Dukes win despite Ivan

Sometimes Mother Nature is the X factor.

The remnants of Hurricane Ivan dropped a considerable amount of rain on Philadelphia early Saturday morning. Still, the Dukes and the Villanova University Wildcats played on with JMU prevailing 17-0.

"The conditions were as poor as I’ve seen in 28 years of coaching," coach Mickey Matthews said. "It was very difficult on both offenses."

The two teams combined for 11 turnovers. JMU quarterback, redshirt sophomore Justin Rascati, didn’t complete a pass during the first half.

Still, the Dukes came out with a rain-soaked victory, highlighted by their defense.

"This defense lets us run around and use our speed," redshirt freshman safety Tony LeZotte said. "We came to play today."

Redshirt junior safety Bruce Johnson said, "As soon as we got out on the field, you could feel it that we were ready."

The poor playing conditions prevented the Dukes from showcasing much of their new offense.
"No one could run any plays today," Matthews said. "I think both teams were in four-corners today; you just try not to make a big mistake."

Despite the ugly win, the Dukes upset the No. 5 team in Division I-AA on the road in tough playing conditions. They return home 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in the conference, with their future considerably brighter than the Philadelphia sky they left behind.

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