Around the CAA: Week 2

HARRISONBURG – The opening week of the college football season saw seven of the 11 Colonial Athletic Association teams start play with a new quarterback, and that crop of debutant signal callers had mixed results.

Statistically, Towson’s Grant Enders turned in the best Week 1 effort. Enders threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another 47 yards and a score in the Tigers’ 42-3 rout of Morgan State on Saturday. Enders – a transfer from Lackawanna Junior College  – completed 15 of his 19 pass attempts and was intercepted once.

“I saw him manage the game really well,” Ambrose said. “And more importantly, I saw a guy who hasn’t been here that long really meld well with his offense in a short period of time. He has some natural leadership ability. He understands the personalities of his teammates and has the ability to relate and speak to them on a comfortable level.”

And Ambrose may have discovered an element to Enders’ game he wasn’t aware of.

“I don’t think anybody anticipated him being that fast,” Ambrose said of Enders, who broke free for an 18-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. “He broke the pocket twice and we’re going, ‘Where are you going?’ And he did it in a hurry. We found an added aspect to him that we didn’t know. We just hadn’t practiced anything like that.”

The Tigers’ opponent this week also is breaking a new quarterback. And while Villanova redshirt freshman Dustin Thomas didn’t have the success Enders did his first time out, Wildcats coach Andy Talley said the rookie impressed him with his toughness during a 42-7 loss at Division I-A Temple on Thursday.

“Dustin Thomas has some toughness to him,” Talley said. “That was a big concern for me after having played with (former QB) Chris Whitney for four years. We really needed to know he could handle the physicality of the game.”

That part, Thomas did OK with. The throwing the football part? That needs some work. Thomas was 11-for-25 for 109 yards and had four turnovers, three interceptions and a fumble.

“That will get you beat normally by 30 points against anybody let alone a team as good as Temple is,” Talley said. “But we like him a lot. I think he’s going to learn quickly that he can’t hang the ball up. That high school football is not quite as fast as the level, especially the level we were playing Thursday night.”

With the youngest team Talley has had during his Villanova tenure, Thomas – who the veteran coached described as “a gunslinger” – will need to improve for the Wildcats to compete.

“In our offense right now, he cannot just manage the game,” Talley said. “He has to make plays.”

New Hampshire’s Kevin Decker and James Madison’s Justin Thorpe both played well in lopsided losses to I-A teams.

Thorpe went 11-for-15 for 152 yards and a touchdown in JMU's 42-10 loss at North Carolina. Decker was 21-for-28 for 162 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a loss at Toledo.

At Delaware, K.C. Keeler was happy with the play of Trevor Sasek before Sasek was knocked from the game with a knee injury. He was set to undergo an MRI Tuesday and his status for Saturday was unknown.

“I thought he played outstanding,” Keeler said. “That first ball he threw to Nihja White, that Nihja dropped, hit him right in the hands. It reminded me of (former Delaware and current Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe) Flacco. I’m not going to compare anyone to Flacco but just that one ball, it just came out of his hand. He had a lot of pace on the ball. He looked very confident, played with a  great demeanor.”

Keeler said there was no structural damage to Sasek’s knee, so it’s possible he will play Saturday when the Blue Hens host Division II Westchester.

UMass also isn’t sure who will start its next ballgame – Sept. 17 at home against Rhode Island. Brandon Hill won the job coming out of preseason practice but Saturday – in a 24-16 win over Holy Cross – Kellen Pagel was more effective moving the Minutemen.

Pagel went 10-for-16 for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Hill was 5-for-8 for 30 yards. UMass coach Kevin Morris said the competition to be the starter will continue the next two weeks. Ideally, he’d like to have a set QB in place for the Rhode Island game, though he wouldn’t rule out using both.

“Anything it’s going to take to win at the quarterback position,” Morris said. “I’ve always been a one quarterback guy. I just think it gives a better flow for the team. But that’s not necessarily the case this year with this team.”

The biggest concern under center in the CAA may be at William & Mary, where new starter Mike Paulus was yanked after going 5-for-22 for 35 yards in a loss to Virginia. W&M coach Jimmye Laycock said Paulus remains the Tribe’s starter and noted W&M’s struggles to run the ball contributed to the quarterback issues.

“Mike started and I don’t think he had a particularly good game,” Laycock said. “We were able to play three quarterbacks. But we have to get better play out of a lot of people on offense.”

That should be a bit easier this week against VMI.

Best Of Mickey: Monday press conference before CCSU

HARRISONBURG – It may have sounded like a line from ‘Jerry Maguire,’ but James Madison football coach Mickey Matthews didn’t hesitate when asked what his team took from Saturday’s 42-10 loss to North Carolina.

“The money,” Matthews said of the $325,000 guarantee Division I-A UNC paid JMU to play. “We got a great pay day. I’m glad it’s over.”

The Tar Heels’ defensive line made Matthews’ first day as the Dukes’ offensive play caller a bit of a rough one.

In fact, the massive and mobile UNC front four left such an impression on Matthews, the coach joked he might be driven into hiding.

“If we play another defensive front like that, I’m not going to the game,” Matthews said Monday during his weekly press conference. “You all can call me. I’ll be at home mowing the grass.”

Matthews was – obviously – very complimentary of the Tar Heels’ after they whipped JMU.

“I thought North Carolina was really good,” Matthews said. “That’s the best football team we’ve played since I’ve been here, since Michael Vick was at Virginia Tech.”

But Matthews – whose JMU team upset Virginia Tech last season – bemoaned some missed opportunities that could – COULD – have made the Dukes more competitive Saturday.

Cameron Starke missed a field goal at the end of the first half and JMU’s long drive to start the third quarter came up short of the end zone.

In the fourth quarter, a long punter return by Dae’Quan Scott was called back for a holding penalty.

“We really had the Heels on their heels a little bit there in the fourth quarter,” Matthews said. “We just needed to finish off a couple of things. I’m sure it would’ve gotten real quiet in that stadium if it had been 28-21. But it didn’t happen.”

Some of Matthews’ other thoughts Monday, looking back on the opener.

On the holding call on Taveion Cuffee that erased Scott’s score: “It’s one of those ones you send in to the conference office. ‘What did you see on the play?’ When we were punting to North Carolina they’re not calling holding one time. They were pulling our jersey off when you watch the tape and they don’t call anything. And they make that call.”

On which player was most affected by the hot temperatures Saturday: “The guy that overheated the worst was our punter. Our punter. Lemme repeat that,” Matthews said, referring to David Skahn. “I said, ‘David, you’re the punter. How can you be that hot? You haven’t done anything?”

On the cramps suffered in the second half by senior defensive end D.J. Bryant: “It was probably about 40 minutes since he played football. He goes out there one play and gets the cramps. I said, ‘D.J. We might have had to call an ambulance if you had to play for five or 10 minutes.’ He played one play.”

On his role as play-caller after JMU got backed up on its first play of the game after Scott collided with quarterback Justin Thorpe: “He went the wrong way on the first play of the game. All of sudden we’re back inside our 10. We should have let you call plays then, Barber.”

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.

Dukes Lose Opener To North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – James Madison had about two hours to warm up at Kenan Stadium before Saturday’s football season opener. Apparently, it needed 15 more.

North Carolina dominated the Dukes in the first quarter en route to a 42-10 win.

Sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner – making his first college start --  went 22-for-23 for 277 yards and two touchdowns. His only incompletion was an interception on a deep pass by JMU safety Dean Marlowe.

Renner completed his final 14 consecutive passes before leaving the game midway through the fourth quarter, tying a UNC record.

For JMU, junior Justin Thorpe went 11-for-15 for 152 yards and a score.

Overwhelmed early by the Tar Heels’ hulking offensive and defensive lines, JMU found itself down 21-0 early in the second quarter.

But Thorpe’s passing brought the Dukes back into it. He threw a perfect pass on a deep post to Daniel Brown, who got behind the UNC defense for a 41-yard score. That made it 21-7 with 2:37 left in the first half.

But JMU never got any closer.

Game day blog: JMU at North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A lot of things will have to go right for James Madison to pull another upset of a I-A opponent. All week, the coaching staff has stressed limiting turnovers and penalties and not allowing North Carolina’s offense to hit any big plays. Accomplishing those goals will keep the game close.

But to win, JMU will need new quarterback Justin Thorpe to play well, its offensive line to slow down the Tar Heels’ daunting front four, and will need its linebackers and defensive backs to gang tackle North Carolina’s ball carriers.

Here are the three things to watch during today’s game.

1) Can JMU’s offensive line block North Carolina’s imposing defensive front?

Led by senior defensive end Quinton Coples – a potential Top 5 NFL draft pick – the Tar Heels’ defense is led by its front four. If JMU can’t block Coples and Co., they won’t be able to run the ball, control the clock and shorten the game. They’ll be relying on new starting quarterback Justin Thorpe's passing and an unproven group of receivers to win the game. And that could be a formula for getting blown out.

But the Dukes have a bigger, stronger and more experienced line than last season. If that group blocks well and the play-calling can keep the Tar Heels off balance with some quick passes and some roll-outs, JMU will have a shot to keep things close.

Thorpe is fast and new running back Dae’Quan Scott is even faster. If the front five can keep the Tar Heels out of the backfield, Thorpe or Scott might be able to break off a big run. A year ago, it was Jamal Sullivan’s 77-yard touchdown that ignited the upset of Virginia Tech.

2) Which new quarterback will play better, especially when it comes to limiting turnovers?

JMU and UNC both open the season with new quarterbacks who played their high school ball in the state of Virginia. JMU’s Thorpe (Varina High in Richmond) has a big edge in experience, having started for the Dukes in 2009. But former West Springfield Bryn Renner has a big-time arm and teammates say he’s played well in preseason camp.

Renner has a strong receiving corps, a hulking offensive line and tailback Ryan Houston to help him in his transition. Thorpe will hope to use his speed and athleticism to capture the edge running the option with Scott. He also impressed coaches and teammates with his passing ability this preseason.

3) Will JMU’s defense be as good against UNC as it was a year ago in Blacksburg?

In the Dukes’ 21-16 upset of Virginia Tech last year, JMU’s defenders swarmed to the football to gang tackle the Hokies’ star runners, Ryan Williams and Darren Evans. It will likely take a similar effort to keep UNC’s Ryan Houston and the Heels' offensive line from taking the game over by pounding it on the ground.

JMU has a fast and athletic defense, but it’s lacking in size. Senior defensive tackle Nick Emmons (knee) won’t play today and junior tackle Sean O’Neil is a game-time decision. Linebackers Stephon Robertson, Pat Williams and Vidal Nelson will need to  turn in huge games.

If the Dukes' D swarms to the ball and keeps UNC off schedule and behind the chains, JMU will have a shot to pull another shocker. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt if someone wearing purple could come up with a big turnover.

CAA Picks: Week 1

HARRISONBURG – Can you smell that? It’s college football in the air. Forget the calendar. The fall begins Thursday night when games start kicking off. Roll out all the clichés about every team being 0-0 and everybody having a chance at a national title. At the I-A level, that’s total garbage. In I-AA, it’s a little closer to the truth, though a few of the teams in this blog (I’m looking at you, Bryant, Campbell and Towson) shouldn’t be worrying about booking hotel rooms in Frisco in January.

The first few games of the season are always the toughest to predict since, outside of James Madison, I haven’t had a real chance to study any of these teams. There. That’s my disclaimer in case any of these picks turn out to be way off (Now I’m looking at you, Delaware and Maine. Don’t let me down).

Let’s get some momentum for a good year of predictions.

Here’s Week 1’s picks …

New Hampshire at Toledo: The Wildcats have a great record of knocking off non-BCS I-A teams. But the Rockets are a solid squad, picked to win the MAC. A veteran defense should keep UNH close as an emerging offense led by quarterback Kevin Decker and running back Dontra Peters finds its way. New Hampshire should be playoff-bound yet again in 2011 but another I-A upset may be a bit much to ask from this group to open the year.

PICK: Toledo 24, New Hampshire 17

Villanova at Temple: Andy Talley’s team has beaten Temple in two of the last three meetings. But this isn’t the same Wildcats team. Chris Whitney and Matt Szczur are gone and Villanova will start six true freshmen Thursday night against the Owls and a redshirt freshman (Dustin Thomas) at quarterback. All that adds up to Temple owning Philadelphia for a year.

PICK: Temple 23, Villanova 10

UMass at Holy Cross: You could say UMass doesn’t have much to play for this year, since the Minutemen aren’t eligible for the CAA title or a postseason bid as they transition to Division I-A. On the flip side, one could argue going 11-0 is the only goal UMass can shoot for. Holy Cross is likely to finish in the middle of the pack in the Patriot League this year and shouldn’t be a match for the Minutemen, with their strong offensive line and veteran defense.

PICK: UMass 27, Holy Cross 10

Delaware at Navy: The Blue Hens will have a new quarterback – and not a I-A transfer for a change – under center, likely Trevor Sasek. Navy too is breaking in a new quarterback as well. Ricky Dobbs was a senior last year. Delaware has a hulking – at any level – offensive line and a stable of talented running backs to control the game. I can’t see the first week going by without a CAA team pulling an upset. It’ll either be Delaware or New Hampshire. Let’s give the nod to the Blue Hens.

PICK: Delaware 24, Navy 17

Bryant at Maine: Can quarterback Warren Smith – who beat out Chris Treister for the starting job for the second year in a row – protect the football this year? Veteran coach Jack Cosgrove believes so. A healthy dose of talented running back Pushaun Brown should open things up for Smith against a Bryant team picked fifth in the lightly-regarded NEC.

PICK: Maine 24, Bryant 13

William & Mary at Virginia: It was just two years ago that William & Mary went into Charlottesville and knocked off a U.Va. team with an unsettled quarterback situation. Unlike former Cavaliers coach Al Groh, Mike London named his starter and should have Michael Rocco and mates ready for one of the top teams in Division I-AA. The Tribe’s defensive line and linebackers should be good enough to limit Rocco and the Cavs and W&M tailback Jonathan Grimes should find some success moving the ball against U.Va. But not enough to turn the trick again. This one will be closer than London – the former Richmond coach – would like, but in the end…

PICK: Virginia 24, W&M 21

Campbell at Old Dominion: In its first year in the CAA, ODU has the schedule every other league coach dreams of. Three manageable I-AA games for its non-conference slate – including two at home -- before running the Colonial gauntlet. (Well, ODU doesn’t have a real bye week. It’s off the final week of the regular season. You can’t get everything you want.) Now, it’s up to the Monarchs and quarterback Thomas DeMarco to use those three non-league games to build up some momentum. Week 1, that shouldn’t be a problem.

PICK: ODU 38, Campbell 13

Morgan State at Towson: It won’t be easy sledding this year (again) for Towson. The Tigers best chances for wins come in their first three games, all at home. This one – against instate rival Morgan State – they should be able to handle with relative ease. Morgan was picked to finish sixth in the MEAC. This one could be tough to watch. Glad I’ll be in Chapel Hill.

PICK: Towson 31, Morgan state 10

Richmond at Duke: Like the U.Va.-W&M tilt, this is another rematch of a 2009 upset. The Spiders aren’t as good this year as they were then, under Mike London. And it doesn’t help that their coach, Latrell Scott, had to resign just over a week before the season after picking up his second DWI. Quarterback Aaron Corp will make some big-league throws in this one and Richmond may – MAY – keep it close for a half.

PICK: Duke 37, Richmond 17

JMU at UNC: A year ago, the Dukes were the darlings of I-AA football when they shocked nationally-ranked Virginia Tech. Can JMU turn the trick two years in a row? North Carolina isn’t nearly as formidable a foe as the Hokies were last year and the Dukes should be stronger on defense and vastly improved on offense. At days end, JMU’s defense should be able to limit the Tar Heels’ attack, but UNC’s defense – especially it’s defensive line – could dominate this game. JMU should be on its way to a better record than the past two years and a return to the postseason, but they won’t be pulling another ACC upset.

PICK: North Carolina 23, JMU 13

Remember to follow @MikeABarber on Twitter for JMU and CAA football news

ACC Coaches Wary Of I-AA Foes

HARRISONBURG – As his team prepares to open its season Saturday against Division I-AA Appalachian State, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer had some choice viewing for the Hokies. He had them watch some clips from the end of last year’s stunning 21-16 loss to James Madison.

“The James Madison game is a game that, I think people, sometimes because you play at a certain level, you’re in a certain league, you think things are going to turn out a certain way,” Beamer said Wednesday. “That’s just not the way it is. It’s how you play.”

It’s not likely many of the Hokies who were on the field that day at Lane Stadium have forgotten the loss to the Dukes, but just in case, Beamer made sure to drive home the point visually. He hopes it will have his players focused for Appalachian State, a I-AA power.

“This is really a good football team coming in here,” Beamer said. “They’re not in the same division we are but they could play in our division. They certainly have the capabilities of playing in this division. I just thought it was an appropriate thing to do.”

Appalachian State has actually been studying a possible move up to Division I-A, where teams have 85 scholarships instead of 63. The Mountaineers gained national notoriety for upsetting Michigan 34-32 in 2007, becoming the first I-AA team to beat a nationally-ranked I-A opponent. (JMU became the second when it beat Tech last year.)

“We’re getting ready to play this week a team that certainly knows how to win, a team that expects to win,” Beamer said. “A team with some outstanding players.”

As for JMU, it’s hoping to pull back-to-back upsets when it opens at North Carolina on Saturday. UNC coach Everett Withers said the Dukes’ big win over Tech helped push his players in spring practice and summer workouts.

“Obviously what they did last year against Virginia Tech’s been on our kids mind really since the spring,” Withers said. “We know we have to be prepared for a tough opponent coming in this first ball game.”

The UNC players said the Tech game is one of three JMU contests from last year they’ve watched. (Losses to Richmond and Massachusetts were the other two.)

“We just want to go out there and play football and not take them lightly,” senior defensive tackle Tydreke Powell said. “That’s the main film we’ve watched. We just try to take the mistakes Virginia Tech did and not make the same mistakes.”

The Hokies went last season as a national title contender. The losses to Boise and JMU knocked them from that pedestal, but Tech rebounded to win the ACC title.

Expectations aren’t quite as high around the Tar Heels, who have dealt with turmoil since coach Butch Davis was fired in late July and Withers – an assistant – was promoted to take his place.

UNC was picked to finish third in the ACC’s Coastal Division in the preseason media poll, behind Virginia Tech and Miami. Overall, the Hokies are picked second in the ACC behind Florida State.

But with a stacked defensive line and a strong-armed new quarterback, the Tar Heels could be contenders. And a loss to JMU could derail that.

“They’re a pretty good team,” senior defensive end Quinton Coples said. “You can’t underestimate them. They’re a grinding team. You stop them, you stop them, but they keep grinding. That’s how they beat teams like Virginia Tech in the past.”

Unlike Beamer, Withers hasn’t been mentioning JMU’s 2010 upset this preseason, thought its clear his players are thinking about it.

“When you’ve got a team that has as many veterans on it as ours, you don’t have to pull that kind of stuff out, I don’t believe,” Withers said. “I think you mention it to the young kids. But our kids have seen it. What that does is, it helps you in spring ball and in summer. It helps you when you know they’ve beaten one of your conference foes. We used it back in the summer, back in the spring. As of now, this thing’s about us.”

But senior wide receiver Dwight Jones admitted even the veterans are still thinking about last year’s shocker in Blacksburg.

“The fact that they beat Virginia Tech is in the back of all our heads,” he said.