Tribe back in playoffs after three-year hiatus

R.J. Archer was a senior at Albemarle High School in 2004 when William and Mary advanced to the semifinals of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

The reasonable expectation for any recruit was more, or at least some, of the same -- which made the playoff drought that ensued that much tougher.

Archer, a fifth-year senior quarterback, and the rest of his classmates finally get a chance to make their mark in the FCS playoffs when sixth-ranked William and Mary (9-2) plays host to No. 15 Weber State (7-4) today at 1 p.m. in the first round.

"It's fun to finally be here," Archer said. "Having been here for five years and seen the up and downs, it's definitely exciting. We feel like we've had a pretty special team this season. It's a good group of guys. They've all worked really hard. I'm glad to see that's paying off for us."

William and Mary could not reach .500 -- going 5-6, 3-8 and 4-7 -- in Archer's first three years (including a redshirt). The Tribe was 7-4 last year but was nosed out of the playoffs in an overtime loss to Richmond in the regular-season finale.

"I think it means a great deal for them to come from where they were a few years ago to being 9-2 and selected for the playoffs," William and Mary coach Jimmye Laycock said. "I think it says a lot about their work ethic and their ability to stick to it and keep their heads up and move forward and set a good example.

"I'm really proud of specifically the seniors. It's tough when you're not winning. When they came here we were just coming off of a conference championship and playoffs and all that, and then all of a sudden they saw a few losing seasons. They hung in there and they kept working at it."

Despite the playoff inexperience, the Tribe should be well-prepared.

Its Colonial Athletic Association schedule included three teams in the 16-team field. William and Mary beat New Hampshire 20-17 and lost at No. 2 seed Villanova 28-17 and at No. 4 seed Richmond 13-10.

The Tribe's schedule ranked as the fifth-most difficult in FCS (using records only), according to the NCAA. Its opponents combined to go 62-46.

Weber State is making its second consecutive playoff appearance. The pass-happy Wildcats are ranked 13th nationally in total offense (419.8 yards per game).

William and Mary is the seventh-toughest team to score on (13.8 points) and sports the No. 3 total defense (236.6).

"They have a great deal of speed, quickness and athletic ability on their defensive line," Weber State coach Ron McBride said. "It is the best one we've seen so far on film this season. They just come at you from every direction.

"Offensively, they are a lot like us in controlling the tempo and time of the game. They chip away at you and try to wear the defense into submission." William and Mary's focus has been going 1-0 each week. But Archer said there was occasional conversation, especially among the seniors, about the playoffs.

"It's nice to be back on top," he said, "like it was before we came in here."