The Barber's Cut

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Upon Further Review: A look back at the JMU-Rhode Island game

(Editor's note: The Daily News-Record is entering into a partnership with Yahoo and Rivals.com to bring you even more in-depth coverage of JMU athletics. That means much of the content you used to read here will be moving to the new JMU Rivals site when it is launched this weekend. I'll still be using this space to share my thoughts and musings on the world of sports, JMU, CAA and beyond. I hope you find time to read and enjoy both sites, follow me on twitter @mikeabarber and, as always, read the Daily News-Record. Thanks!)

HARRISONBURG – James Madison – behind a familiar formula of rushing the ball and playing stout defense – came up with a 31-13 victory over Rhode Island in a must-win situation Saturday on senior day at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The Dukes got a lift from the return of quarterback Justin Thorpe and the play of running back Dae’Quan Scott and its defense. But JMU still has a lingering issue with its kickoff coverage.

JMU plays at Massachusetts on Saturday. A win puts the Dukes (6-4) in the thick of the discussion for an at-large bid to the Division I-AA playoffs. Madison hasn’t made the postseason since 2008.

First down: Getting Justin Thorpe back brought the Dukes back to an option-based offense. And that worked.

Thorpe might have been a little rusty throwing the football, but JMU’s option attack picked up right where it left off before his suspension. The opening drive was as dominant a performance as the Dukes’ have had since Rodney Landers ran the team.

JMU churned out 64 yards on five plays. Thorpe ran for 44 of those on just three carries. He picked up 17 yards to the right, 17 to the left, and capped it with a 10-yard touchdown.

“I skipped a couple beats, but I’ll get back into the groove of things,” Thorpe said.

His presence also helped Dae’Quan Scott post huge numbers. Scott rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns, including a back-breaking 66-yard burst of speed in the third quarter.

“The defense had to respect Justin’s run game,” Scott said. “That helped a lot. And with him carrying out his fakes, that helped a lot too.”

With another week of work together, the rebuilt offensive line improved. It should improve more next week, as it readjusts to blocking the option.

Second down: The defense created four turnovers. It had only 11 in the previous nine games.

JMU hasn’t been great at generating takeaways the past three seasons. But Saturday, Dean Marlowe, Stephon Robertson and Pat Williams all had interceptions and Robertson added a fumble recovery.

Two of the turnovers occurred in JMU territory. The Dukes converted two of the turnovers into 10 points, a touchdown and a field goal.

Third down: Did the kick coverage really improve this week?

JMU coach Mickey Matthews took over coaching the kickoff team this week, but the Dukes still struggled. Rhode Island averaged 25.6 yards per return, not nearly as bad as the 33.7 New Hampshire averaged a week earlier, prompting the change.

For the year, JMU’s average allowed kickoff return is 20.5. Rhode Island’s Brandon Johnson-Farrell took the opening kickoff back 27 yards. The Rams’ average would have been higher, but Johnson-Farrell fumbled his second attempt and the Dukes recovered a surprise onsides kick on the third kickoff of the game.

Johnson-Farrell also broke off a 45-yard runback in the third quarter.

“We’ve had pretty good success with our return game,” URI coach Joe Trainer said. “It’s not as if we saw something we were looking to expose.”

Extra points: Dae’Quan Scott is 85 yards away from hitting 1,000 rushing yards on the season. … Leading receiver Brian Barlow did not have a catch in Saturday’s game. … This week’s opponent, Massachusetts, lost 32-21 at Maine.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Game day blog: Three keys for the JMU-Rhode Island game

HARRISONBURG – James Madison finds itself needing two wins in its final two games to have a shot at the Division I-AA playoffs. That starts today against Rhode Island.

The Rams are resurgent, having won two of their last three games. But Rhody has yet to win on the road. It’s senior day at JMU and the Dukes’ 10 seniors sure don’t want that to change.

Here are three keys to today’s game…

1) How ready is Justin Thorpe to return to the starting quarterback job?

Thorpe, a junior, was the Dukes’ starting quarterback for the first four games, leading them to a 3-1 mark. Then, he was suspended for five games failing a drug test for the second time in his college career, sources said.

For the past six weeks (JMU had a bye week during his suspension), Thorpe has been quarterbacking the scout team, working against JMU’s first-team defense. That kept him in physical shape.

When asked about how mentally ready Thorpe will be to lead JMU today, coach Mickey Matthews said, “Justin knows the offense.” True, it’s not like he has to learn a new system. But Thorpe was never a master orchestrator of a deep playbook, so the time off could hurt him.

The bottom line is, Thorpe is a dynamic athlete who can make game-changing plays by stretching the defense with his legs. And, with backup Jace Edwards (ankle, shoulder) out for this game, he’s JMU’s only hope.

2) Will Mickey Matthews be able to fix a kick coverage unit that played a huge role in JMU losing last week’s game?

Three long kick returns in the first half against New Hampshire left JMU playing catch up last weekend. The Dukes never caught up, losing 28-10 to leave themselves on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention.

During the week, Matthews took over coaching the kick coverage unit – dubbed the Rod team at JMU – to try to avoid a similar problem the last two weeks. Rhode Island and UMass are both solid return teams.

Rhode Island’s Brandon Johnson-Farrell should test the Dukes’ coverage, though the Rams were hurt by the suspension of Travis Hurd, another talented returner.

3) Can Rhode Island sophomore quarterback Bob Bentsen exploit a sometimes-suspect JMU secondary?

Bentsen replaced senior starter Steve Probst after Probst suffered a concussion a few weeks ago. Rhode Island has stuck with Bentsen since Probst’s return. Though shorter than Probst, Bentsen is more of a pocket passer, who likes to challenge defense’s vertically.

JMU’s secondary hasn’t lived up to expectations this year, giving up plenty of yards underneath, struggling with tackling and getting hit for the occasional big play as well.

The key for the Dukes will be how much of a pass rush they can generate with their four down defensive linemen. If D.J. Bryant, Aaron Harper, Lamar Middleton and Tyler Snow have big games, JMU can drop seven players into pass coverage and should be able to contain Bentsen.

Friday, November 11, 2011

A Look At The I-AA Playoff Picture

(Editor's note: The Daily News-Record is entering into a partnership with Yahoo and Rivals.com to bring you even more in-depth coverage of JMU athletics. That means much of the content you used to read here will be moving to the new JMU Rivals site when it is launched this weekend. I'll still be using this space to share my thoughts and musings on the world of sports, JMU, CAA and beyond. I hope you find time to read and enjoy both sites, follow me on twitter @mikeabarber and, as always, read the Daily News-Record. Thanks!)

HARRISONBURG – A lot will have to go right for James Madison to return to the Division I-AA playoffs this year, snapping a two-year absence.

The biggest is that the Dukes, losers of three of their last four games, will have to beat Rhode Island and Massachusetts to get to 7-4.

Still, JMU may need some help even if it does that. The I-AA tournament takes 20 teams, with 10 being automatic qualifiers by winning their conferences. There are some obvious choices for at larges and then it gets interesting.

Some things that might help the Dukes?

Wins by Northern Iowa over Southern Utah and Illinois State would knock both those teams off the bubble and put Northern Iowa in.

A Lehigh win over Georgetown today would give it the Patriot League title and keep it from grabbing an at-large.

If Elon could upset Furman or Texas State beat Central Arkansas, that would also improve the Dukes chances of making the field.

JMU would have to be the fifth Colonial Athletic Association team into the field. The NCAA has taken that many teams before. Those close to the CAA regard this as a down year for the league, in part, because traditional powers Richmond, Villanova and William & Mary have been lousy.

But nationally, the CAA’s resume still stacks up as the best. It has six teams in the current Top 25. During the year, 10 of its 11 members were in the Top 25 at one point. The league’s teams are 19-2 against other I-AA conferences this season.

And its last place team, Richmond, has a win over I-A Duke.

At 7-4, JMU would put itself in the thick of the conversation. Here’s a look at the current playoff picture.

Who’s in?: First, 10 league champions get automatic bids. That puts the CAA champion into the 20-team field along with (and some of these are projected winners):

Big Sky: Montana State

Big South: Liberty

MEAC: Norfolk State

MVC: North Dakota State

NEC: Albany

OVC: Eastern Kentucky

Patriot: Lehigh

Southern: Georgia Southern

Southland: Sam Houston State

The CAA’s next best three teams are all locks for at-larges, meaning Maine, New Hampshire, Old Dominion and Towson are all in. (13 bids gone, if you’re scoring at home.)

From the Southern, Wofford (14) is in with a win in either of its next two – vs. Georgia Southern and Chattanooga. In the unlikely event it loses both (not impossible), it’s eliminated at 7-4 because of a win over NAIA Virginia Wise.

Appalachian State (15) – with games against weak Elon and Western Carolina teams – figures to be in.

Northern Iowa (16), if it can take care of business against Southern Utah and Illinois State, not only gets in, but also knocks those two teams out.

Montana (17) is in.

Who’s on the bubble?: My math leaves three spots for the following seven teams – Central Arkansas, Furman, Illinois State, Indiana State, James Madison, Southern Utah and Stony Brook.

Here they are broken down.

JMU needs wins in its final two games to get to 7-4. It’s losses would be to three playoff teams (Maine, New Hampshire and Old Dominion) and I-A North Carolina. It’s best win, however, would be at Liberty.

Furman, which ends the year at Florida, needs a win over Elon on Saturday to get in. And even then, it’ll be a bubble team.

Illinois State would put itself likely in the field and push Northern Iowa to the bubble with a win over the Panthers on Saturday.

Central Arkansas, with a win over Texas State, would move to 8-3, though it would have just seven D-I wins. A loss eliminates it.

Southern Utah, from the non-auto bid Great West, would likely put itself in the field with a win over Northern Iowa and then one over Northern Arizona. An upset of Northern Iowa coupled with an earlier win over I-A UNLV, would make Southern Utah’s case fairly strong, even at 7-4.

Stony Brook, with a win over Liberty next Saturday it would win the Big South title and push Liberty to the bubble. With a win over Gardner Webb this weekend and a loss to Liberty, Stony Brook would be on the outside looking in.

Indiana State needs wins over the two bottom teams in the MVC – Missouri State and Southern Illinois – to keep itself in the discussion.

CAA Picks: Week 11

HARRISONBURG -- It's crunch time in the Colonial Athletic Association as three teams - Maine, New Hampshire and Towson - are tied for first. Old Dominion will join those three in the Division I-AA playoffs. Only JMU is left still vying for an at-large bid.

Delaware (5-4) - with its D-II win over West Chester - can't get to seven D-I wins. UMass (5-4) is not eligible for the postseason as it prepares to move to I-A next year.

But teams like UMass, Rhode Island and William & Mary do have the chain to be spoilers.

I went 2-3 last week, going out like a lamb. My overall record on the year fell to 45-22. But there's still time to roar. Just like JMU, I'm in need of two strong showings to end the regular season.

Richmond at Delaware: The Blue Hens haven't been putting much pressure on opposing quarterbacks this year, ranking last in the league in sacks. But Delaware is still stout against the pass, dropping extra bodies into coverage and allowing the fewest passing touchdowns (8) in the CAA.

Delaware tailback Andrew Pierce should feast on Richmond's unimpressive defense. UR interim coach Wayne Lineburg, who started 3-0 with an upset over Duke, has not yet won a CAA game, making it unlikely he'll get the permanent gig.

PICK: Delaware 27, Richmond 13

Old Dominion at William & Mary: Will the Monarchs' run defense be able to slow down the CAA's leading rusher, Jonathan Grimes? ODU did a good job against other top backs, including Delaware's Andrew Pierce and UMass' Jonathan Hernandez.

A year ago, these two teams met in a non-conference game that was as testy and choppy as any league game has ever been.

PICK: Old Dominion 20, William & Mary 17

Massachusetts at Maine: These two are statistically similar. Both are coming off home losses. A year ago, UMass took out Maine despite a big game from Pushaun Brown. That win came thanks in large part to Black Bear turnovers. But UM and quarterback Warren Smith have been much better with ball security this year.

Brown is hurting and may not be full speed. UMass running back Jonathan Hernandez is having - as expected - a big year. Maine's run defense has been suspect.

Maine needs this game more, since UMass isn't eligible for a CAA title or playoff bid this year (It's transitioning to Division I-A). But the Minutemen were embarrassed last week giving Villanova its first league win.

UMass is playing for pride the next two weeks, but with a roster full of seniors, that should be enough to make them dangerous.

PICK: UMass 24, Maine 21

New Hampshire at Towson: Two of the top offenses go head-to-head in a game that could go a long way to determining the CAA champion. Both squad are 5-1 and tied with Maine atop the league standings.

A year ago, UNH blew Towson out in the final game of the regular season. But that was a very different Tigers team. This version, led by quarterback Grant Enders and running back Terrance West, who has scored an eye-popping 21 rushing touchdowns, by far the most in the league.

The Wildcats have struggled in run defense this year, but have been winning close games to stay near the top of the conference.

PICK: Towson 24, New Hampshire 21

Rhode Island at James Madison: The Dukes, desperately needing wins in its final two games to have a shot at the Division I-AA playoffs, get junior quarterback Justin Thorpe back from a five-game suspension.

Thorpe will start against Rhode Island, in part, because his replacement, Jace Edwards, has ankle and shoulder injuries. When Thorpe was suspended, the Dukes had a ton of momentum, winning three straight including back-to-back road wins at teams that were ranked at the time.

JMU will need Thorpe - who has been practicing by running the scout team offense - to pick up where he left off.

And the Dukes will need to contain Rhode Island's kick returner and quarterbacks Bob Bentsen and Steve Propst. Bentsen could test JMU's suspect pass defense.

The Rams have won two of their last three games but don't have a road victory yet this season.

PICK: James Madison 27, Rhode Island 17

Thursday, November 10, 2011

My 2 Cents, Free As Always: Notes On A College Football Scandal

HARRISONBURG, Va. – From the Miracle On Ice, to Munich, to Magic Johnson retiring due to HIV, to Mike Tyson biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear, to Dale Earnhardt dying in a crash at Dayton, to malice at the Place, time has proven anything can happen in the world of sports.

Still, I never thought I’d read the headline, “Joe Paterno Fired.”

Those words hit televisions, websites and newspapers everywhere Wednesday. They shot through cyberspace on Facebook, twitter and message boards.

Joe Paterno, 84 years old and for more than half of those years a symbol of what college athletics were supposed to be all about, was fired over the phone Wednesday in the aftermath of accusations that his former defensive coordinator had sexually assaulted an untold number of young boys, with some incidents allegedly occurring on campus.

At my alma mater, Rutgers, Paterno’s Penn State program was a combination blue print on how to do things the right way and a gold standard of what RU hoped to become.

Penn State was a state school that had pursued and achieved big-time success in college football without selling its soul, sacrificing its academics or corrupting its primary mission.

In my four years at Rutgers, the school never had to deal with anything on the scale of this PSU mess. In my nine years covering James Madison, that school hasn’t faced anything like this. But then again, who has?

Still, I can’t imagine any institution – university, business or government – bungling the handling of a scandal as badly as Penn State has.

Legendary football coach Joe Paterno, the university said, was fired because it was in the best interests of the university to fire him. Not because he failed to report alleged sexual abuse going on right under his nose, even after it was brought to his attention.

He was let go because that would make things easier for the people at PSU.

Penn State stumbled onto the right decision – Joe had to go – but not for the right reason.

Detractors of Paterno – the winningest coach in major college football and an icon in American sports – will accuse him of turning a blind eye to the alleged, disgusting accusations to preserve his legacy and keep his reputation squeaky clean. His supporters will argue he did everything he was legally required to do by reporting the information to his boss.

As usual, the truth falls somewhere in between.

I read this once about corporations in America, but I think it aptly applies here. Almost anyone can run a big-time business on a good day. What CEOs are paid ridiculous, astronomical salaries for is to navigate through the rare but possible really, really bad days.

Penn State and Paterno had mostly good, sometimes great days, during the coach’s 46 years there.

But when Penn State needed Paterno most, it wasn’t the day it clinched the 1982 national title or the day it won his second championship following the 1986 season.

It didn’t come en route to any of three Big Ten titles or 37 bowl appearances.

When Penn State needed Paterno most, it was the day a graduate assistant came into his office and – if nothing else – brought to the coach’s attention that something inappropriate had happened.

And on that day, Joe Paterno failed in his role as PSU’s coach.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Remembering JMU Cheerleader Nick Keatts

HARRISONBURG – More than wins or touchdowns or 3-pointers, James Madison senior cheerleader Nick Keatts loved being a part of the pageantry and the show that is college athletics.

“He wanted to make all the fans in the stands excited about what was going on,” JMU cheerleading coach Kelly Moore told me Sunday. “He wanted everyone to enjoy JMU athletics as much as he did.”

I got to know Keatts as a James Madison fan, as the guy inside that puffy Duke Dog outfit, as a cheerleader, even as a part-time sports writer.

Saturday night, when I landed at Dulles Airport, I got the news that the 23-year-old Keatts had been found dead in his apartment that morning by a teammate who had come to check on him because Keatts had missed school and cheer practice Friday with a stomach bug.

“That’s a devastating thing,” said JMU football coach Mickey Matthews, who said Keatts was a close friend to a number of the football players. “It’s much more important than any football game will ever be.”

I had the drive back to Harrisonburg to think about the tragic event and what the JMU community had lost – one of the most passionate fans I’ve encountered in my nine years around the Dukes. During the team’s memorable march to the 2008 Division I-AA semifinals, Keatts came to games dressed – and face-painted – like the Joker from Batman comics and movies.

He was one of the most energetic and enthusiastic supporters for a basketball program whose Electric Zoo days have long ago browned out.

Moore said to me this weekend, “if you take a step back and look, he really is the face of JMU cheerleading.”

And that face was always smiling.

On the sideline at Madison football games, Keatts had a smile for every scoreboard occurrence.

When the Dukes were winning, he flashed a wide, beaming toothy grin that screamed, “Look at us. Look what we’re doing. How great is this?”

When JMU was losing, Keatts was still smiling, offering a wry, almost bashful grin that seemed to say, “What is going on around here? Do you believe this?”

And when the Dukes were locked in a tight battle, the kind of close contest that is supposed to unnerve fans, Keatts turned edge-of-your-seat, white-knuckle time to another chance to flash his pearly whites.

It was for those moments that Keatts saved his biggest smile, one that seemed to excitedly cry out, “What’s going to happen next?”

That’s because, more than the winning, Keatts loved being a part of the world of JMU athletics, the community that was thousands of people wearing the same color and doing the same thing – enjoying a sporting event.

If you’re a JMU fan and you knew Keatts, or even if you didn’t, when you’re sitting in the stands during a football or basketball game and, whether the Dukes are winning or losing or the game’s tied, take a moment to think about how much Nick Keatts would’ve enjoyed being there.

And smile.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Analysis: JMU Lacks Clutch Players

DURHAM, N.H. – In 2008, as James Madison’s football team pulled off miracle finish after miracle finish, coach Mickey Matthews repeatedly said that the Dukes recruited their luck by attracting dynamic players like quarterback Rodney Landers and explosive return man Scotty McGee.

Apparently, there hasn’t been much of that luck in JMU’s recent classes. It’s lost nine games the past three seasons by seven points or less. It missed the Division I-AA playoffs the last two years and could be on its way to making it three in a row after Saturday’s 28-10 loss at New Hampshire.

“We’re just going to continue doing what we’ve been doing since we were little boys, and that’s play football,” senior defensive end D.J. Bryant said. “Let’s not think about the pressure. Let’s not think about the playoffs. Let’s just think about playing one game at a time.”

The truth is, this year’s Dukes don’t have a McGee, who sparked a dramatic comeback against Appalachian State by taking the opening kickoff of the second half back for a score and later beat Richmond with a game-winning punt return in 2008.

They don’t have a Landers, whose long scoring run after McGee’s touchdown turned momentum in the App State game that year, and whose Hail Mary touchdown pass to Bosco Williams gave the Dukes a stunning road win at Villanova.

No, this year it’s the opposing teams that seem to have recruited all the luck.

Maine got a thrilling 25-24 overtime when at JMU when its backup quarterback flipped into the end zone on a gutsy two-point conversion.

Old Dominion won a 23-20 thriller thanks in part to a long fourth down prayer-of-a-touchdown-pass by its freshman quarterback.

And Saturday, New Hampshire jumped out to a big lead thanks to two long kickoff returns in the first quarter (both aided by JMU penalties) that gave the Wildcats firm control on their way to a 28-10 win.

“Those were huge plays,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. “You can add 100 yards to their offense because of those two runs. Those were utterly ridiculous.”

JMU? It made more mistakes than big plays, committing eight penalties for 73 yards and scoring one touchdown on four trips into the redzone.

It’s biggest offensive play of the game – a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jace Edwards to Brian Barlow that would have cut UNH’s lead to 25-17 in the third quarter -- was called back for a holding flag on left tackle Matt Cunningham.

“It was divine intervention,” said Matthews, whose team has suffered nine of its 14 losses the last three years by one touchdown or less. “It’s the third straight week New Hampshire has had an opponent with touchdowns called back.”

If the Wildcats appear to have been rolling in a patch of four-leave clovers or been sprinkled with fairy dust, the Dukes look decidedly snake bit. A rash of injuries have left them depleted on the offensive and defensive lines and their starting quarterback was suspended the past five games.

And, more than all that, they’re not making the big plays that win tight games.

Maybe the best example came on JMU’s failed fourth-and-1 try in the fourth quarter.

On third-and-14 at the UNH 15-yard line, the Wildcats lined up offsides. The Dukes ran the play and completed a 13-yard pass to Barlow.

Matthews declined the penalty, opting for a fourth-and-1 inside of the two instead of a third-and-9 at the 10, an understandable decision given the Dukes’ prowess for rushing the ball.

And not out of character. Matthews has always had a somewhat unnerving confidence in his team’s ability to get that one yard.

In 2008, JMU was 23-for-31, converting fourth downs at a mind-blowing 74-percent rate, including a big fourth-quarter one in the comeback win over Appalachian State.

In the national championship season of 2004, the Dukes were 15-for-25 (60 percent) on fourth down, and converted one in each of its four playoff games.

But Saturday, on fourth-and-1 at the 2, JMU handed the ball to banged up running back Dae’Quan Scott, who went nowhere.

And now, it looks like that’s where the Dukes may be headed.