Upon Further Review: Looking back at the W&M game (And A QB's suspension)

HARRISONBURG – Well, I never bothered to post the Upon Further Review blog I wrote Sunday morning after the Dukes’ big 20-14 win over William & Mary. In the wake of starting quarterback Justin Thorpe’s suspension, other topics seemed a bit more pressing.

First down: Did JMU’s offense find an identity running the ball Saturday? And will Thorpe’s suspension send them back to square one?

Against William & Mary, sophomore running back Dae’Quan Scott posted his third straight 100-plus-yard rushing performance, the first JMU running back to do so since Eugene Holloman in 2006. The Dukes also got 81 yards rushing from quarterback Justin Thorpe against the Tribe and had the look of a team that can impose its will on opponents running the ball.

Scott has proved to be a legit every-down back, running hard between the tackles and fast outside them, breaking tackles and proving a capable blocker. JMU has also used some – but not much – of its Wildcat package with Scott.

Now, with Thorpe out for at least the next five games, the Dukes have to go back to the offensive drawing board. It was poor play on offense – and the quarterback position – that sunk the past two seasons, as JMU went 6-5 and missed the playoffs in both years. JMU coach Mickey Matthews took over in the offseason as quarterbacks coach and play-caller and – through four games – the Dukes appeared to be making progress.

Thorpe looked sharp throwing the ball against North Carolina and Scott emerged as a star the next three games. After back-to-back road wins over ranked opponents (Liberty and William & Mary), JMU moved up to No. 9 in the latest I-AA Top 25 poll.

But if the Dukes were a stock, Jim Kramer would be yelling to sell. News of the suspension to Thorpe would have them plummeting. Going forward, to rebound, JMU will need its offensive line to be even more dominant and Scott and backup Jauan Latney to continue to play well.

Oh yeah. And…

Second down: JMU will need new quarterback Jace Edwards to step up.

Edwards practiced well in the preseason and beat out the more highly touted Billy Cosh – a transfer from Kansas State – for the backup job. He doesn’t have the speed or raw athleticism of Thorpe or the arm strength of Cosh, but Edwards impressed Matthews’ with the coach called a quarterback’s “moxie.”

If Edwards can get by primarily handing the ball to Scott and Latney as he gets comfortable running the show, he could prove a more than capable fill-in until Thorpe returns. But if JMU asks Edwards to pass the ball only on third-and-long – when defenses know what’s coming – he could damage his psyche.

Matthews said Edwards is more athletic than people realize, pointing out that he was a spread option quarterback in Texas in high school. But he’s young, playing earlier than would be ideal as a redshirt freshman. He saw some limited action in the season-opening loss to North Carolina, but that’s it.

There will be plenty of pressure on Edwards, but really, for all this talk of what the offense needs to do post-Thorpe, the unit that’s really under the gun is…

Third down: The defense. JMU needs its D to become the dominant force people expected.

The Dukes aren’t going to score much or be as explosive without Thorpe. That’s reality. But they can be efficient, controlling the ball and the clock. The defense will have to play, well, the way it played the last two years before switching to the 4-3.

JMU’s defensive line has been ravaged by injuries. Defensive tackle Sean O’Neill is out for the year after knee surgery. Nick Emmons, the other starter, hasn’t played yet this season because of a knee injury suffered in practice. Jordan Stanton came out of Saturday’s William & Mary game with an undisclosed injury.

The Dukes only lost two starters from last year -- defensive tackle Ronnell Brown was a senior and safety Jonathan Williams was booted from the team for off-field transgressions. But in the second half against William & Mary, new Tribe quarterback Mike Graham torched Madison’s secondary.

If the defense can play the way JMU is accustomed to seeing it play, the offense should be able to tread water all the way to the brink of a playoff berth. And that’s when Thorpe – who is allowed to practice with the team – would be back.

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.

JMU Names Captains; DT Emmons To Miss UNC Game

HARRISONBURG – Justin Thorpe’s coaches picked him as the James Madison football team’s quarterback last Monday. This Monday, his teammates voted him as one of its captains.

Thorpe, a junior, joins senior defensive end D.J. Bryant, senior linebackers Vidal Nelson and Pat Williams, senior center Roane Babington, and junior tight end Brian Barlow as the Dukes’ captains for the 2011 season, JMU coach Mickey Matthews said Tuesday after practice.

“It’s a big deal to me,” Thorpe said. “I feel blessed that my teammates believe I’m a captain. I’m vocal out here and I’m appreciative that the guys respect me and look up to me.”

Nelson said it's only natural for the quarterback to be a captain.

“The quarterback is such a central part of the whole team, not just the offense,” Nelson said. “Justin has really come into camp and matured. His teammates love him. He loves his teammates. I think that’s going to be great for Justin.”

While four of the captains are seniors, Nelson said it speaks volumes that a pair of juniors were selected.

“It’s crazy when I think they’re juniors,” said Nelson, who was a captain as a junior himself. “I feel like they’re the same age as me. They’re great leaders.”

Barlow said the fact that teammates actually voted for him as captain made the achievement extra special.

“It’s one thing to be picked by coaches to be all-conference or something,” Barlow said. “It’s another thing to get picked by your teammates as a leader. I think it’s one of the greatest honors you can get.”

Offensively, JMU doesn’t have many prominent seniors – only Babington and wide receiver Kerby Long.

Defensively, the Dukes are loaded with veteran players and three picked as captains are three of the most experienced.

“There’s a lot of games played amongst us three,” Nelson said. “And there’s been a lot of hard work put in amongst us three.”

D-Line Hurting: Neither starting defensive tackle – senior Nick Emmons or junior Sean O’Neil – practiced Tuesday because of knee injuries. Matthews said Emmons will miss the North Carolina game and possibly the following week’s home game against Central Connecticut State because of a strained ligament in his knee. Emmons was injured during practice Monday when running back Dae’Quan Scott stumbled into the back of his leg.

O’Neil showed up for weight lifting Monday with a swollen left knee, but Matthews expects him to play Saturday.

Catch of the day: Cornerback Ricky Nichols made a pair of impressive interceptions on deep passes up the sideline against him Tuesday during one-on-ones. On the first, Nichols outran Marquis Woodyard and made a juggling, diving catch for the pickoff. Woodyard ended up leap-frogging over Nichols as the defensive back came down with the ball.

A few passes later, Nichols made a jumping interception on the same route, pulling the ball away from Woodyard.

JMU preseason football camp notebook: Practice #16

HARRISONBURG – Redshirt freshman Jace Edwards will be the backup quarterback for the James Madison football team this season, coach Mickey Matthews said after practice Thursday.

Edwards beat out Kansas State transfer Billy Cosh – also a redshirt freshman – for the spot.

“I’ve had a good camp,” Edwards said after Thursday’s practice at Bridgeforth Stadium. “I think we have a lot of good chemistry out there. It’s a good spot for me.”

Monday, Matthews announced that junior Justin Thorpe would be the Dukes’ starting quarterback. JMU opens the season Sept. 3 at North Carolina.

During Wednesday’s scrimmage, Edwards took all the snaps with the second-team offense, the first indication that Matthews had picked the Midland, Texas native as the Dukes’ backup.

“I guess I could have ruined it yesterday, but I had a good practice,” Edwards said.

Matthews said Edwards has strung together a number of good practices here in the final week of preseason camp.

“I think Jace really got better in the last week,” Matthews said. “He’s improved. Major college football teams are like NFL teams. A lot of times, the most important player on the team is the backup quarterback.”

As for Cosh, Matthews acknowledged it will be difficult to get him significant practice time as the third-string quarterback.

“It’s difficult to work with three quarterbacks as you get closer to the game,” Matthews said. “We’re certainly going to give Billy Cosh as many repetitions as we can but we’re going to give Jace the majority of repetitions.”

Lineup moves: Junior Jakarie Jackson has moved ahead of junior Ryan Smith at weak safety and senior Mike Allen is ahead of senior Taveion Cuffee to be the Dukes’ second starting cornerback.

Defensive back Marquis Woodyard moved to wide receiver as JMU continues to experiment with options to replace the injured Andre Coble (broken arm).

“We took the two best receivers, one of them has a cast on his arm and the other’s playing running back,” Matthews said, referring to Coble and Dae’Quan Scott. “From a talent standpoint, we’re not nearly where we were three weeks ago at wide receiver. We’re still searching for the best players.”

Play time: JMU ended Thursday’s practice early and Matthews said the team would be going to Massanutten Water Park for the afternoon. 

Back in the middle of things: Senior center Roane Babington, who has sat out most of past two weeks with a bruised ankle, returned to practice Thursday.

JMU practice #13: JMU names Justin Thorpe starting QB

HARRISONBURG – Junior Justin Thorpe will be the starting quarterback for James Madison this season, football coach Mickey Matthews said Monday after practice at Bridgeforth Stadium.

Thorpe beat out redshirt freshmen Jace Edwards and Billy Cosh for the job.

“He announced me the starter and said he has all the confidence in me,” Thorpe said. “I just feel blessed that Coach Matthews still believes in me and is willing to give me a chance to move this offense.”

Matthews informed the quarterbacks of his decision Sunday night. During Saturday’s scrimmage, Thorpe took all of the snaps with the first-team offense.

“It was universal among our staff that he was the best quarterback we had and gives us the best chance of winning,” Matthews said.

Matthews said Edwards is slightly ahead of Cosh to be the team’s backup this season, but the coach said he has no set timetable to choose a No. 2.

Both Cosh and Edwards said they understood the coach’s decision. Neither hesitated to answer questions after Monday’s practice, despite their obvious disappointment that the quarterback competition was over.

“I’m not surprised,” Cosh, a transfer from Kansas State, said. “Justin had a good camp. He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a good runner, good athlete. He threw the ball pretty well in fall camp, so I’m happy for him. He gives us the best chance to win so I’m fine with that.”

Said Edwards: “Justin’s worked really hard this spring. He deserves it. I’m proud of him and I think he’ll do a good job for us.”

Thorpe became the Dukes’ starting quarterback midway through his redshirt freshman season. After struggling initially, he led the team to a season-ending five-game winning streak and won Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Catch of the day: Fittingly, we'll give it to new starting QB Justin Thorpe. With center Roane Babington still out with a bruised ankle, replacement Matt Williams - a redshirt freshman - has sent some snaps sailing over quarterbacks heads this preseason. But Thorpe made a jumping catch to snare a high snap and save an offensive play late in Monday's workout.

Hit of the day: Starting running back Dae'Quan Scott lowered his pads and popped Isaiah Wright - would be tackler - as Scott raced around the left side on a sweep play. Scott's impact sent the off-balance Wright stumbling back and down to the turf.


Quote of the day: "It's OK to jog," wide receivers coach Clayton Matthews chided Ryan Dixon and Albert Williams as the two players walked across the field.

JMU preseason camp notebook: Practice 12

HARRISONBURG – Justin Thorpe celebrated his 21^st birthday on Thursday. His family came to visit for the weekend and attended Saturday’s James Madison football scrimmage.

“Macaroni and cheese,” she said. “And more macaroni and cheese.”

Well, truth be told, there is one other thing Thorpe would like – and Saturday it appeared he’s closer than ever to getting it.

The JMU junior hopes to be the Dukes’ starting quarterback this season. Saturday, Thorpe took all of the snaps with the first time offense, while his competition – redshirt freshmen Billy Cosh and Jace Edwards – split time with the backups.

“That’s a blessing,” a smiling Thorpe said after the workout. “Coach had some faith in me and wanted me to run with the ones and I guess develop a rhythm with the players. I went out there and had some misreads but I had some good reads. All I can do is come out and work hard.”

JMU coach Mickey Matthews said he had no official announcement regarding the quarterbacks, but the playing time split appeared to speak for itself. Thorpe also was the only one of the quarterbacks wearing a red jersey, keeping him from being hit. That’s a precautionary luxury normally only extended to starting quarterbacks.

“I’m not ready to make an announcement,” Matthews said.

Thorpe went 7-for-15 for 74 yards and a touchdown pass, rolling out and finding senior wide receiver Kerby Long in the back of the end zone.

“I couldn’t miss him,” Thorpe said. “He was streaking wide open.”

Cosh, meanwhile, had perhaps his worst practice of the spring. He drew Matthews’ ire for not running hard during the live-tackling scrimmage. A few plays later, he fumbled an exchange from center and didn’t appear to go after the ball, prompting one defensive player to heckle the Kansas State transfer.

“You better stop being scared Cosh,” someone yelled from a pack of JMU defenders walking away from the play.

Later, Cosh again took a verbal lashing from Matthews after misfiring on a pass to a wide open tight end in the end zone.

“Well, it wasn’t his best day,” Matthews said. “The last two days he practiced pretty good but he didn’t have a good day.”

Overall, Matthews was satisfied that his offense was improving. The defense completely dominated the team’s first scrimmage on Wednesday. Saturday morning, things were noticeably more competitive.

That progress came despite JMU being without starting center Roane Babington (bruised ankle) and right guard Matt Krout (flu). Matthews also held starting running back Dae’Quan Scott out of the scrimmage to avoid risking an injury.

“I thought we played much better on offense,” Matthews said. “The biggest problem today was dropped passes. When you have half the offensive line out and you’re holding Dae’Quan Scott out, you’re certainly not going to be as good as you want to be offensively. All that being side, I thought we were a much better offensive team.”

Freshman wide receiver DeAndre Smith provided a spark for the offense late in the scrimmage.

Smith scored a 20-yard touchdown on a swing pass from Jace Edwards and had an 8-yard run on which he juked his way by safety Dean Marlowe – one of the team’s best tacklers.

Catch of the day: Freshman Amir Waller always gets the loudest cheers from teammates. Saturday, it was Waller’s leaping catch on a wobbly throw to the sideline that got the sideline hooting and hollering.

On second-down-and-5, Thorpe targeted Waller, who made the impressive grab falling out of bounds for an 18-yard gain.

Hit of the day: Nothing brings out big hits quite like the intensity of goalline drills.

Saturday, running back Jordan Anderson – with a full head of steam heading toward the end zone – was crushed in a violent collision with defensive tackle Sean O’Neil and safety Dean Marlowe.

Quote of the day: Told that the coaches were basically making the rules for the scrimmage up as they went along, the head linesman said, “We do that all season.”

JMU preseason football notebook: Day 9

HARRISONBURG – James Madison’s defense looked like it was close to midseason form during Wednesday’s first scrimmage of the preseason. The offense? It has a ways to go.

The defense forced three-and-outs on four of the first six possessions at Bridgeforth Stadium and returned a fumble for a touchdown on another.

“They’re very experienced,” redshirt freshman quarterback Billy Cosh said. “They have a lot of great players coming back. Offensively, We’re trying to find our groove, trying to find what we’re best at – running the ball, throwing the ball. We’re just trying to find it and we will find it.”

It didn’t happen Wednesday. With a crew of officials calling penalties and quarterbacks uncharacteristically out of the protective red jerseys and allowed to be hit, the defense controlled the scrimmage.

“You’re always better on defense early in camp than you are on offense,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. “That was the case today. Our defensive kids got after us.”

Junior quarterback Justin Thorpe – considered the front-runner to win the starting position – sat out Wednesday’s scrimmage after tweaking his left knee in Tuesday’s workout. Matthews said Thorpe – who missed most of last season after bruising his left knee in the season opener – is “day-to-day.”

The offense was also without preseason all-conference center Roane Babington, who is still nursing a bruised right ankle.

“He’s a leader out there on the field,” redshirt freshman quarterback Jace Edwards said. “We definitely miss Roane.”

Redshirt freshman Matt Williams filled in and – after having a pair of bad snaps to open practice – settled in adequately.

Freshman Andre Coble gave the offense a spark. Coble, recruited as a quarterback but moved to wide receiver quickly in the spring, turned in the day’s longest run, bursting 25 yards up the middle for a first-down before being dragged down.

“Andre Coble really gave us a shot in the arm when he came in there and played,” Matthews said. “Of course, that was against the 2s. Andre, since Justin was hurt, that was just his second day at quarterback and I thought he did a lot of good things. That was probably the most encouraging thing we did on offense.”

Catch of the day: Is it getting old yet? Freshman Amir Waller reached back to haul in a pass from freshman walk-on Mackenzie Spees that was thrown high and behind Waller. The catch on the post route went for a 28-yard gain.

Hit of the day: There was actually more quality tackling than big hits during Wednesday’s scrimmage, a good sign for the defense. But there were still plenty of violent collisions, including linebacker Chase Williams’ lick on running back Dejor Simmons that sent Simmons’ helmet flying off and stuffed Simmons for no gain.

Quote of the day: After cornerback Daniel Allen thought he was held by a wide receiver on a screen pass to his side, Allen pleaded his case to assistant coach Mark Hendricks. Hendricks asked the linesmen, who said the play was clean.

“Talk to that man,” Hendricks told Allen.

For updates from practice on Twitter, follow @MikeABarber

JMU preseason camp notebook: Practice 8

HARRISONBURG – Justin Thorpe sat out most of Tuesday morning’s practice at Bridgeforth Stadium after twisting his left knee – the one he bruised in the season opener last year, costing him the rest of 2010 – but Thorpe expects to be back on the field today for James Madison’s first full football scrimmage of the preseason.

“I tried to plant and hurry up and get out of there and just tweaked it a little bit,” Thorpe said. “It had been sore a little bit before that so they just decided to shut me down, let me rest up.”

JMU coach Mickey Matthews said he didn’t believe the injury was anything to be concerned with and said Thorpe sat out to be safe.

“He tweaked his knee the first five minutes of practice,” Matthews said. “I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

Thorpe is competing with redshirt freshmen Billy Cosh – a Kansas State transfer – and Jace Edwards to be the starting quarterback this preseason. He is the team’s most experienced option, having split time with Drew Dudzik in 2009. After an injury to Dudzik, Thorpe finished the year as the team’s starter, leading JMU on a five-game winning streak and being named the Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Rookie of the Year.

But in the season-opener against Morehead State last year, Thorpe bruised his left knee just before halftime. The injury forced him to miss the rest of the season.

Feeling a slight tinge of pain in the knee Tuesday understandably raised a red flag.

“It’s just scary,” Thorpe said. “Any time you go through a whole year of rehab, you don’t want to go back, so anything will scare you.”

Double trouble: One thing JMU’s offense has worked extensively with this preseason is plays utilizing two tight ends, everything from double-tight end sets to lining up players like Brian Barlow and Jonathan Sharp in the slot, to putting them at H-back.

“We started it in the spring where me and Sharp were in the game pretty much every play,” Barlow said after practice Tuesday. “It’s a lot of fun knowing were’ both in the game at all times.”

Catch of the day: Tight end Brian Barlow went up in traffic, making a jumping catch against a pair of defenders, to come down with the ball on a throw from Jace Edwards.

Quote of the day: Offensive coordinator Jeff Durden has a solution to the problem of getting across campus since JMU installed security gates that cut off traffic between Bridgeforth Stadium and

Main Street

.

“It’s called a Huffy,” said Durden, who regularly rides his bicycle to work.

For updates from practice each day on Twitter, follow @MikeABarber