Daily Press:
http://www.dailypress.com/sports/william-and-mary/dp-spt-wm-middie-1116-20161115-story.html
Jimmye interview:
Isaiah Stephens DL interview:
Jalen Christian interview:
Jalen Christian, W&M, move past the hurt to year's final game
By JOHN O'CONNOR Richmond Times-Dispatch|Yesterday
WILLIAMSBURG - Catching a football before an early-September practice, Jalen Christian tore a thumb ligament and missed two games. A strained hamstring and shoulder soreness also cut into his availability. Christian, a receiver, has played in six of William & Mary's 10 games.
"I'm good now. I just wish I was healthy throughout the season," Christian said.
Much was expected from Christian, a redshirt freshman, entering his first season with the Tribe after his summer transfer from South Carolina. He has 12 receptions for 126 yards heading into Saturday's game between W&M (4-6, 2-5 CAA) and No. 8 Richmond (8-2, 5-2 CAA) at Zable Stadium.
During pregame warm-ups for the Tribe's Sept. 1 opener at N.C. State, starting senior linebacker Matt Vlissides hurt his shoulder and was unable to play. That, it turns out, was an omen for the kind of season W&M has experienced.
The Tribe, 2015 CAA co-champions, were hit in key areas by injuries. At linebacker, Vlissedes' position, W&M began the season with very few veterans.
Tailback Kendell Anderson, the league's leading returning rusher, began the season with an injured shoulder. Before he was completely healthy, backup Albert Funderburke was gone for the year with a knee injury.
Kicker Nick Dorka and punter Hunter Windmuller, both preseason all-conference picks, missed most of the season because of injuries. The passing game's timing was disrupted by the absences of junior DeVonte Dedmon, one of the CAA's top receivers, and Christian.
"It's crazy because I feel like if we had everybody here, everybody healthy, we'd just be dominant," said Christian, a 5-foot-9 177-pounder from Damascus, Md., who was a four-star recruit when he signed with South Carolina. "I still feel like we can be dominant. The talent is there."
Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock acknowledges that injuries - the aforementioned players comprise a partial list - have impacted his team. But in his 37th year on the job, Laycock recognizes that by November, most teams were required to repeatedly reboot at any number of positions because of missing regulars.
"You can't blame it on that. We lost a lot of good players off of last year's team. We had a really good team. We were counting on a lot of young guys (this season)," said Laycock. "Had we not had the injuries we've had, we may have been a little bit better, but there's no guarantee."
Laycock summarized the season's first 10 games by characterizing them "frustrating and inconsistent."
W&M returned 14 starters and both specialists from an FCS playoff team and was picked second, behind Richmond, in the CAA's preseason poll. Christian's presence heightened expectations for a team with a three-year starter, Steve Cluley, at quarterback.
Through Laycock's tenure, W&M has been very selective in terms of transfers, accepting few in comparison to other CAA programs. Christian's arrival in late June signaled that this was a special player who would make an immediate contribution.
Laycock said he still believes Christian will be a notable player, although injuries have prevented that from happening this year. According to Christian, who has grandparents living in Newport News, his decision to leave South Carolina was family-related.
"Getting a degree from here will open up a lot of doors," Christian said. "I love it here. Every William & Mary person I've talked to has given me nothing but support or wisdom."
