JMU faces defending champs
Madison will travel to Boone to take on top-ranked ASU
By Brian Hansen, sports editor
Posted on September 7, 2006

Last Saturday, they lacked energy. They didn’t execute. They didn’t have what it took to play with the top team in Division I-AA football. Fortunately, they were playing a Division II school.

This week in practice the urgency was there. Whether that will continue into this weekend’s showdown with Appalachian State is another story.

“We have more of a hitch in our step right now,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. “We need to have it if we’re going to play better Saturday night.”

The Dukes will need that “hitch” because they are traveling down to play the defending national champions and No. 1-ranked ASU Mountaineers — a team that returns 16 starters from that team. Seven starters return on both offense and defense and two on special teams. Seven players were selected to the All-Conference team and five were All-Americans

“They’re just a solid football team,” Matthews said. “Top to bottom, there a team that has no apparent weaknesses.”

One of Mountaineers key returnees is running back Kevin Richardson, a third-team All-American selection last year. Richardson ran for 1,433 yards last season, the highest ever by a Mountaineer sophomore and the third-highest total in team history. He was also the team’s leading receiver with 52 receptions for 558 yards.  He had 21 total touchdowns, 19 rushing, two receiving, to set the school record for touchdowns in a season. And He runs behind an experienced and athletic offensive line.

“They’re probably the most athletic offensive line that we’re going to see this year,” JMU senior defensive tackle Chuck Suppon said. “They play together and they’re just a solid football team.”

At quarterback, ASU will have to replace Richie Williams, who holds every single-game, single-season and career-passing mark.

Charged with that duty is junior Trey Elder, who has a 2-1 career record as a starter. In 2004, Elder led the Mountaineers past Texas State 41-34 and got his next start in the 2005 national title game against Northern Iowa after Williams went down with an ankle injury.

On defense, ASU lost defensive end Jason Hunter, who tied a school record with 13 sacks last season. However, they do return senior Marques Murrell, who tied Hunter with 13 sacks last season and was one of only three people to be in the top 10 in sacks, tackles for loss and forced fumbles.

“They’ve got a good team,” JMU senior quarterback Justin Rascati said. “They’ll come after you on defense and we’ll have to be ready for them.”

Added Matthews, “We need to block better and run better against that defense or else it’s going to be a long day.”

The Dukes, however, know what it’s like to be in the Mountaineers’ position as defending national champion and are ready to give them there best game.

“When you’re the defending champ, I don’t think you realize how hard everyone is going to play against you,” Matthews said.

Rascati said, “You’re going to get everyone’s best game, because you’re walking in there with that target on you back.”

The Dukes’ best effort will need to be a markedly better effort than the way they played against Bloomsburg if they want to compete with ASU.

“We going to run the same plays we’ve been running,” Matthews said. “We just need to execute a little better, and we also need to tackle better. We do that you should see a much better team on Saturday.”

JMU did have some good news for their running game in that senior running back Alvin Banks is probable for the game this weekend after having a muscle spasm during the Bloomsburg game.

The Dukes dropped four spots in the polls to No. 12 after their struggle with Bloomsburg. They also trail the series against ASU 10-3, including a 2-5 record in Boone, N.C. The last time the two teams met was in the playoffs in 1995, where the Mountaineers won 31-24 at home.

Last week ASU lost to N.C. State 23-10, but did not fall in the rankings. Game time is 3:30 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium.