HARRISONBURG – It may have sounded like a line from ‘Jerry Maguire,’ but James Madison football coach Mickey Matthews didn’t hesitate when asked what his team took from Saturday’s 42-10 loss to North Carolina.
“The money,” Matthews said of the $325,000 guarantee Division I-A UNC paid JMU to play. “We got a great pay day. I’m glad it’s over.”
The Tar Heels’ defensive line made Matthews’ first day as the Dukes’ offensive play caller a bit of a rough one.
In fact, the massive and mobile UNC front four left such an impression on Matthews, the coach joked he might be driven into hiding.
“If we play another defensive front like that, I’m not going to the game,” Matthews said Monday during his weekly press conference. “You all can call me. I’ll be at home mowing the grass.”
Matthews was – obviously – very complimentary of the Tar Heels’ after they whipped JMU.
“I thought North Carolina was really good,” Matthews said. “That’s the best football team we’ve played since I’ve been here, since Michael Vick was at Virginia Tech.”
But Matthews – whose JMU team upset Virginia Tech last season – bemoaned some missed opportunities that could – COULD – have made the Dukes more competitive Saturday.
Cameron Starke missed a field goal at the end of the first half and JMU’s long drive to start the third quarter came up short of the end zone.
In the fourth quarter, a long punter return by Dae’Quan Scott was called back for a holding penalty.
“We really had the Heels on their heels a little bit there in the fourth quarter,” Matthews said. “We just needed to finish off a couple of things. I’m sure it would’ve gotten real quiet in that stadium if it had been 28-21. But it didn’t happen.”
Some of Matthews’ other thoughts Monday, looking back on the opener.
On the holding call on Taveion Cuffee that erased Scott’s score: “It’s one of those ones you send in to the conference office. ‘What did you see on the play?’ When we were punting to North Carolina they’re not calling holding one time. They were pulling our jersey off when you watch the tape and they don’t call anything. And they make that call.”
On which player was most affected by the hot temperatures Saturday: “The guy that overheated the worst was our punter. Our punter. Lemme repeat that,” Matthews said, referring to David Skahn. “I said, ‘David, you’re the punter. How can you be that hot? You haven’t done anything?”
On the cramps suffered in the second half by senior defensive end D.J. Bryant: “It was probably about 40 minutes since he played football. He goes out there one play and gets the cramps. I said, ‘D.J. We might have had to call an ambulance if you had to play for five or 10 minutes.’ He played one play.”
On his role as play-caller after JMU got backed up on its first play of the game after Scott collided with quarterback Justin Thorpe: “He went the wrong way on the first play of the game. All of sudden we’re back inside our 10. We should have let you call plays then, Barber.”
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