Rascati wins big in transfer lottery

In his first season at JMU, redshirt sophomore quarterback Justin Rascati helped bring home a national championship.

Rascati’s success was foreshadowed in his hometown of Gainesville, Fla., where he broke passing records at Buchholz High School. In his senior year, he threw for 2,223 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Rascati attended the University of Louisville, a Division I-A football program, and served as a backup quarterback to Stefan LeFors. However, Rascati was not satisfied and took an opportunity to transfer to JMU in hopes of earning a starting job.

"We knew we had the talent and the chance to win a championship," Rascati said. "It was just a matter of coming together as a team."

Rascati said it was tough at first to adjust to new people and a new system. However, soon enough Rascati and the Dukes were making improvements on the field.

"I’ve never seen a team like this that has been so close," redshirt senior center Leon Steinfeld said. "I think it’s just that we trust each other so much. If the defense gives up a touchdown, then the next series they are going to come out and play their hearts out."

Rascati said the key to success was making adjustments.

"We continued to get better after each game," Rascati said. "We adjusted to the offense under our new offensive coordinator [Jeff Durden]."

When the Dukes earned their first playoff berth in five years, Rascati said they became a team on a mission.

"We knew we had to win and we refused to lose," Rascati said.

Rascati also refused to give the ball away, throwing zero interceptions during four postseason games. He completed 74 percent of his passes.

Despite playing on the road throughout the playoffs with the pressure of the spotlight on him, Rascati played, arguably, his best football.

"I didn’t feel any pressure. " Rascati said. "I had great protection with the line, coaches put me in good situations and our wide receivers were making plays."

Rascati said the line gave him time to throw the ball and were superior up front, not only in pass protection, but in establishing the running game as well.

During the postgame press conference following the national championship game win over the University of Montana, coach Mickey Mathews said the key to JMU’s success was the running game, which helped offset Rascati’s playmaking ability.

"It was two great quarterbacks and I thought the difference in the game was that we could run it," Mathews said.

Rascati proved himself able to use his legs and become part of that running game. He had 573 yards and scored 10 touchdowns during the season.

Perhaps most notable were his two rushing scores against Montana in the championship game. Rascati ended the season having passed for over 2,000 yards and throwing 14 touchdowns.

Rascati said that winning a championship on any level was a dream come true for him. However, with two years left of eligibility at JMU, he is only looking to raise the bar.

"You can always be better," Rascati said. "We finished 13-2 this season. Why not 15-0?"