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ELON, N.C. – With the 2017 Elon football season approaching, get to know the Phoenix's upcoming opponents with our preview series. Today, we get a closer look at Elon's Family Weekend opponent, William & Mary.
 
WILLIAM & MARY TRIBE
 
Location: Williamsburg, Va.
Home stadium: Zable Stadium
Conference: CAA Football
2016 record: 5-6
2016 conference record/finish: 3-5 (T-8th)
2016 Postseason: None
All-Time series: Elon trails 2-1
Head coach: Jimmye Laycock (38th season)
Letterwinners returning/lost: N/A
Offensive/Defensive starters returning: N/A
Top returning offensive players: 
• RB Albert Funderburke (39 carries, 24 yards, 7.5 ypc, 4 TD, 73.5 ypg)
• WR Devonte Dedmon (35 rec., 533 yds., 5 TD, 15.2 ypc, 53.3 ypg)
• WR Daniel Kuzjak (30 rec., 351 yards, 2 TD, 11.7 ypc, 39.0ypg)
Top returning defensive players: 
• LB Nate Atkins (39 ua, 35 at, 74 total tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 QBH)
• DB Corey Parke (41 ua, 30 at, 71 total tackles, 3 INT, 4 PBU, 2 FR)
• DL Isaiah Stephens (21 ua, 16 at, 37 total tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 PBU, 2 QBH, 1 FF)

2017 Schedule
Sept. 2 at Virginia
Sept. 9 at Norfolk State
Sept. 16 vs. Bucknell
Sept. 30 vs. Stony Brook
Oct. 7 at Elon
Oct. 14 at Delaware
Oct. 21 vs. James Madison
Oct. 28 at Maine
Nov. 4 vs. New Hampshire
Nov. 11 vs. Towson
Nov. 18 at Richmond
 
A Glance at the Tribe
Head coach Jimmye Laycock enters his 38th season guiding the William & Mary program program in 2017. Under his leadership, the Tribe has made 10 postseason appearances and won five conference titles. In his tenure at his alma mater, Laycock has won 243 games.

Offensively, William & Mary returns two all-conference performers in second-team wide receiver Devonte Dedmon and third-team offensive lineman Chris Durant. As a junior, Dedmon led the Tribe with 35 receptions, 533 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. Dedmon accounted for over a quarter of all of the Tribe's receiving yards a year ago. William & Mary will have someone new under center in 2017 after losing starter Steve Cluley to graduation. The Tribe offense averaged 22.1 points and 342.9 yards per game last season.

On the other side of the ball, the Tribe brings back third-team all-league performer Isaiah Stephens, a defensive lineman. Stephens concluded his junior season with 37 total tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss. As a unit, William & Mary surrendered 23.5 points and 361.5 yards per game. The Tribe finished the year with 12 interceptions and three fumbles recovered.

After a season-opening loss at NC State, William & Mary earned non-conference victories over Hampton and Norfolk State before Elon handed the then-eighth-ranked Tribe a 27-10 defeat to open CAA Football play. A three-game losing streak was snapped with a 24-17 win over Delaware in mid-October. The Tribe would alternate wins and losses the rest of the way, falling to Maine and Towson and picking up wins over Stony Brook and Richmond to finish the year with a 5-6 overall record and a 3-5 ledger in conference action.
 
Matchup
Elon and William & Mary had not met before the Phoenix joined became a CAA Football member for the 2014 season. The Tribe earned wins in the first two games, including a 34-13 contest at Elon's Rhodes Stadium in 2015, before the maroon and gold garnered the victory in Williamsburg last year.