Posted on October 29, 2007
Saturday was a very long day, as JMU football coach Mickey Matthews granted The Breeze almost full access to shadow him on game day against Richmond. From breakfast to the post-game news conference I received an in-depth look at the ups and downs of being a head coach in Division 1 college football.
7:50-8:00 — JMU players stroll into the Market One dining hall for a D-Hall-prepared breakfast. Most of the coaching staff is already there by the time Matthews arrives at 8.
8:02 — Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Joe DeZelle, delivers a team prayer. Coach listens attentively with the team as DeZelle compares the team to a tree producing good fruit and talks about how the players’ actions should reflect their faith.
8:07 — The Coach speaks after the prayer and lays out the day’s plans. He allows the Richmond natives to get their food first from the buffet line. The room remains quiet for the most part with the coach chiding a player here or there to keep things loose. Matthews then eats with me and discusses the fact that JMU has lost only two home games in four years — not anticipating a third loss just hours later. When asked if his team had a curfew the night before he said, “If I have to set a curfew, then I’ve recruited the wrong guys.”
9:04 — Matthews heads through the Athletic Performance Center at the southern end of Bridgeforth Stadium, giving a tour of the facility before heading up to the football suite. He stops along the way to chat with one of his secretaries and defensive line coach J.C. Price. The three discuss their anticipation for a far lower turnout of recruits than originally expected due to the weather.
9:22 —He quietly sits down at his desk reading various articles on espn.com while listening to “SportsCenter” on his 48-inch big-screen television. His personal office overlooks Zane Showker Field from the second level of the APC. He explains that as a Texas native he reads the Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle every morning along with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Daily News-Record, the Virginian-Pilot and two Washington newspapers.
9:47 — Coach Matthews recounts his coaching days at Marshall and Georgia and compares the game-day atmospheres and the recruiting battles. Matthews left his assistant spot at Marshall in 1995 for a job at Georgia, but tells of how the following year Randy Moss came to play for the Thundering Herd and ran a 4.28 second, 40-yard dash in his first workout in Huntington, W. Va. He also speaks of how one of his Marshall teams beat JMU in the playoffs in the early ’90s in a battle between two teams that fought hard throughout the years to win over the same recruits.
9:55 — Matthews visits with Pablo Cuevas, former member of the JMU Board of Visitors. He gives Cuevas and his daughter and her friend a tour of the APC, going through the meeting rooms, the lounges, the locker room and the weight room. The ninth-year coach passes his players for the first time since breakfast as they are getting taped up in the training room.
10:22 — The tour goes back upstairs where Matthews relaxes with Cuevas, whom he calls a golf buddy.
10:27 — Defensive backs coach Joe Danna brings a recruit and his father to meet coach Matthews briefly in his office. The visits are a staple of game day at home. A visit from his wife, Kay, is also typical, and Mrs. Matthews visits the office with her sister and a friend.
10:31 — Coach meets with two referees for a closed meeting. Each week officials meet with each coach, allowing Matthews and his opponent to make them aware of anything they’ve seen on film that they would like the referees to look for.
10:46 — Coach meets with two more recruits and their mothers, focusing on the selling points to intrigue high school athletes. Either before or after meeting with the coach the recruits are taken on a tour of the APC by the assistant coach recruiting them.
11:00 — He sits down in his office with a Marshall player he once coached. With about an hour left before kickoff Matthews put on his white game day sweater over his purple mock turtleneck. He also dons his signature visor and jokes with another golfing buddy, Jeff Nemoytin, that his visor “makes me a great coach and a great putter.”
11:24 — Coach catches up with UR coaching staff and talks with a couple of injured Spider players.
11:34 — Matthews calls the team in for a “break-down” motivation rally before the team goes to position drills with all the other coaches.
11:40 — He leads the team through the last warm-up drills and special teams. At this point his game-time scowl starts to show as he starts to walk a little faster and pace through the drills.
11:45 — He then leads the other coaches back into their lounge, where they are silently contemplating the game.
11:50 — Matthews goes back up to his office with 18:00 left before the game. He quietly puts on his reading glasses and jots down some notes calling it “his cheat sheet” to Nemoytin, who has also been shadowing coach. He explains that it has coaching points he’ll need to remind the coordinators about.
11:52 — Coach heads back downstairs to the coaches’ lounge where his son and wide receivers coach, Clayton Matthews, and linebackers coach Kyle Gillenwater are quietly mentally preparing.
11:57 — He enters the locker room where the players are sitting quietly, some blaring rap music from their headphones. Matthews paces through the room, running his fingers through his hair and breathing heavily before he calls up the captains.
The now fiery coach calls everyone to the center of the room to remind them of kickoff coverage assignments. As they collectively take a knee and grab hands Matthews explodes in emotion screaming that he, “doesn’t want to see not one of their guys dancing on that field for the next three hours.” He says this alluding to the homecoming game two years ago that Richmond won. They follow this with the Lord’s Prayer and march through the smoke and tunnel out onto the field.
12:05 — Coach paces the sideline before JMU is to receive the opening kickoff. He puts on his headset and takes a quick look at his “cheat sheet.”
Game Clock
15:00 2nd Quarter— Following a 3-0 first quarter deficit Matthews spends time talking with running backs coach Ulrick Edmonds about changes on offense.
8:28 2nd Quarter— Coach is composed although his team is down 10-0. His first sign of aggravation shows just minutes later when senior linebacker Adam Ford almost doesn’t make it on the field for his punt team assignment.
Half-time— Although his team escaped the half only down 10 after Boscoe Williams’ touchdown reception from Landers, Matthews frustrations from the sloppy half boil over. Before any adjustments are discussed he reiterates how badly his team is playing with a number of expletives that clearly get the players’ attention.
3rd Quarter— Matthews is calm during the quarter, mainly conversing with coordinators though his headset.
6:00 4th Quarter— JMU gets the game within one point at 17-16 on junior Dave Stannard’s third field goal of the half. Matthews reminds the kickoff team to stay in its lanes and play smart coverage.
2:03 4th Quarter— Landers throws an interception as JMU is driving in Richmond territory, as he looks downfield for Bolton, the team’s shortest player. Matthews takes off his headset and paces down the field with a lost look on his face.
0:00 4th Quarter— With no time left on the clock and the score 17-16 in Richmond’s favor, senior Hassan Abdul-Wahid and a teammate attempt to walk straight to the locker room. Matthews and his staff order the team to shake hands with its opponents.
Actual time
3:03— Matthews delivers a passionate post-game speech venting his frustrations with the team. He reminds the team of how “bad” they’ve been playing and how they “shouldn’t even be sore right now” after their effort. He threatened to hold a full practice on Sunday including a scrimmage.
3:18— He does an audio interview with WHSV in the weight room and continues to explain his team’s inabilities, but in a more composed manner.
3:43— Matthews does his post-game press conference after his players are finished talking. “I thought we played horrible, I thought it was as bad as we played in nine years. I really thought we played as bad as we could play.”
After Rodney Landers’ arguably worst performance of the season, Matthews is asked if his quarterback not being interviewed is his decision or Landers’.
“He’s off limits, my choice.”
After the press conference the disgruntled and exhausted coach says, “I’m done,” when asked if he can be shadowed any longer.
About Us | Supplements | Advertising | Contact Us
Website design by Erik Pitzer ('07)
