Fordham University Athletics

Williamsburg, Va. – Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and a graduate of the College of William & Mary, once said  "Determine never to be idle. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing." The Fordham football team found out how much can be done while always doing as the Rams were constantly doing, rushing for 428 yards in a 52-27 win over the Tribe in a Patriot League game at Walter J. Zable Stadium at Cary Field.
 
With the win, Fordham goes to 1-3 overall on the year, 1-1 in the Patriot League, while William & Mary, who entered the game ranked 21^st in the NCAA FCS, falls to 2-2, 2-1 in the Patriot League.
 
The Rams rushed for 428 yards, the most rushing yards since Fordham set the school record with 516 yards against Lafayette in 2016.
 
The running game was led by the one-two punch of sophomore Yohan-Li Louis and senior Jamell James. Louis gained 203 yards on just 15 carries with one score while James accumulated 163 yards on 17 rushes with three scores. It was the first time that Fordham had two 100-yard rushers in a game since Julius Loughridge (121) and Trey Sneed (104) at Holy Cross in 2022.
 
Senior quarterback Gunnar Smith completed 12 of 21 passes for 141 yards and three touchdowns.
 
Defensively senior Andrew Osmun led Fordham with eleven tackles, including 1.5 sacks, while junior Drew Minich added seven stops, including one sack.
 
The Rams took a 14-0 lead in the first on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Smith to senior KJ Reed and James' first score of the game on a five-yard run.
 
Smith found sophomore John Morris with a 10-yard catch and run six seconds into the second quarter before the Tribe got on the board to make it a 21-7 game at the half.
 
Fordham scored the first ten points of the second half to make it a 31-7 game before William & Mary made it a 17-point game, 31-14, with just over four minutes left in the third and that was as close as the Tribe would get.
 
Notes
• It was Fordham's first win over a ranked team since a win over eighth-ranked Villanova in 2013.
 
• The last time the Rams scored more than 50 points was a 52-38 win over Colgate in 2022.
 
• Fordham did not commit a turnover for the second time in four games this year.
 
• Fordham went with the all-white look tonight with white tops, white pants, and white helmets.
 
• It was the first meeting between Fordham and William & Mary on the gridiron.
 
• The Tribe competed in the CAA from 2007-2025, winning CAA titles in 2010, 2015, and 2022.
 
• It was just the fourth football game played by Fordham in the Old Dominion State (Fordham is 1-0 against Washington and Lee and 0-2 versus Richmond in Virginia).
 
By the Numbers
3 – Rushing touchdowns for Jamell James, the first time a Rams rushed for three scores since Julius Loughridge did it against Holy Cross in 2022.
 
6 – Sacks by the Rams, a season-high.
 
6 – Extra points converted by Bennett Henderson, the most since Brandon Paskin connected on six at New Hampshire in 2022.
 
11 – Tackles for loss by the Rams.
 
52 – Points scored by the Rams, the most for a Patriot League school this year.

57 – Net ushing yards allowed by the Rams in the second half.
 
203 – Rushing yards for Yohan-Li Louis, the fifth-most for an NCAA FCS running back this year and the most for a Ram since Julius Loughridge rushed for 211 against Holy Cross in 2022.
 
428 – Rushing yards for the Rams, the most by an NCAA FCS team this year.
 
What's Next?
• After three straight road contest, the Rams will return to the Bronx to host the Stony Brook University Seawolves in Moglia Stadium on Saturday, September 26, at 1:00 p.m. as part of Homecoming 2026.
 
• It will be the tenth meeting between Fordham and Stony Brook on the gridiron.
 
• The Seawolves lead the all-time series, 5-4, and have taken the past two meetings.
 
• The Rams have taken three of the past five meetings.