WATERVILLE, Maine —Clinging to a 13-7 lead late in the third quarter, the Williams College football team embarked on a 20-play, 80-yard drive that lasted more than 14 minutes and culminated with a 3-yard scamper into the end zone by first-year running back Jack Fabiano to seal a 19-7 victory over host Colby on Saturday afternoon at Seaverns Field. Fabiano finished the game with 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help the Ephs improve to 2-0 for the third straight year while the Mules dropped to 0-2.

Fabiano took the handoff 29 times to post his 143 rushing yards, eclipsing 100 yards in back-to-back games to start his career, the first freshman to do so at Williams. "He's a tough, physical kid for a young player and follows his blocking well," Raymond said. "He's a guy we think is going to get better every week."

The key play to that fateful drive came when Williams faced 4th-and-7 at the Colby 36-yard line. The Ephs decided to go for it, but if the Mules got a defensive stop, they would assume possession with the chance to drive downfield and take the lead.

Senior quarterback Owen McHugh started backpedaling almost immediately as the pocket collapsed, then took off in a dead, backward sprint, going behind the 50-yard line before looping around and finding a crease on the left side of the field. With the Mules' entire defensive line in hot pursuit, McHugh scampered down the left sideline, evading multiple defenders, and picked up the first down before taking a huge hit to maintain possession.

During the game-sealing drive, 19 of the 20 Ephs' plays were rushes, with 17 combined for Fabiano and McHugh. Those numbers reflected the team's dominant ground attack during the afternoon, as McHugh and Fabiano combined for 227 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Coach Mark Raymond credited the rushing success to a strong performance by the team's offensive line, which opened up running lanes throughout the game for both players. "Up front, the guys were in tune," he said. "They did a great job by working together and being physical."

Despite the eventually comfortable Williams victory, though, the first half was a tight affair.

Colby's offense jumped out to a strong start on the game's opening drive, covering 76 yards in seven plays, the last of which was a 17-yard scoring strike from Stephen Gill to his favorite wideout, Jack Nye, to put Colby ahead, 7-0.

The Ephs responded with a promising drive of their own, as McHugh and Fabiano carried the team into the red zone with a series of solid rushes before a Colby sack stalled offensive momentum. But senior Leonardo Maiuolo's 27-yard field goal attempt was wide of the mark, leaving Williams scoreless with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.

Maiuolo made up for his missed field goal right at the end of the first quarter with a career-long 72-yard punt that pinned Colby inside its own 10. The Mules were unable to get a first down, and their punt left the Ephs with good field position inside the 50. 

Williams took advantage, thanks in large part to a 22-yard strike from McHugh to junior Zach Falls. On 3rd-and-4 from inside the 10, McHugh scrambled up the left side for a touchdown, and Maiuolo's extra point made it 7-7. McHugh finished the day 6-of-12 for 53 passing yards and an interception, but added 84 rushing yards and the Ephs' first touchdown of the day.

Neither team was able to score again in the first half, although senior Brady Carroll intercepted a Gill pass with under a minute left that gave the Ephs a late scoring opportunity. Senior Wyatt Olson's 45-yard field goal attempt was blocked, however, leaving the score knotted at halftime.

In the second half, the Ephs simplified their offensive approach. The team got the ball to start the half, and the first four offensive plays were all Fabiano rushes. He continued to carry the load later in the drive, again rushing four straight times to bring Williams from the Colby 31 to the 4-yard line. Then, on 3rd-and-inches from the 2, Fabiano followed his blockers into the end zone to score the first touchdown of his career. The extra-point attempt was blocked, though, leaving the door open with the score 13-7. 

Aside from the opening drive, the defense was up to the task, forcing the Mules to punt on their first drive of the second half. And with the offense hogging the ball, the Colby offense didn't get back on the field until after the two-minute warning trailing by 12. The Ephs had the ball for over 40 minutes on the day, nearly 23 minutes of which came in the second half. "We settled in, and we started playing better," Raymond said. "Unfortunately, we had to get our butts kicked for a series first."

Gill finished his day 17-for-26 with 168 passing yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Colby gained just 61 yards on the ground, as the Ephs' defense was led by junior Zakkai Moore's eight tackles.

Next week, Williams will try to knock off the defending NESCAC co-champion as the team travels to Trinity College, which is also 2-0 on the season after a 43-0 blanking of Bates today. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. and will be streamed live by Northeast Sports Network with a link available on the Ephs' online schedule.