LeZotte’s physical play key to success

FILE PHOTO Redshirt freshman free safety Tony LeZotte leads all JMU players with 29 tackles in 2004. The Dukes are off to a 3-1 start heading into this weekend's Atlantic 10 matchup with the UNiversity of Massachusetts.

Redshirt freshman safety Tony LeZotte is an intense player on the field; just ask his brother, redshirt senior quarterback Matt LeZotte.

"We push each other," Matt said. "I would go home in the off-season and we’d workout together. It made us better players."

Tony said, "We both love to compete. We come out and we want to win everything. On the field, he pushes me to be the best player I can be and I do the same for him."

When Tony was looking at colleges, he used three criteria to make his decision.

"When I looked at a school, I looked at academics, the social life and — of course — athletics," Tony said. "At James Madison, the football team is on the rise and this school has all three qualities — other schools didn’t."
The other schools also didn’t give Tony an opportunity to play football with his brother.

"A lot of schools had a lot to offer Tony," Matt said. "JMU was the only school that gave him a shot to play with his older brother. It was a big reason why he came here."

JMU fans have seen a lot of Tony this season as he continues to break up passes in the secondary and make open-field tackles.

LeZotte is in his first season as JMU’s starting free safety. However, coach Mickey Matthews said Tony’s football mentality enables him to play beyond his years.

"I’ve made the comment before that Tony’s the most highly recruited player we’ve ever signed, and he is," Matthews said. "He has a great feel for the game."

LeZotte has proven Matthews correct. He leads all JMU players with 29 total tackles as the Dukes have gotten off to a 3-1 start in 2004.

LeZotte’s physical play is what has impressed his coaches the most.

"Tony’s a very physical football player," Matthews said. "The saying goes ‘football is a collision game and dancing is a contact sport’ — Tony epitomizes that. You coach players and it’s obvious that they’re different; he’s one of those different players."

Matthews talked about Tony’s impact on the field. He also spoke about his starting free safety’s quick learning curve.

"He’s like a sponge," Matthews said. "He absorbs a lot in film and over the course of a ball game."
Tony agreed.

"Right now, I’m getting used to the speed of the game," he said. "That’s the big difference between high school football and college football. I’m getting better, but I still need to improve."

As far as statistics go, Matt is ranked in the top-five all-time at JMU in four offensive categories, including total yards. Matthews said if Tony can stay healthy enough, he may one day find himself ranked in JMU annals.

"It’s hard to say where he’s going to be [his senior year]," Matthews said. "He has a chance to play over 40 games here, and the defensive statistics will speak for themselves.

"He’s going to have bumps and bruises because he plays with reckless abandon. The only thing that’s going to keep Tony from being a great player is health. You need to stay healthy to be a great player."

But being a "great player" isn’t the label LeZotte thirsts for. In congruence with his competitiveness, his goal is winning — ideally while Matt still is in a Dukes uniform.

"I look to win the A-10 and hopefully make a run for the national title," Tony said about this season.