Game day blog: Three keys to the JMU-W&M game

WILLIAMSBURG – James Madison opens its Colonial Athletic Association slate today with a game at sold-out Zable Stadium against No. 6 William & Mary. A year ago, the Tribe was ranked No. 1 in Division I-AA and the Dukes were, well, floundering, having their season run aground by an inept offense that wasted the efforts of a tenacious defense.

But that day, JMU slid freshman Dae’Quan Scott from wide receiver to Wildcat quarterback and – running a limited playbook – upset William & Mary without a single passing yard.

Fast forward to this year’s meeting and once again there’s an underachieving offense asking a daunting D to bail it out game after game. But this year, those woes belong to William & Mary.

Here are three keys to watch for during tonight’s game.

1) How will W&M redshirt sophomore quarterback Michael Graham perform in his first college start?

It’s been all too easy for opposing defenses to key in on William & Mary’s do-it-all running back Jonathan Grimes so far this season. That’s because the Tribe lost their only experienced receiver – Ryan Moody – to a preseason injury and its first two quarterbacks – Mike Paulus and Brent Caprio – have been ineffective. Enter Graham, who was not too shabby in relief against Division II New Haven in last weekend’s uninspired 13-10 win.

JMU will likely make stopping Grimes – the CAA’s co-Preseason Offensive Player of the Year – its top priority, even though the Dukes’ pass defense has been shoddy at best this year. If Madison dares the Tribe to beat them by throwing the ball, can Graham do it?

JMU hasn’t been great rushing the passer this year – and its two starting defensive tackles are both out today – but you’d think with a rookie like Graham behind center, it’ll want to dial up some blitzes and pressure him.

2) Playing an offense that is having problems, can JMU’s defense get its act together?

The players have said all week that they’re confident this is the week the Dukes’ defense lives up to its advanced billing. There is no question JMU has plenty of talent and experience on that side of the ball. But the Dukes have struggled defensively the first three weeks.

Missing starting defensive tackles Nick Emmons and Sean O’Neill has hurt. And senior Vidal Nelson said, despite the similarities between the eight-man front from last year and the 4-3 JMU is using this year, the subtle differences have slowed down the Dukes’ explosive play makers on defense.

Against Liberty, defensive end D.J. Bryant and defensive tackle Jordan Stanton did an improved job of rushing the quarterback. Cornerback Leavander Jones has been good and safety Jakarie Jackson made some big plays in the win over the Flames. Linebacker Stephon Robertson has – as expected – been a tackling machine.

But JMU hasn’t gotten the big third down stops it needs to truly be a stifling unit. Maybe this is the week.

3) Can Dae’Quan Scott become the first JMU back with three-straight 100-yard games since Eugene Holloman?

The Dukes’ young offensive line is getting better week to week and Scott – after an impressive first game at running back against North Carolina – has been close to unstoppable the past two games. His exception balance and surprisingly toughness make him a hard mark to tackle. And his explosive speed means if you miss him, you may not get a second shot to bring him down.

Certainly William & Mary will be concentrating on stopping Scott after he shredded them a year ago in Harrisonburg. And watching tape of JMU’s past two games, his running has been the bulk of the offense. But quarterback Justin Thorpe and the passing attack showed enough ability in the season-opening loss to North Carolina that W&M will have to at least respect that facet of the Dukes’ game.

Add to that Thorpe’s running ability and keying on Scott isn’t as easy a chore as it might seem.

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

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – They say you should never make decisions in the heat of the moment. And with temperatures in North Carolina in the 90s and Tar Heels quarterback Bryn Renner even hotter, I waited until Sunday to write this follow up from James Madison’s season-opening, 42-10 loss to UNC. Having slept on it (and watched a rebroadcast of the game in my hotel room) here’s this week’s Upon Further Review.

First down: Mission accomplished?

While JMU certainly won’t be unfurling any banners after being whipped by 32 points, the Dukes did two of the key things they talked about going into the game.

First, they didn’t commit a single turnover, no small accomplishment for a team playing a new quarterback, new running backs and throwing to mostly inexperienced wide receivers against a defense that was dominating the line of scrimmage and getting into the backfield.

Second, JMU didn’t have major issues with penalties. The Dukes committed six penalties for 36 yards but they never disrupted the offense the way a slew of calls did in JMU’s overtime loss at Maryland in 2009.

There was a third goal the team talked about going into the game. What was it again? Oh yeah…

Second down: It was, ‘Limit big plays by tackling well’

Well, UNC didn’t hit any plays of over 40 yards, but some of that had to do with the Tar Heels’ solid field position. Senior wide receiver Dwight Jones had touchdown catches of 34 and 21 yards and freshman tailback Giovani Bernard scored on runs of 12 and 14 yards. Especially on Bernard’s runs, JMU should have been able to tackle him before he reached the end zone.

JMU coach Mickey Matthews apparently saw the same thing in his secondary that UNC rookie quarterback Bryn Renner – who went 22-for-23 in the game – did.

“I saw a lot of wide open receivers,” Matthews said. “We just really played bad on defense. The quarterback played well. The receivers were good. They had good protection.”

Third down: Dae’Quan Scott struggled in his move from wide receiver to running back.

The speedy former R.E. Lee High School star got off to a rough start at his new position. On the game’s very first play, Scott collided with JMU quarterback Justin Thorpe while taking a handoff. Scott tried to bounce outside to save the play, but was tackled out of bounds for a 3-yard loss, derailing the Dukes’ first possession of 2011.

From there, Scott rushed for 19 yards on seven carries, staying in the game until the end of the first possession of the second quarter. That series ended in a three-and-out when – on third-and-3 – Scott ran right and tripped over the foot of a teammate, stumbling down a yard short of the first down.

When JMU’s offense returned to the field for its next possession, sophomore Jordan Anderson had taken Scott’s place.

“The biggest juice we got in the game offensively was when we put Jordan Anderson in the game,” Matthews said. “We really thought we got them blocked in the first quarter two or three plays and we didn’t get the quality of run that we were looking for. So we made a change at running back. I though Jordan really came in and played well.”

Anderson rushed for 40 yards on 13 carries. Scott, who came back in the game in the fourth quarter, finished with 22 yards on 12 carries.

Punts: Defensive end Sage Harold and wide receiver Deandre Smith were the only true freshmen to play Saturday for the Dukes. UNC played 10 true freshmen. … JMU escaped the game without a major injury. Defensive end D.J. Bryant appeared to injure his shoulder but Matthews said Bryant simply missed time do to cramps. … The Dukes’ opponent for this Saturday’s home opener, Central Connecticut State, beat Division II Southern Connecticut State, 35-21. CCSU is the favorite to win the Northeast Conference this season.