Under Review

Costly turnovers become the story of a squandered season (Commentary)

By Matt McGovern, assistant sports editor
Posted on November 29, 2007

For a second straight year, after it forged a lead of more than seven points, the James Madison football team appeared poised to win its first-round playoff game. Appalachian State kicker Julian Rauch made a field goal in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to five, but after the ensuing kickoff a methodical JMU offense got the ball back with less than five minutes remaining.

Madison coach Mickey Matthews tested fate Saturday on JMU’s final two drives, and aggressive playcalling resulted in Mountaineer fans dancing in front of the JMU Nation after the game.

Matthews expressed remorse about his final decision to run the ball with 25 seconds left instead of kicking the 26-yard field goal, but stood by his decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 at JMU’s 32-yard line with 2 minutes, 32 seconds left. With the offensive line dominating the line of scrimmage, JMU was perfect on fourth-down conversions until its fifth try.

The Dukes had a 27-22 lead late in the fourth quarter and their failed attempt on fourth down handed ASU the ball deep in JMU territory. The Mountaineers capitalized when quarterback Armanti Edwards rushed for his third touchdown of the game, giving Appalachian State a 28-27 lead and ultimately the win.

Edwards accounted for three of the Mountaineers’ four touchdowns as the two-time defending national champions salvaged a first-round win in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) playoffs.

JMU was the last team to win the national championship before Appalachian State, but fans are probably asking another question now: When will JMU hold onto a fourth-quarter lead in the playoffs?

Last year a failed JMU quarterback sneak on fourth down gave Youngstown State its shot at a comeback, and YSU scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to end JMU’s season.

At Appalachian State, a late turnover spoiled a JMU comeback once again as the Mountaineers recovered a Madison fumble at the ASU 10-yard line with 22 seconds left. JMU redshirt freshman tailback Jamal Sullivan fumbled on a second-and-goal rush, and the Dukes were left to wonder if they should have gone for a field goal instead.

Saturday’s game underlined the absence of senior tailback Eugene Holloman, a preseason All-CAA first team selection. Holloman’s season-ending arthroscopic surgery forced JMU to initiate freshman running backs throughout the year.

Redshirt freshman tailback Griff Yancey emerged as Madison’s top rushing threat in Holloman’s absence as Yancey ran for 402 yards in the Dukes’ last three regular-season games. He rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries against ASU, but left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter.

When Yancey hobbled off the field with just over five minutes left in the period, the Dukes turned to Sullivan. He rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, and 11 of his 12 carries came after Yancey left the game.

Matthews reiterated the magnitude of Holloman’s absence after shaky wins over Northeastern and Rhode Island, and the coach’s concern foretold the fumbles that ultimately cost Madison two wins. Despite dominating rushing performances without Holloman, JMU’s inexperience in the backfield was glaring in late-game fumbles at Delaware and Appalachian State.

JMU senior tailback Antoinne Bolton rushed for only 24 yards on six carries against the Mountaineers but finished the season with 627 rushing yards. While Madison loses Bolton to graduation next year, Holloman received a medical-redshirt this year and will return for the Dukes in 2008.

With Yancey establishing himself during Madison’s last four games and Holloman returning next season, the Dukes will have a solid base to complement Landers’ skills. Consider that all five starting offensive linemen also return for JMU, and the option offense promises to be even more potent than it was this year.

And if the Dukes can avoid the late-game turnovers that plagued them this season, 2008 looks like it could be the year Madison advances to the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision — formerly I-AA — playoffs for the first time since 2004.