Posted on October 15, 2007
KINGSTON, R.I. — With only 14 minutes and four seconds remaining in the game Saturday, JMU found itself ahead by only three points. For the second straight week, though, the Dukes found a way to hold on and overcome sloppy play.
Despite allowing over-matched, one-win Rhode Island to stick around until the fourth quarter, JMU made amends for its three fumbles and poor defense with a strong finish to spoil the Rams’ homecoming game by a 44-27 final.
“It was recipe for an upset when you keep going down there and coming away with threes instead of sevens on the road when you’re superior to a team,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said.
On the opening possession of the game, JMU (6-1 overall, 4-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association) looked primed for an easy outing when junior quarterback Rodney Landers found sophomore receiver Rockeed McCarter wide open the second play from scrimmage. McCarter, who has struggled catching the ball in recent weeks, hauled in the long pass for his first score of the year on the 56-yard strike.
Just 22 seconds later, URI answered with an opening touchdown drive of its own. Senior running back Jerell Jones took an option-pitch on the Rams’ first play and found a seam through a porous JMU defense, taking it 84 yards for the touchdown.
The Rams (1-5, 0-3) couldn’t equal the score, though, as their point-after-attempt failed, forcing them to play catch-up the rest of the day.
Landers marched the Dukes back down the field for their second score in the first five minutes. Freshman running back Scott Noble capped a nine-play, 64-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run.
JMU’s defense responded on their second possession as senior safety Nick Adams read the Rams’ fourth-and-1 conversion all the way and stuffed junior quarterback Derek Cassidy’s dive attempt in the backfield.
“We played well in the first half [defensively], made a couple of mistakes especially on the first play they had coming out, but we bared down a little bit,” senior safety Tony LeZotte said.
Offensive mistakes kept the Dukes from pulling away in the first half. Landers fumbled as he crossed the goal line on what would have been a 14-yard rushing touchdown, but the Rams recovered the ball for a touchback. JMU’s dual-threat quarterback fumbled again in the second half, but denied that the turnovers had anything to do with a sore wrist.
“It was just a lack of focus and relaxing before I actually broke the plain in the end zone,” Landers said. “In practice I’m just gonna have to work on keeping it high and tight.”
URI didn’t capitalize on the turnover and the Dukes scored three more times before the half, all coming on field goals. Junior Jason Pritchard hit a booming 50-yard field goal with room to spare, and classmate Dave Stannard connected on the next two from 25 and 24 yards out to give the Dukes a 23-6 lead. Pritchard’s kick tied for fifth-longest in JMU history.
In need of another score before the end of the half, Rams’ coach Tim Stowers looked to his kicking team for a big play. Senior Bryan Giannecchini lined up for an 18-yard field goal, but sophomore holder and wide receiver Shawn Leonard kept the snap and ran it in for the one-yard score.
“I felt like we were having [a] hard time scoring and I’d take as many chances as possible to give our football team a chance to win or get in the game,” Stowers said.
In the second half JMU struck first with a 9-yard pass from Landers to sophomore tight end Mike Caussin. But like in the first half, Rhode Island responded on the next drive, this time with a 24-yard touchdown run by Jones, his second of the game.
Stowers called for another trick play following the score, with a surprise onside-kick. Giannecchini lightly kicked the ball the necessary ten yards straight down the field and dove on it himself, as JMU was slow to react.
“They faked everything you could fake,” Matthews said. “We called everyone of them from our sideline. None of their fakes fooled us, they were just well executed by them.”
Two possessions later, Cassidy found junior Jimmy Hughes for an 11-yard touchdown following Landers’ second lost fumble of the game, cutting the Dukes lead to 30-27.
Landers would account for more than half of the Dukes’ 598 total yards and rebound from the mistake by leading the Dukes on two more scoring drives to pull away and finish out the game.
Redshirt freshman Marcus Turner was on the receiving end of Landers’ third passing touchdown and redshirt freshman running back Griff Yancey would atone for a third quarter fumble with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to give JMU its fourth game with 40 or more points.
Yancey finished with 100 yards on 12 carries, and senior tailback Antoinne Bolton chipped in 71 yards on just seven rushes. Landers led all rushers though with 160 yards on 26 carries, to go along with 252 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
“We were very, very concerned about Landers and the great athlete he is and worries came to fruition,” Stowers said. “He’s an outstanding player and really made some key plays for their football team.”
The Dukes have next Saturday off for Fall Break, but return home Oct. 27 for a Homecoming match-up against CAA and in-state rival Richmond. The UR Spiders (4-2 overall, 2-1 in the conference) defeated JMU two years ago at Bridgeforth Stadium in JMU’s 2005 Homecoming game, 18-15.
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