WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Between the two, Malachi Imoh and Jalen Jones had the ball in their hands only nine times. But together, they were the key factors in William & Mary's 37-21 win over Campbell Saturday night at Zable Stadium.
Imoh scored on touchdown runs of 56 and 20 yards, and Jones intercepted three passes — one of which he turned into a pick-six — to spark the No. 20/22 Tribe's win. W&M is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since the 2009 season.
"What a great team win," Tribe coach Mike London said. "First win at home and we dealt with a little adversity. The offense did a great job of running the ball and controlling the clock. Defensively, we had a bend-but-don't-break mentality.
"A lot of positive things. Still some things we need to work on, but at the same time, it's hard to win football games. That was a talented football team."
The Tribe rushed for 271 and threw for another 121 to keep the Camels guessing. The offense did not commit a turnover and scored at least 35 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 2015.
Bronson Yoder rushed for 99 yards, 34 coming on the final possession to run out the clock. Imoh, one of the fastest players on the roster, picked up 89 yards on six carries, 76 coming on his two touchdown runs.
Defensively, the Tribe had occasional trouble containing Hajj-Malik Williams, Campbell uber-elusive quarterback. But W&M forced three turnovers and, as it did in last week's 41-24 win at Charlotte, pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter.
The Tribe took a 17-0 lead with 4:40 remaining in the first half, but Campbell scored a late touchdown for some momentum. Then, the Camels took advantage of two special teams mistakes to make it 17-14 less than three minutes into the third quarter.
W&M needed an emphatic answer, and Imoh provided it. On third-and-6, he took an option pitch from quarterback Darius Wilson and darted through Campbell's defense for a 20-yard touchdown.
"Darius got the pitch out, and the blocking was great by the wide receivers and tight ends to that side," Imoh said. "They boosted me to the end zone. … I just tried to use my speed."
On the third play of Campbell's following possession, Jones intercepted Williams on the right sideline and returned it 33 yards, making it 31-14 with 3:42 left in the third.
"I saw the route so many times on film and I had it (in my) back pocket," Jones said. "When the ball was in the air, it was mine. Green grass. Touchdown."
After the Camels answered with Williams' 17-yard touchdown run, Imoh went 56 untouched yards to put William & Mary ahead 37-21. Jones intercepted his third pass with 4:10 remaining to end another Campbell threat.
In his first career start, Jones became the first Tribe player to intercept three passes in a game since B.W. Webb against Virginia in 2009.
Jones, a redshirt freshman from Chesapeake, was filling in for the injured Ryan Poole. He knew from the start that Campbell would test him.
"They definitely did," Jones said. "There were a lot of checks to my side. It was test at first, but I think I handled it pretty well.
"I was coming in having to fill some pretty big shoes with Ryan Poole being down, and I really give a lot of props to him. He definitely prepared me for experiencing everything. He helped me through the week."
For the second week in a row, the Tribe won the toss and took the ball. And for the second week in a row, an Ethan Chang field goal gave W&M an early 3-0 lead. The drive was jump-started by a 32-yard pass from Wilson to tight end Lachlan Pitts on the first play from scrimmage.
On the Tribe's next possession, after Hollis Mathis converted a third-and-1 sneak, Donavyn Lester gave the Tribe a 10-0 lead on a 2-yard run with 3:26 left in the first quarter.
Five minutes into the second quarter, Jones' first interception ended a Campbell threat and led to a nine-play, 58-yard touchdown drive. Wilson's 10-yard pass to tight end Colton Turner put the Tribe ahead 17-0 with 4:40 left in the half. It was Turner's first career touchdown reception.
NEXT: The Tribe will travel to Easton, Pa., to go against Lafayette Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Leopards are 0-2 after a 30-14 loss to Temple on Saturday.
Big moments from Imoh and Jones lead No. 20/22 Tribe past Campbell 37-21
The Tribe rushed for 271 yards and threw for another 121 to keep the Camels guessing.