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

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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.