ACC Coaches Wary Of I-AA Foes

HARRISONBURG – As his team prepares to open its season Saturday against Division I-AA Appalachian State, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer had some choice viewing for the Hokies. He had them watch some clips from the end of last year’s stunning 21-16 loss to James Madison.

“The James Madison game is a game that, I think people, sometimes because you play at a certain level, you’re in a certain league, you think things are going to turn out a certain way,” Beamer said Wednesday. “That’s just not the way it is. It’s how you play.”

It’s not likely many of the Hokies who were on the field that day at Lane Stadium have forgotten the loss to the Dukes, but just in case, Beamer made sure to drive home the point visually. He hopes it will have his players focused for Appalachian State, a I-AA power.

“This is really a good football team coming in here,” Beamer said. “They’re not in the same division we are but they could play in our division. They certainly have the capabilities of playing in this division. I just thought it was an appropriate thing to do.”

Appalachian State has actually been studying a possible move up to Division I-A, where teams have 85 scholarships instead of 63. The Mountaineers gained national notoriety for upsetting Michigan 34-32 in 2007, becoming the first I-AA team to beat a nationally-ranked I-A opponent. (JMU became the second when it beat Tech last year.)

“We’re getting ready to play this week a team that certainly knows how to win, a team that expects to win,” Beamer said. “A team with some outstanding players.”

As for JMU, it’s hoping to pull back-to-back upsets when it opens at North Carolina on Saturday. UNC coach Everett Withers said the Dukes’ big win over Tech helped push his players in spring practice and summer workouts.

“Obviously what they did last year against Virginia Tech’s been on our kids mind really since the spring,” Withers said. “We know we have to be prepared for a tough opponent coming in this first ball game.”

The UNC players said the Tech game is one of three JMU contests from last year they’ve watched. (Losses to Richmond and Massachusetts were the other two.)

“We just want to go out there and play football and not take them lightly,” senior defensive tackle Tydreke Powell said. “That’s the main film we’ve watched. We just try to take the mistakes Virginia Tech did and not make the same mistakes.”

The Hokies went last season as a national title contender. The losses to Boise and JMU knocked them from that pedestal, but Tech rebounded to win the ACC title.

Expectations aren’t quite as high around the Tar Heels, who have dealt with turmoil since coach Butch Davis was fired in late July and Withers – an assistant – was promoted to take his place.

UNC was picked to finish third in the ACC’s Coastal Division in the preseason media poll, behind Virginia Tech and Miami. Overall, the Hokies are picked second in the ACC behind Florida State.

But with a stacked defensive line and a strong-armed new quarterback, the Tar Heels could be contenders. And a loss to JMU could derail that.

“They’re a pretty good team,” senior defensive end Quinton Coples said. “You can’t underestimate them. They’re a grinding team. You stop them, you stop them, but they keep grinding. That’s how they beat teams like Virginia Tech in the past.”

Unlike Beamer, Withers hasn’t been mentioning JMU’s 2010 upset this preseason, thought its clear his players are thinking about it.

“When you’ve got a team that has as many veterans on it as ours, you don’t have to pull that kind of stuff out, I don’t believe,” Withers said. “I think you mention it to the young kids. But our kids have seen it. What that does is, it helps you in spring ball and in summer. It helps you when you know they’ve beaten one of your conference foes. We used it back in the summer, back in the spring. As of now, this thing’s about us.”

But senior wide receiver Dwight Jones admitted even the veterans are still thinking about last year’s shocker in Blacksburg.

“The fact that they beat Virginia Tech is in the back of all our heads,” he said.

JMU Names Captains; DT Emmons To Miss UNC Game

HARRISONBURG – Justin Thorpe’s coaches picked him as the James Madison football team’s quarterback last Monday. This Monday, his teammates voted him as one of its captains.

Thorpe, a junior, joins senior defensive end D.J. Bryant, senior linebackers Vidal Nelson and Pat Williams, senior center Roane Babington, and junior tight end Brian Barlow as the Dukes’ captains for the 2011 season, JMU coach Mickey Matthews said Tuesday after practice.

“It’s a big deal to me,” Thorpe said. “I feel blessed that my teammates believe I’m a captain. I’m vocal out here and I’m appreciative that the guys respect me and look up to me.”

Nelson said it's only natural for the quarterback to be a captain.

“The quarterback is such a central part of the whole team, not just the offense,” Nelson said. “Justin has really come into camp and matured. His teammates love him. He loves his teammates. I think that’s going to be great for Justin.”

While four of the captains are seniors, Nelson said it speaks volumes that a pair of juniors were selected.

“It’s crazy when I think they’re juniors,” said Nelson, who was a captain as a junior himself. “I feel like they’re the same age as me. They’re great leaders.”

Barlow said the fact that teammates actually voted for him as captain made the achievement extra special.

“It’s one thing to be picked by coaches to be all-conference or something,” Barlow said. “It’s another thing to get picked by your teammates as a leader. I think it’s one of the greatest honors you can get.”

Offensively, JMU doesn’t have many prominent seniors – only Babington and wide receiver Kerby Long.

Defensively, the Dukes are loaded with veteran players and three picked as captains are three of the most experienced.

“There’s a lot of games played amongst us three,” Nelson said. “And there’s been a lot of hard work put in amongst us three.”

D-Line Hurting: Neither starting defensive tackle – senior Nick Emmons or junior Sean O’Neil – practiced Tuesday because of knee injuries. Matthews said Emmons will miss the North Carolina game and possibly the following week’s home game against Central Connecticut State because of a strained ligament in his knee. Emmons was injured during practice Monday when running back Dae’Quan Scott stumbled into the back of his leg.

O’Neil showed up for weight lifting Monday with a swollen left knee, but Matthews expects him to play Saturday.

Catch of the day: Cornerback Ricky Nichols made a pair of impressive interceptions on deep passes up the sideline against him Tuesday during one-on-ones. On the first, Nichols outran Marquis Woodyard and made a juggling, diving catch for the pickoff. Woodyard ended up leap-frogging over Nichols as the defensive back came down with the ball.

A few passes later, Nichols made a jumping interception on the same route, pulling the ball away from Woodyard.

Around the CAA: Week 1

HARRISONBURG – With 10 wins over Division I-A opponents in the last five years, including James Madison’s eye-opening upset of then-No. 13 Virginia Tech, it’s not likely the Colonial Athletic Association will be overlooked by any of its big brother foes this opening weekend.

“If you take a look at the record, that’s all you have to do,” said Villanova coach Andy Talley, whose team opens against Temple on Thursday. “I think it’s pretty evident to any I-A team that when you’re playing a CAA team, you’re going to be in for a run. If your kids fall asleep at the switch and they take you into the fourth quarter, there’s a real good chance you could get beat.”

Six of the 10 CAA teams in action this opening week play a I-A team.

Since 2002, the CAA has won 16 games against Division I-A opponents. Of those 16, five have come in season openers. In 2009, Colonial teams turned the trick three times in the opening week, with Villanova knocking off Temple 27-24 on Sept. 3, William & Mary beating Virginia 26-14 on Sept. 5, and Richmond topping Duke 24-16, also on Sept. 5.
New Hampshire won five straight I-A games from 2004-2009.

This year, Villanova plays Temple and New Hampshire takes on Toledo, both on Thursday. On Saturday, Delaware plays at Navy, JMU plays at North Carolina, Richmond plays at Duke and William & Mary travels to Virginia.

With the exception of North Carolina and Toledo, all of those teams have suffered losses to CAA teams in recent years.

“There’s no sneak attacking with us and Navy,” Delaware coach K.C. Keeler said. “We’ve had some success against them, beat them in ’03 and ’07. Those are years they went to bowls.”

William & Mary coach Jimmye Laycock led his team to its first win over a Division I team in 11 years when the Tribe beat U.Va. 26-14 in 2009.

“We’ve been playing I-A teams for as long as I’ve been here,” Laycock, starting his 31^st season, said. “I think they all prepare. I think they all take us serious. I think they come ready to play. I haven’t seen any instance of them not.”

Timing, JMU coach Mickey Matthews, said, is a big part of the equation for CAA teams to pull upsets. A year ago, Virginia Tech was coming off a season-opening loss to Boise State played on a Monday night. With the quick turnaround, the Hokies were at a major disadvantage against JMU.

That won’t be the case when the Dukes open this Saturday at North Carolina.

“I talked to the North Carolina people about scheduling Boise State on Monday night,” Matthews joked. “So we could play a team coming off the Boise state game last year like tech did, where they wouldn’t get back in bed til 6 in the morning Tuesday morning and wouldn’t even look at our film til Wednesday. For some reason, they wouldn’t agree to that.”

 And, unlike a decade ago, when CAA teams travel to I-A games – even against BCS conference opponents – their fan bases now expect success.

“The expectation level here in Philly is that Villanova can compete,” said Talley, whose team has beaten Temple in two of the past three meetings. “In our game, certainly at Villanova, people do think we have a great shot to win this game.”

In the interim: Richmond is preparing for its I-A game while dealing with a tumultuous coaching change. But interim coach Wayne Lineburg said this week the Spiders are handling former coach Latrell Scott’s resignation after a second DWI charge, well.

“It’s certainly been a trying week,” Lineburg said. “Our kids have done a good job. Obviously they’re very disappointed in what happened with Coach Scott. We all were. They did a nice job bouncing back and continuing to work. … They’ve held firm and it hasn’t always been easy so far. Our focus now is just working toward getting ready to play Duke.”

For his part, Lineburg said he’d like to earn the coaching position on a more permanent basis, but said his focus at the moment is simply on coaching this year’s Richmond team.

“Of course, I think anybody in this position would certainly want that to happen,” Lineburg said of having the interim title removed. “But we can’t worry about the end result right now. We’ve got to worry about the process and worry about week to week. If it happens and it works out, then obviously that’ll be a great thing. We’ve just got to control what we can control each week and see how it ends at the end of the season.”

For now, that’s meant keeping things pretty status quoi at Richmond. While Lineburg – the team’s offensive coordinator in Scott’s one season last year –  said he’s made some adjustments to practices, for the most part, he’s aimed to keep the transition as smooth as possible.

“I was certainly involved with how we did things last year,” Lineburg said. “So most of the things will be very similar. There might be a few things here and there that we kind of work in that over time I’ve liked and our staff likes. For the most part, we’ll keep it relatively the same to keep things normal for the kids.”

As for Scott, Lineburg said the two have talked frequently since Scott’s dismissal.

“He’s a great friend of mine,” Lineburg said. “I’ve talked to him multiple times after the first couple of days, after he’s kind of gotten over the shock of it. We’ve talked multiple times and he’s helping me as best he can. He’s a class act. Obviously he made a mistake but he’s a class act. He’s still helping us and wants us to do well. He still cares about these kids and this program.”

Wild Kittens?: Villanova coach Andy Talley will field the youngest team of his 26-year tenure at the suburban Philadelphia school when the Wildcats kickoff against Temple on Thursday night. Talley said he expects to start true freshman and will have a redshirt freshman, Dustin Thomas, taking over at quarterback.

“We’re in a complete rebuilding phase,” Talley said. “When you’re playing guys that young, you just don’t’ know what you’re going to get. We haven’t done that since I’ve been here. This is the youngest football team we’ve put on the field here at Villanova.”

Adding to the challenge for Thomas – who replaces three-year starter Chris Whitney at QB – is the fact that star receiver Norman White (foot) is “very, very questionable” for Thursday’s game, Talley said.

Thomas will also be lining up behind a rebuilt offensive line that includes a pair of freshmen.

Best Of Mickey: Monday press conference before UNC

HARRISONBURG – Few topics get more of a reaction from James Madison football coach Mickey Matthews than talking about playing Division I-A games for guarantee money. With the Dukes opening the season at North Carolina, Matthews made sure people understood some key differences between last year’s upset win over Virginia Tech and this year’s game. Most notably, he referenced the short week the Hokies had to deal with after playing Boise State on Monday night at FedEx Field.

“I talked to the North Carolina people about scheduling Boise state on Monday night, so we could play a team coming off the Boise State game last year like tech did, where they wouldn’t get back in bed til 6 in the morning Tuesday morning and wouldn’t even look at our film til Wednesday,” Matthews said Monday during his weekly press conference. “For some reason, they wouldn’t agree to that.”

As for the out of state media that covers the Tar Heels’ program, Matthews said they appear to have little interest in JMU.

“They don’t know who we are,” Matthews said.

Matthews was blunt when asked about playing I-A games.

“I tried to get out of these Division I games when I got here,” the 13^th year coach said. “How many years have I been here? I’ve told them 13 times. I don’t want to play these games. If they had asked me five minutes after the Virginia Tech game last year I would have told them I don’t want to play a Division I game. I have no interest in playing them, zero.”

Asked how often he broaches the subject with the JMU administration Matthews said, “I bring it up every year, sometimes monthly.”

So, what is the most obvious difference between JMU and UNC – aside from the 22 more scholarships the Tar Heels have at their disposal.

“The head coach at North Carolina makes a lot more money than I do,” a smiling Matthews said.

The coach also addressed some other topics Monday.

On the recent earthquake and Hurricane Irene: “Well, like everyone in Virginia, the earthquake made it a little different. Certainly having an earthquake and a hurricane in five or six days, certainly it has not been a normal August for everyone in the commonwealth.”

On injuries suffered during last year’s regular season finale against Maine: “Nobody asked me because everybody was too mad at me.”

On Michael Vick’s impact on the game the year JMU faced the Vick-led Hokies: “The game would have been a lot closer if he went to get pizza that day instead of quarterbacking the Hokies.”

On the expectations facing starting quarterback Justin Thorpe, a junior: “Justin Thorpe has had greatness on him since the day he walked in the door. Justin probably is the best athlete we ever had. He’s a tremendously physically gifted guy. … I guess everyone who bleeds purple wants him to be the national player of the year. He certainly has that ability and everyone in our league knows that. He has two years to see what he’s going to do.”

JMU preseason football camp notebook: Practice #17

HARRISONBURG – With one final football practice left in preseason camp, James Madison’s starting lineup appears to be almost completely set.

Offensively, the Dukes are still eyeing Jordan Anderson and Juaun Latney for the backup running back position and have not been happy with the play of many of their wide receivers. But the offensive line, the tight ends and – most notably – the quarterbacks are set.

“We’re pretty set on offense,” junior quarterback Justin Thorpe, who beat out backup Jace Edwards and third-stringer Billy Cosh for the nod behind center. “We know what can do. We’re just going out there trying to execute.”

Senior Roane Babington will start at center, with Matt Krout and Josh Wells at right guard and tackle. Earl Watford will be the left guard, lining up next to Marshall transfer A.J. Scott, who will be the left tackle.

Brian Barlow will be the starting tight end, though Jonathan Sharp should see plenty of playing time, especially in some two tight end sets.

Defensively, seniors Mike Allen and Taveion Cuffee are still battling for the second cornerback position and junior safeties Jakarie Jackson and Ryan Smith are locked in competition to start.

“There are just some guys who are really close,” Matthews said, pointing to the rotation at defensive line as an example. “There are still some really competitive things.”

Right now, JMU has senior Nick Emmons and junior Sean O’Neil at defensive tackle, though senior Lamar Middleton is right there with them.

Seniors D.J. Bryant and Aaron Harper are at defensive end.

Junior Leavander Jones will be one cornerback, with Allen or Cuffee holding the second spot.

Sophomore Stephon Robertson will be the middle linebacker. Senior Pat Williams will be at one outside linebacker spot. Senior Vidal Nelson seems to be leading at the other outside position, though junior Jamie Veney is right there with them. Chase Williams had been in that mix but has been sitting out with an injury.

Redshirt freshman Dean Marlowe will start at free safety, while Jackson and Smith are competing for the second safety position.

Matthews still hasn’t named a starting place kicker. Cameron Starke and Graham Sharple are vying for that job.

Thorpe said the good thing about this year’s competitions is that Matthews and the assistants are choosing between players who are all performing well.

“Offense and defense, we’re loaded at every spot,” Thorpe said. “I feel like it’s a blessing to have all this talent surrounding me.”

Catch of the day: Quintin Hunter made a great catch on a comeback route thrown by Justin Thorpe. Hunter broke back toward the sideline then leaped and pulled the ball away from a defensive back.

Hit of the day: Tight end Brian Barlow blocked defensive end Brandon Lee into the ground on the backside of a play near the end of Friday’s workout.

Quote of the day: “You’re not getting anything for Christmas from me. That was your present,” said quarterback Jace Edwards after throwing an interception right into the arms of safety Jakarie Jackson.

JMU preseason football camp notebook: Practice #16

HARRISONBURG – Redshirt freshman Jace Edwards will be the backup quarterback for the James Madison football team this season, coach Mickey Matthews said after practice Thursday.

Edwards beat out Kansas State transfer Billy Cosh – also a redshirt freshman – for the spot.

“I’ve had a good camp,” Edwards said after Thursday’s practice at Bridgeforth Stadium. “I think we have a lot of good chemistry out there. It’s a good spot for me.”

Monday, Matthews announced that junior Justin Thorpe would be the Dukes’ starting quarterback. JMU opens the season Sept. 3 at North Carolina.

During Wednesday’s scrimmage, Edwards took all the snaps with the second-team offense, the first indication that Matthews had picked the Midland, Texas native as the Dukes’ backup.

“I guess I could have ruined it yesterday, but I had a good practice,” Edwards said.

Matthews said Edwards has strung together a number of good practices here in the final week of preseason camp.

“I think Jace really got better in the last week,” Matthews said. “He’s improved. Major college football teams are like NFL teams. A lot of times, the most important player on the team is the backup quarterback.”

As for Cosh, Matthews acknowledged it will be difficult to get him significant practice time as the third-string quarterback.

“It’s difficult to work with three quarterbacks as you get closer to the game,” Matthews said. “We’re certainly going to give Billy Cosh as many repetitions as we can but we’re going to give Jace the majority of repetitions.”

Lineup moves: Junior Jakarie Jackson has moved ahead of junior Ryan Smith at weak safety and senior Mike Allen is ahead of senior Taveion Cuffee to be the Dukes’ second starting cornerback.

Defensive back Marquis Woodyard moved to wide receiver as JMU continues to experiment with options to replace the injured Andre Coble (broken arm).

“We took the two best receivers, one of them has a cast on his arm and the other’s playing running back,” Matthews said, referring to Coble and Dae’Quan Scott. “From a talent standpoint, we’re not nearly where we were three weeks ago at wide receiver. We’re still searching for the best players.”

Play time: JMU ended Thursday’s practice early and Matthews said the team would be going to Massanutten Water Park for the afternoon. 

Back in the middle of things: Senior center Roane Babington, who has sat out most of past two weeks with a bruised ankle, returned to practice Thursday.

JMU preseason camp notebook: Practice #15

HARRISONBURG – The third time was the charm. James Madison held its third and final full scrimmage of the preseason Wednesday and the offense – under a microscope this year after two sub-par seasons – had its best day of the preseason.

“Excellent day for the offense,” quarterback Justin Thorpe, named the starter earlier this week, said. “I knew we were going to get rolling.”

Thorpe had a solid day throwing the football, hitting Brian Barlow for a 15-yard touchdown pass that saw the burly tight end shuck himself free from safety Ryan Smith to reach the end zone. Thorpe also hooked up for a 3-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Brown near the end of the scrimmage (see Catch of the day, below.)

“I thought we were much improved,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said after Wednesday’s practice. “It didn’t surprise me. I thought Justin’s play was improved.”

Matthews also noted that the Dukes have stayed away from Thorpe’s strong suit for most of the preseason, something that will likely change as the team begins game-week preparations for North Carolina on Monday.

“We know Justin can run the option very well,” Matthews said. “We’re trying to work on some other things that will help us offensively. We try to remain patient to work on those other parts of our offensive scheme.”

Matthews said he was most pleased with the elevated play of JMU’s backup running backs – Jordan Anderson and Jauan Latney. For the third straight scrimmage, Matthews held starting running back Dae’Quan Scott out of action to avoid the risk of an injury. The previous two scrimmages left the coach unsatisfied with the play of Scott’s top backups. But Wednesday, both Anderson and Latney broke long runs that started with them busting through potential tacklers.

“We really challenged those guys because we’ve really been upset with the play of our running backs except for Dae’Quan,” Matthews said. “And I thought those guys were much improved.”

Matthews named Scott the starter earlier in camp, but Anderson said that hasn’t taken away from the drive of the other backs.

“Dae’Quan’s No. 1 but we’re all just working,” Anderson said.

Matthews also noted both place kickers – Cameron Starke and Graham Sharples – had good practices Wednesday. Matthews said the competition to start at that spot is still too close to call.

Catch of the day: Daniel Brown made an impressive leaping, over-the-shoulder catch for a 3-yard touchdown from Justin Thorpe near the end of Wednesday’s scrimmage. Brown out-jumped cornerback Corey Davis in the corner of the end zone for the score.

“That’s what we expect from him,” Thorpe said. “He’s a big receiver and his hands are like fruit roll-ups. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him drop a pass.”

Hit of the day: Minutes before making the catch of the day, Daniel Brown was the victim of the hit of the day. Thorpe hooked up with Brown for a long gain up the middle of the field, but after running about 10 yards after the catch, Brown got smacked by safety Ryan Smith.

JMU preseason football camp notebook: Practice 14

HARRISONBURG – Cornerback Leavander Jones caught back-to-back passes during the 11-on-11 portion of Tuesday morning’s practice. Normally a defensive player getting his hands on two straight passes would be cause for concern for the offense.

In this case, that was the desired result.

With Andre Coble (broken hand) and Quintin Hunter (Achilles) sitting out with major injuries, Rennard Robinson missing Tuesday’s workout with a sore hamstring and Dae’Quan Scott moved to running back, the James Madison football team was feeling a bit thin and unproductive at wide receiver.

So Jones – who had been recruited by Syracuse as a wide receiver out of Atlantic City, N.J. – spent part of Tuesday’s workout running routes for the Dukes.

“I guess it’s just an experiment at the moment,” Jones said. “We’ll see how it goes from here.”

JMU coach Mickey Matthews said – no matter how well Jones plays at wide out – he will remain the team’s starting cornerback. Matthews is just hoping Jones can give the offense a little spark, similar to the lift Champ Bailey gave the Georgia teams Matthews was an assistant for.

“He would play about 30 plays a game on offense,” Matthews said of Bailey, who went on to an NFL career. “He would really help us. He’d give us a shot in the arm at times. We’re nor going to teach Leavander the entire offense. But he’s a very skilled person and we wanted to look at him in camp and see what he does at receiver.”

Tuesday, Jones opened eyes with one catch in particular. He ran a deep out to the sideline and made a diving catch, getting shoved into a water cooler at the end of the play.

“I caught it,” Jones said. “He pushed me into the water cooler but I caught it. It popped out when I hit the ground but it was a catch.”

Quarterback Justin Thorpe, the team’s newly anointed starter, was impressed with what he saw from Jones.

“Leavander looked pretty good,” Thorpe said. “When you go from back peddling every day for two years, it’s kind of difficult to transition to receiver. He looked pretty smooth.”

“When the DBs want me to warm up with them I tell them I don’t practice throwing picks. It’s not quite the same.”

For his part, Jones said he’s comfortable playing either – or both – positions.

“It felt good,” Jones said. “I’m out here trying to help my team to that ultimate goal and that’s a national championship. Anything I can do to help my team I’ll do.”

The he smiled and added, “It’s been a while though.”

Still, Matthews said – for now – the idea of Jones playing wide receiver is just in its infancy.

“I’ve been very unhappy with the way we’ve been playing at receiver,” Matthews said. “I’m not sure it’s a permanent thing. It’s totally experimental. We’ll just see how he does.”

Catch of the day: Wide receiver Arlandis Harvey made a jumping over-the-shoulder catch at the sideline in front of safety Isaiah Wright.

Hit of the day: Running back Jauan Latney flattened defensive end Tyler Snow on a running play to the right side near the end of Tuesday’s workout.

Quote of the day: “That’s why camp hasn’t been camp. There haven’t been any fights. Everybody’s too nice to each other,” said senior defensive end D.J. Bryant.

JMU practice #13: JMU names Justin Thorpe starting QB

HARRISONBURG – Junior Justin Thorpe will be the starting quarterback for James Madison this season, football coach Mickey Matthews said Monday after practice at Bridgeforth Stadium.

Thorpe beat out redshirt freshmen Jace Edwards and Billy Cosh for the job.

“He announced me the starter and said he has all the confidence in me,” Thorpe said. “I just feel blessed that Coach Matthews still believes in me and is willing to give me a chance to move this offense.”

Matthews informed the quarterbacks of his decision Sunday night. During Saturday’s scrimmage, Thorpe took all of the snaps with the first-team offense.

“It was universal among our staff that he was the best quarterback we had and gives us the best chance of winning,” Matthews said.

Matthews said Edwards is slightly ahead of Cosh to be the team’s backup this season, but the coach said he has no set timetable to choose a No. 2.

Both Cosh and Edwards said they understood the coach’s decision. Neither hesitated to answer questions after Monday’s practice, despite their obvious disappointment that the quarterback competition was over.

“I’m not surprised,” Cosh, a transfer from Kansas State, said. “Justin had a good camp. He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a good runner, good athlete. He threw the ball pretty well in fall camp, so I’m happy for him. He gives us the best chance to win so I’m fine with that.”

Said Edwards: “Justin’s worked really hard this spring. He deserves it. I’m proud of him and I think he’ll do a good job for us.”

Thorpe became the Dukes’ starting quarterback midway through his redshirt freshman season. After struggling initially, he led the team to a season-ending five-game winning streak and won Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Catch of the day: Fittingly, we'll give it to new starting QB Justin Thorpe. With center Roane Babington still out with a bruised ankle, replacement Matt Williams - a redshirt freshman - has sent some snaps sailing over quarterbacks heads this preseason. But Thorpe made a jumping catch to snare a high snap and save an offensive play late in Monday's workout.

Hit of the day: Starting running back Dae'Quan Scott lowered his pads and popped Isaiah Wright - would be tackler - as Scott raced around the left side on a sweep play. Scott's impact sent the off-balance Wright stumbling back and down to the turf.


Quote of the day: "It's OK to jog," wide receivers coach Clayton Matthews chided Ryan Dixon and Albert Williams as the two players walked across the field.

JMU preseason camp notebook: Practice 12

HARRISONBURG – Justin Thorpe celebrated his 21^st birthday on Thursday. His family came to visit for the weekend and attended Saturday’s James Madison football scrimmage.

“Macaroni and cheese,” she said. “And more macaroni and cheese.”

Well, truth be told, there is one other thing Thorpe would like – and Saturday it appeared he’s closer than ever to getting it.

The JMU junior hopes to be the Dukes’ starting quarterback this season. Saturday, Thorpe took all of the snaps with the first time offense, while his competition – redshirt freshmen Billy Cosh and Jace Edwards – split time with the backups.

“That’s a blessing,” a smiling Thorpe said after the workout. “Coach had some faith in me and wanted me to run with the ones and I guess develop a rhythm with the players. I went out there and had some misreads but I had some good reads. All I can do is come out and work hard.”

JMU coach Mickey Matthews said he had no official announcement regarding the quarterbacks, but the playing time split appeared to speak for itself. Thorpe also was the only one of the quarterbacks wearing a red jersey, keeping him from being hit. That’s a precautionary luxury normally only extended to starting quarterbacks.

“I’m not ready to make an announcement,” Matthews said.

Thorpe went 7-for-15 for 74 yards and a touchdown pass, rolling out and finding senior wide receiver Kerby Long in the back of the end zone.

“I couldn’t miss him,” Thorpe said. “He was streaking wide open.”

Cosh, meanwhile, had perhaps his worst practice of the spring. He drew Matthews’ ire for not running hard during the live-tackling scrimmage. A few plays later, he fumbled an exchange from center and didn’t appear to go after the ball, prompting one defensive player to heckle the Kansas State transfer.

“You better stop being scared Cosh,” someone yelled from a pack of JMU defenders walking away from the play.

Later, Cosh again took a verbal lashing from Matthews after misfiring on a pass to a wide open tight end in the end zone.

“Well, it wasn’t his best day,” Matthews said. “The last two days he practiced pretty good but he didn’t have a good day.”

Overall, Matthews was satisfied that his offense was improving. The defense completely dominated the team’s first scrimmage on Wednesday. Saturday morning, things were noticeably more competitive.

That progress came despite JMU being without starting center Roane Babington (bruised ankle) and right guard Matt Krout (flu). Matthews also held starting running back Dae’Quan Scott out of the scrimmage to avoid risking an injury.

“I thought we played much better on offense,” Matthews said. “The biggest problem today was dropped passes. When you have half the offensive line out and you’re holding Dae’Quan Scott out, you’re certainly not going to be as good as you want to be offensively. All that being side, I thought we were a much better offensive team.”

Freshman wide receiver DeAndre Smith provided a spark for the offense late in the scrimmage.

Smith scored a 20-yard touchdown on a swing pass from Jace Edwards and had an 8-yard run on which he juked his way by safety Dean Marlowe – one of the team’s best tacklers.

Catch of the day: Freshman Amir Waller always gets the loudest cheers from teammates. Saturday, it was Waller’s leaping catch on a wobbly throw to the sideline that got the sideline hooting and hollering.

On second-down-and-5, Thorpe targeted Waller, who made the impressive grab falling out of bounds for an 18-yard gain.

Hit of the day: Nothing brings out big hits quite like the intensity of goalline drills.

Saturday, running back Jordan Anderson – with a full head of steam heading toward the end zone – was crushed in a violent collision with defensive tackle Sean O’Neil and safety Dean Marlowe.

Quote of the day: Told that the coaches were basically making the rules for the scrimmage up as they went along, the head linesman said, “We do that all season.”

JMU preseason football camp notebook: Practice 11

HARRISONBURG – After watching his offense completely stymied by his defense in the team’s first scrimmage of the preseason, JMU football coach Mickey Matthews said he hopes to see the offense bounce back during Saturday’s scrimmage.

“Hopefully it’s more competitive,” Matthews said Friday after a rainy practice on the grass fields across campus from the stadium. “I thought the defense really dominated. Hopefully we’re a more competitive offensive team. We should be.”

Players on offense are similarly looking for an improved showing.

“It’s hard on offense. Everything has to be clicking,” junior left guard Earl Watford said after practice Thursday. “It was a little slow the last scrimmage but this time we should be able to pick it up.”

Matthews said Dae’Quan Scott will be the Dukes’ starting running back this season. Scott, however, will be held out of today’s scrimmage.

Matthews said that, while that certainly will hurt the offense’s production, it will give the coaching staff a good opportunity to evaluate the rest of the running backs.

Sophomore Jordan Anderson and redshirt freshmen Ron Gordon and Dejor Simmons have been seeing most of the time there this preseason.

“We need to really take a good look at our running backs and see who’s going to get some playing time behind Dae’Quan,” Matthews said.

Center Roane Babington (bruised ankle) will also sit out the scrimmage. He hopes to return to practice next week.

The scrimmage will be set up the same as Wednesday’s, with a crew of officials calling penalties.

Tough break: Freshman wide receiver Andre Coble – the offensive star of the first scrimmage when he played quarterback – broke his hand Thursday and will require surgery next week at the University of Virginia Medical Center, Matthews said. Coble will miss 6-8 weeks and may redshirt this year.

“He hit it on a defender’s helmet,” Matthews said. “He’ll have surgery next week at U.Va. They’re going to have to put a plate in there.”

Matthews said he will reevaluate Coble’s situation once he returns.

“We’ll have to make a decision at midseason if we’re going to play him or redshirt him,” Matthews said. “As I explained to Andre, we’ll just wait until that day arrives and see where we are.”

Catch of the day: Cornerback Leavander Jones made a nifty catch for an interception during Friday's rainy workout.

JMU preseason notebook: Practice 10

HARRISONBURG – Dorian Brooks loved Pittsburgh, the Steelers’ organization and the coaching staff. He got along with teammates and was progressing well as an NFL lineman. He was in line, he said, to make up to $500,000 this season.

Then he walked away.

“It took its toll,” the 24-year-old Brooks said Thursday while visiting James Madison football practice. “I just lost the passion.”

Brooks said he quit the Steelers two weeks ago, just over a week into training camp.

He doesn’t leave empty handed. Brooks said he’s got a Super Bowl jersey and other paraphernalia from the Steelers’ loss to the Green Bay Packers and hopes to collect his AFC championship ring whenever the team gets them.

“I was a part of the team,” said Brooks, who spent the year on the practice squad before being activated for the Super Bowl.

Brooks said he enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh, particularly his relationship with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, a William & Mary graduate. Brooks said Tomlin enjoyed talking about the rivalry between the two schools and even jokingly offered to bet a paycheck when the Tribe – ranked No. 1 at the time – played at JMU last year. The Dukes scored the upset win and Brooks wisely avoided taunting his boss.

“[After a few days] he said, ‘I like you. You knew not to say anything,’” Brooks said.

Not seeing red: Redshirt freshman quarterback Jace Edwards wasn’t in a protective red jersey for Thursday’s practice, but that didn’t mean he was allowed to be hit.

“He just wore the wrong jersey,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said.

Edwards said he chose to wear the purple because he wanted to go live, but the coaches didn’t allow it.

“Not for me,” Edwards said, when asked why he wasn’t in red. “I like going live.”

That was about 20 minutes into Thursday’s practice.

“They haven’t said anything yet,” Edwards said.

But when he began running plays, the coaches made it clear he wasn’t to be hit – and quickly whistled plays dead when he ran with the ball.

Catch of the day: Freshman wide receiver DeAndre Smith made a sliding catch on an out route right in front of a defender late in Thursday’s workout.

Quote of the day: Left guard Earl Watford tried to coax former Steelers guard Dorian Brooks into some one-on-one blocking drills Thursday. Brooks didn’t hesitate.

“Just give me your cleats,” he said. “That’s all I need.”

JMU preseason football notebook: Day 9

HARRISONBURG – James Madison’s defense looked like it was close to midseason form during Wednesday’s first scrimmage of the preseason. The offense? It has a ways to go.

The defense forced three-and-outs on four of the first six possessions at Bridgeforth Stadium and returned a fumble for a touchdown on another.

“They’re very experienced,” redshirt freshman quarterback Billy Cosh said. “They have a lot of great players coming back. Offensively, We’re trying to find our groove, trying to find what we’re best at – running the ball, throwing the ball. We’re just trying to find it and we will find it.”

It didn’t happen Wednesday. With a crew of officials calling penalties and quarterbacks uncharacteristically out of the protective red jerseys and allowed to be hit, the defense controlled the scrimmage.

“You’re always better on defense early in camp than you are on offense,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. “That was the case today. Our defensive kids got after us.”

Junior quarterback Justin Thorpe – considered the front-runner to win the starting position – sat out Wednesday’s scrimmage after tweaking his left knee in Tuesday’s workout. Matthews said Thorpe – who missed most of last season after bruising his left knee in the season opener – is “day-to-day.”

The offense was also without preseason all-conference center Roane Babington, who is still nursing a bruised right ankle.

“He’s a leader out there on the field,” redshirt freshman quarterback Jace Edwards said. “We definitely miss Roane.”

Redshirt freshman Matt Williams filled in and – after having a pair of bad snaps to open practice – settled in adequately.

Freshman Andre Coble gave the offense a spark. Coble, recruited as a quarterback but moved to wide receiver quickly in the spring, turned in the day’s longest run, bursting 25 yards up the middle for a first-down before being dragged down.

“Andre Coble really gave us a shot in the arm when he came in there and played,” Matthews said. “Of course, that was against the 2s. Andre, since Justin was hurt, that was just his second day at quarterback and I thought he did a lot of good things. That was probably the most encouraging thing we did on offense.”

Catch of the day: Is it getting old yet? Freshman Amir Waller reached back to haul in a pass from freshman walk-on Mackenzie Spees that was thrown high and behind Waller. The catch on the post route went for a 28-yard gain.

Hit of the day: There was actually more quality tackling than big hits during Wednesday’s scrimmage, a good sign for the defense. But there were still plenty of violent collisions, including linebacker Chase Williams’ lick on running back Dejor Simmons that sent Simmons’ helmet flying off and stuffed Simmons for no gain.

Quote of the day: After cornerback Daniel Allen thought he was held by a wide receiver on a screen pass to his side, Allen pleaded his case to assistant coach Mark Hendricks. Hendricks asked the linesmen, who said the play was clean.

“Talk to that man,” Hendricks told Allen.

For updates from practice on Twitter, follow @MikeABarber

JMU preseason camp notebook: Practice 8

HARRISONBURG – Justin Thorpe sat out most of Tuesday morning’s practice at Bridgeforth Stadium after twisting his left knee – the one he bruised in the season opener last year, costing him the rest of 2010 – but Thorpe expects to be back on the field today for James Madison’s first full football scrimmage of the preseason.

“I tried to plant and hurry up and get out of there and just tweaked it a little bit,” Thorpe said. “It had been sore a little bit before that so they just decided to shut me down, let me rest up.”

JMU coach Mickey Matthews said he didn’t believe the injury was anything to be concerned with and said Thorpe sat out to be safe.

“He tweaked his knee the first five minutes of practice,” Matthews said. “I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

Thorpe is competing with redshirt freshmen Billy Cosh – a Kansas State transfer – and Jace Edwards to be the starting quarterback this preseason. He is the team’s most experienced option, having split time with Drew Dudzik in 2009. After an injury to Dudzik, Thorpe finished the year as the team’s starter, leading JMU on a five-game winning streak and being named the Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Rookie of the Year.

But in the season-opener against Morehead State last year, Thorpe bruised his left knee just before halftime. The injury forced him to miss the rest of the season.

Feeling a slight tinge of pain in the knee Tuesday understandably raised a red flag.

“It’s just scary,” Thorpe said. “Any time you go through a whole year of rehab, you don’t want to go back, so anything will scare you.”

Double trouble: One thing JMU’s offense has worked extensively with this preseason is plays utilizing two tight ends, everything from double-tight end sets to lining up players like Brian Barlow and Jonathan Sharp in the slot, to putting them at H-back.

“We started it in the spring where me and Sharp were in the game pretty much every play,” Barlow said after practice Tuesday. “It’s a lot of fun knowing were’ both in the game at all times.”

Catch of the day: Tight end Brian Barlow went up in traffic, making a jumping catch against a pair of defenders, to come down with the ball on a throw from Jace Edwards.

Quote of the day: Offensive coordinator Jeff Durden has a solution to the problem of getting across campus since JMU installed security gates that cut off traffic between Bridgeforth Stadium and

Main Street

.

“It’s called a Huffy,” said Durden, who regularly rides his bicycle to work.

For updates from practice each day on Twitter, follow @MikeABarber

JMU preseason notebook: Day 7

HARRISONBURG – Alex Mosley’s first day in pads was impressive.

His second day, nothing to write home about.

That’s the life of true freshmen, James Madison coach Mickey Matthews said.

“Tuesday, he had a great day,” Matthews said of Mosley, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive tackle from Highland Springs. “I walked off the practice field Tuesday, I thought he’d be playing for us this year. That’s how good he was. He whipped some older kids. Let’s say, the next day, he didn’t quite look that good. He’s a freshman.”

Still, Mosley is in a small group of freshmen who could see playing time this season, though Matthews always prefers to redshirt players to give them a year to mature physically and emotionally.

“It’s totally different than high school,” Mosley said Monday after practice at Bridgeforth Stadium. “Guys are bigger and stronger and faster, but I’m coming along good. It’s way tougher on your body.”

Only six of the players on JMU’s current roster played as true freshmen – defensive end Adrian Cavanaugh, defensive tackle Sean O’Neill, linebacker Jamie Veney, cornerback Leavander Jones, safety Jakarie Jackson and tight end Jonathan Sharp.

Freshman defensive end Sage Harold spent the past year prepping at Fork Union Military Academy and could work his way into the mix, though if redshirt freshmen Brandon Lee and Josh Hogan play well this preseason, that might not be necessary.

Center Andrew Baumgarner has been impressive so far, but playing on the offensive line as a true freshmen is very rare. And JMU has added a pair of transfers in left tackle A.J. Scott and guard Austin Lane who should make the front deep enough to not need to press a rookie into service.

One spot where the Dukes might need some help from its freshmen is at wide receiver. The move of Dae’Quan Scott to running back certainly weakened that unit, but both DeAndre Smith and Amir Waller have had strong camps.

Waller in particular has made a number of eye-opening catches, often against tight defensive coverage.

“I think I’m aggressive,” the 6-foot, 175-pound Waller said after Tuesday’s practice. “I like to go up and get the ball. If you put the ball up, I’m going to go get it.”

Rankings released: The Sports Network released its Division I-AA preseason Top 25. JMU was ranked 15. The Colonial Athletic Association had seven teams in the poll, led by No. 3 William & Mary. Delaware was fifth, New Hampshire 10^th, Villanova 14^th, Richmond 16^th and Massachusetts 25^th. Defending champion Eastern Washington opened at No. 1.

Catch of the day: You guessed it. Freshman Amir Waller made a diving catch on a deep fly up the sideline thrown by Justin Thorpe. That’s his third “Catch of the Day” in seven preseason practices.

Quote of the day: As most of his teammates jogged over to the violent one-on-one drills Monday, quarterback Justin Thorpe smiled and skipped toward the sideline.

“One-on-one with Gatorade. One-on-one, Powerade. One-on-one, sit in the shade. One-on-one, I might have it made,” he happily chirped.

JMU preseason camp notebook: Day 6

HARRISONBURG – With the Dukes now in full pads, there figures to be a lot more violent hitting at football practice this week. And if you’re looking for a powerful collision, there are a few good players to keep your eye on.

“I like to watch myself,” sophomore linebacker Stephon Robertson said.

Robertson laughed as he spoke, but he’s not wrong.

The Dukes’ second leading tackler a season ago is one of the biggest hitters in JMU’s lineup, rivaling – among others – senior safety Vidal Nelson.

“I’d like to say I’m still the reigning king but Stephon is creeping up, definitely,” Nelson said.

He’s not alone. Linebacker Chase Williams and defensive end D.J. Bryant have been known to lay a good lick on a ball carrier. The up-and-comer of the defense is safety Dean Marlowe, who redshirted last year as a true freshman.

“Dean looks like he has a little power behind them pads too,” Nelson said.

Even if – at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds – he doesn’t look like he would.

“If you see Dean, he’s really tall and lanky,” Robertson said. “But you’d be surprised how hard he can hit.”

Robertson said there are different techniques for delivering a particularly devastating blow.

“You an put your hat on the ball, make the ball pop out,” he said. “Or if the ball carrier has the ball centered, in a locked position, you can always put your helmet on his sternum. I know that hurts a lot. If a guy’s trying to open up and sprint to the goal line you can catch him off guard form a blind spot. Those are pretty bad shots too.”

Of course, at the end of the play, the most important thing is to have stopped the opposing player. That’s something Robertson said he’s trying to focus on this season.

“See my problem is, it’s like I kind of tackle but I like to rip a guy,” Robertson said. “I kind of go for the big hit every play. I’m learning to kind of slow down, break down. Tackling’s really important. If you can’t tackle, you can’t play defense.”

Offensive line shuffle: While senior center Roane Babington sat out Saturday morning’s practice with a bruised ankle, Marshall transfer A.J. Scott was in full pads. Scott played left tackle, with Josh Wells moving to right tackle. Matt Krout moved from right tackle to right guard. Earl Watford stayed at left guard and Matt Williams filled in for Babington at center.

Babington said he expects to be back practicing early this week.

Catch of the day: Rennard Robinson made a one-handed grab on a skinny post thrown by Billy Cosh during one-on-ones Saturday.

Quote of the day: After Jakari Jackson dropped a would-be interception, tight ends coach Jeff Durden heckled new defensive assistant Tony LeZotte, a former safety at JMU.

“It takes guts to make an interception. LeZotte, give him some guts. You have any left?”

JMU preseason camp notebook: Day 5

HARRISONBURG – James Madison’s players got their first chance to play at the newly-renovated Bridgeforth Stadium on Friday – and their first taste of 11-on-11 scrimmaging.

And they came onto the turf to music – Ace Hood’s Hustle Hard – blaring out of the stadium’s sound system.

“We wanted to try out our new sound system,” Matthews said. “They were all dancing around early. We could have a rock’n roll concert out here.”

The players enjoyed the atmosphere.

“It was crazy. The music got me going out here,” senior safety Vidal Nelson said. “I know it’s a different stadium but it doesn’t even feel like we’re on campus. It’s crazy being in here.”

Before the Dukes held their first 11-on-11 drill of the preseason, Matthews called the players around him in a huddle to remind them Friday’s practice was not to include full tackling.

“We just don’t want to get anyone hurt,” Matthews said. “It was a non-tackling drill. If you don’t watch it, you’ll have some overzealous guys.”

The scrimmaging came and went without any injuries and Matthews was happy – overall – with the day’s practice.

“The good thing is we had the numbers to have some 11-on-11 scrimmages, which we sorely needed in the spring,” Matthews said. “I think that was a positive.”

QB Watch: All three candidates to be JMU’s starting quarterback saw reps with the first team Friday. And all three – junior Justin Thorpe and redshirt freshmen Jace Edwards and Billy Cosh -- did things that pleased Matthews.

“We’re still learning about those guys,” Matthews said.

When asked if the battle would be trimmed to two quarterbacks before a final choice was made, Matthews said he doesn’t have “a preconceived” plan about how the competition will unfold.

During the team’s media day Friday, he said he’s “not wild about” a two-quarterback system.

Catch of the day: Rennard Robinson ran under a well-lofted 55-yard post thrown by Justin Thorpe. The big play was the last of Friday’s practice at Bridgeforth.

Hit of the day: Safety Dean Marlowe came up and laid a lick on tight end Brian Barlow as Barlow tried to get his hands on a short pass into the flat.

Quote of the day: “I don’t want you to be a blocking dummy.” Defensive backs coach Mark Hendricks to safety Ryan Smith, as players tried to find the fine line between limited contact and full tackling Friday.

JMU preseason practice notebook: Day 4

HARRISONBURG – Hykeem Brodie was back at football practice at James Madison on Thursday, though wasn’t working out. Brodie – who is academically ineligible this season – returned to Harrisonburg after dealing with a death in his family, a part of what he called a, “really tough week.”

Wednesday, JMU coach Mickey Matthews announced that Brodie – a former scholarship running back at Old Dominion who was a walk-on at Penn State last year – was academically ineligible for the 2011 season.

Thursday, Brodie wanted to make sure people knew he worked hard in the classroom. Brodie said he had solid grades both at Penn State and since transferring to JMU in the spring, something Matthews confirmed.

“I put forth the effort,” Brodie, crestfallen over being unable to play this year, said. “And I’m going to keep working. I got two A’s [at JMU]. I’ve got a 3.1 [GPA]. Not a lot of football players have 3.1s.”

So why is Brodie – originally projected as a potential starter at running back – ineligible? Matthews said that NCAA transfer rules require an athlete to be eligible at the institution he was leaving. Penn State requires athletes to complete 26 credit hours a year, two more than the NCAA requirement.

So even though Brodie was eligible by NCAA standards and had a strong first semester at JMU, he did not meet Penn State’s standards during his time there, Matthews said.

“It was an institutional rule,” Matthews said. “He had very good grades up there and he has very good grades here. It’s very unfortunate.”

Even more unfortunate, Brodie said he believes this year will count against his eligibility, even though he’s not playing and that he will have just one year to play at JMU. That remains to be seen.

A setback: Former Turner Ashby High School standout Kyle Linn had a setback in his rehab from surgery to create a torn labrum in his hip flexor. Linn traveled back to Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., this week – where his surgery was done – for a follow-up. He said the doctor told him he should not resume running until after Labor Day. Linn had hopes to be ready to play early this season for the Dukes.

Hit of the day: Redshirt freshman safety Dean Marlowe drilled sophomore running back Jordan Anderson during the scrimmage portion of Thursday’s practice, colliding at full speed with Anderson, upending the ball carrier and sending him flying to the ground.