Greg Kuehn got the Tribe ' s scoring started 1 : 22 in with a 27 - yard field goal . After a defensive stop forced Madison to punt , William & Mary went on a 68 - yard , 4 : 41 drive to score their first touchdown ( a two - yard Lang Campbell run ) . Another empty possession for the Dukes gave the Tribe new life as they took advantage and scored another touchdown with 2 : 14 remaining in the half to cut the deficit to four . After forcing a third straight punt , William & Mary capitalized for a fourth time in the second quarter as Kuehn made a 42 - yard field goal as time expired in the first half . After being down 21 – 0 after one quarter , William & Mary crawled back to nearly even the score at 21 – 20 . The Tribe continued their scoring in the third quarter when Campbell found Dominique Thompson for a seven - yard touchdown pass 3 : 23 into the half . They took their first lead of the game , 27 – 21 . Less than one minute later , however , the Dukes responded with a two - play , 63 - yard drive capped by a touchdown pass to D . D . Boxley from quarterback Justin Rascati . On William & Mary ' s next three possessions , they lost two fumbles and were forced to punt , giving the ball back to JMU each time . The Dukes took advantage of two of those possessions by scoring one rushing and one passing touchdown to take a 41 – 26 lead into the final frame . In the fourth quarter , Madison scored an insurance touchdown with 8 : 01 remaining when Alvin Banks punched in a one - yard run . The Tribe would not score again until a four - yard Campbell hook - up with John Pitts with 1 : 21 remaining in the game . In a game of runs , James Madison University would prevail to move on to the 2004 Division I - AA National Championship that they would later win , becoming the first time in history to win a national championship by defeating every team on the road . With the loss , William & Mary ' s record - breaking season ended , but myriad individual and team accolades were still to come .