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

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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.