Dukes open playoffs with Mountaineers

Landers, LeZotte and Baranowsky garner CAA honors

By Tim Chapman, sports editor
Posted on November 22, 2007

In 2006 JMU football traveled to Boone, N.C., to take on Appalachian State in a meeting of the two previous Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division 1-AA) champions.

The Dukes won the title in 2004 and the Mountaineers in 2005, but App. St. proved why it was the defending champs, beating Madison 21-10.

Then freshman quarterback Armanti Edwards replaced an injured Trey Elder in the first quarter and went on to rush for a seven-yard touchdown and lead ASU on two more scoring drives.

“They kind of discovered this quarterback in our game,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. “He does it all, he can run, he can throw, he’s a difference maker.”

A lot happened since Edwards’ emergence and the end of the 2007 regular season. ASU repeated as FCS champions with a 28-17 win over Massachusetts in the final and followed it with a 34-32 upset of Michigan in this season’s opener.

Madison finished the 2006 season 9-3 overall and lost in the first round of the playoffs 35-31 to Youngstown State. The Dukes graduated quarterback Justin Rascati who started on the championship team, but have had their own first year starter emerge in junior Rodney Landers.

Landers was voted second-team All-CAA by the Colonial Athletic Association coaches this week after leading JMU in rushing and passing. The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder rushed for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns in the regular season and threw for 1,554 yards and 12 touchdowns with a 63.9 completion percentage.

Unfortunately for Matthews and his staff, this week’s preparation has been without Landers, who is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Redshirt-freshman Drew Dudzik will start if Landers can’t go, but would do so with a makeshift offensive line.

Junior center Scott Lemn and redshirt freshman tackle Theo Sherman are also listed as questionable with ankle injuries.

“There’s no question because of those injuries Saturday we were just out of sync offensively,” Matthews said regarding Saturday’s 23-13 win over Towson. “We’ll probably move [senior tight end] Marvin Brown into tackle if Theo doesn’t look better.”

Lemn will be replaced by sophomore tackle Chris Clarke, which could limit amount of plays JMU runs out of the shotgun.

The Dukes will try to continue rushing the ball with redshirt freshman Griff Yancey and senior Antoinne Bolton. Each back has rushed for over 600 yards and seven touchdowns and has seen increased production through the second half of the season.

ASU will show JMU a 4-3 look on defense and is led by sophomore linebacker Jacque Roman, whose totaled 88 tackles on the year.

Offensively, the Mountaineers run a similar offense to the Dukes. ASU utilizes Edwards’ athleticism and speed in a rushing attack bolstered by senior tailback Kevin Richardson. Each player has over 1,000 yards — Richardson has 12 touchdowns and Edwards has rushed for 13 touchdowns and thrown for nine.

The Dukes will counter with an improved defense that notched nine sacks against Towson. Senior defensive tackle John Baranowsky had four sacks and seven total tackles in the game and was voted All-CAA first team. Senior safety Tony LeZotte also joined Baranowsky on the first team and was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year.

“Defensively, I think we’re gonna have a great game plan and go against the same offensive we run here at JMU now,” LeZotte said. “We’re gonna have some familiarity with what’s gonna be done.”

JMU may also need to rely on the continued success in the special teams to counter ASU. Sophomore cornerback Scotty McGee has made an immediate impact the last two weeks after missing five games because of a sports hernia.

Against Towson, McGee put the Dukes ahead 6-0, 14 seconds into the game when he returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for the score.

“We’re ready to play, I know guys are ready to get out there,” McGee said while trying to suppress his excitement. “We got a high amount of momentum, we’re coming off [two] great wins.”

JMU will go for three in a row and kickoff is set for noon with the winner facing the victor of Fordham (8-3) at McNeese State (11-0).