HARRISONBURG – The players said it was the game they wanted to win most. And it showed.
James Madison turned in an inspired effort Saturday in beating rival Richmond 31-7, controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, sacking UR’s Aaron Corp seven times and piling up 297 rushing yards.
Where do the Dukes go from here? First, lets look back at Saturday’s big win.
First down: The defense came through in a huge way.
For all the talk about the offense and how it would handle losing starting quarterback Justin Thorpe, it was the JMU defense that was really under the gun Saturday.
The Dukes hadn’t come within 100 yards of living up to their advanced billing. They looked a step slow and didn’t instill the fear of past groups.
Maybe they took the black game jerseys as an homage to the black shirt defenses of Nebraska. Maybe getting senior starting defensive tackle Nick Emmons back from an injury for the first time this year was a lift. Or maybe it was just saying their rival from Richmond across the line of scrimmage.
Whatever it was, seven sacks and -12 rushing yards was about as complete a performance as possible. And JMU did it without cornerback Leavander Jones, who did not dress for Saturday’s game for reasons I don’t know.
If not for a blocked punt to end the Dukes’ first possession, JMU might have had its first shutout since blanking Hofstra 56-0 in 2008.
Second down: The offensive line and running backs dominated Richmond’s injury-depleted defensive front.
It’s no secret. The best way to take pressure of a rookie quarterback is to run the ball. And Saturday, JMU did that to perfection.
It started with sophomore Dae’Quan Scott, an emerging star. He converted a fourth down on a run to his right, but was injured on the play.
From there, JMU turned to redshirt freshman Jauan Latney and sophomore Jordan Anderson. First Latney rushed for 76 of his 98 yards in the first half. Then Anderson, the coach’s doghouse since fumbling against Central Connecticut State, went off, amassing 162 yards, including a 45 and a 49 yard touchdown, all in the second half.
In all, the Dukes rang up 297 rushing yards.
Third down: JMU may have lost its two best offensive weapons in the same week.
Tempering the purple peoples euphoria from a four-game win streak and 2-0 mark in the CAA is the fact that JMU will be without its top two offensive stars for the foreseeable future.
Jace Edwards played well, didn’t make any major mistakes and should only get better with experience. He looked athletic enough running the option and scrambling but his passing accuracy (he was 5-for-12) will have to improve.
Andre Coble was a non-factor in the game but JMU will need him to become a weapon and take Scott’s place in the Wildcat package.
Of course, if Anderson and Latney run as well as they did Saturday, JMU’s quarterbacks will have some time to get settled in before they’re asked to win a game.
Extra points: Justin Thorpe will resume practicing with the team this week, though his role in practice is undecided. … As of noon Sunday, there was no update on Dae’Quan Scott’s condition. He suffered a left shoulder injury that JMU coach Mickey Matthews termed “very serious.” … JMU’s next opponent, Maine, upset Delaware on Saturday and may be more of a test than originally thought.
I agree that Jace Edwards is a work in progress....but saying he 'needs to work on his accuracy' in comparison to Thorpe is a joke. Thorpe hangs everything high and has awful accuracy. I say this is a good time to 'cut-bait' with Thorpe...or he can give the defense a good workout as scout team QB. If I never see Thrope again as QB1 that will be too soon.
ReplyDeleteEdwards definitely does need to improve his accuracy, regardless of how bad Thorpe is in the passing game. I get that Thorpe is a valuable asset as an athlete, but he certainly isn't acting like, playing like, or even setting examples like his predecessor Rodney Landers. He drew comparisons to the star qb and I think now it can be seen they were unwarranted and that it is time to cut ties with the kid. I understand the injury last year wasn't his fault, but now this is a 2nd straight year without him and time is running thin. I say develop Edwards or even let the pass happy Billy Cosh get a shot because Thorpe ruined his second chance.
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