JMU Duke Dog
November 8th, 2005, 05:29 PM
Feel free to discuss the upcoming JMU-Villanova game on this thread...
http://www.jmusports.com/Team/Stories/2_3490.asp?TeamID=2&NewsID=3490
HARRISONBURG, Va., Nov. 7, 2005 – The James Madison University football team returns home Saturday for its first of two season-closing home games with the opportunity to assure itself of a winning season.
The Dukes are 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Atlantic 10 Football Conference and are coming off a 30-29 victory over William & Mary last week, their third straight victory in series games on the Tribe’s home field.
In visiting Villanova, JMU will be meeting a team hoping to get to the .500 mark for the season. The Wildcats are 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the Atlantic 10 after losing 40-19 last week at Towson. Villanova the previous week beat William & Mary 35-21 at home.
Each of JMU’s final two home games will begin at 1:30 p.m.
JMU closes the season next week (Nov. 19) in a 1:30 p.m. home game with Towson, and Villanova will host Delaware to close the campaign.
The Series
Each team has six wins in the series that began in 1993 when JMU began competing in the Yankee Conference (now the Atlantic 10). Villanova has won three of the five series games in Harrisonburg, and JMU has a 4-3 record in games at Villanova.
JMU won 17-0 last season at Villanova to snap a three-game Wildcat winning streak in the series. Including last season’s game, the teams played three times during a four-year period on the Wildcats’ home field. Villanova won the last meeting in Harrisonburg, 30-26 in 2002.
JMU won the first three series meetings, including a 28-27 road overtime decision during an NCAA playoff year in 1995. The Dukes also won at Villanova during their 1999 playoff season, defeating the Wildcats 23-20.
Villanova beat the Dukes 45-44 in double overtime on its field in 2001. The Wildcats’ Brian Westbrook had 405 all-purpose yards and scored five touchdowns in that game, and then JMU red-shirt freshman quarterback Matt LeZotte threw for 376 yards and had 405 yards of total offense. LeZotte’s effort set a JMU game record for total offense, and his passing mark is JMU’s second-best all-time game figure.
Last Season
JMU’s defense set a then-team record for fewest yards allowed to a Division I-AA foe and led the Dukes to a 17-0 win at Villanova.
JMU allowed the fifth-ranked Wildcats only 91 total yards and got each of its points after turnovers or key special teams plays. Most of the game was played in heavy rain.
JMU’s defensive effort surpassed the team Division I-AA record of 102 yards allowed to Northeastern in 1985, and the shutout of a Division I-AA opponent was the Dukes’ first since beating Northeastern 21-0 in 1990. JMU never before had shut out a Division I-AA opponent on the road.
After a scoreless first half (both teams lost first-half fumbles at the opponent’s three), JMU got a third-quarter touchdown after a bad snap on a Villanova punt attempt, a fourth-quarter safety on another bad snap, and a fourth-quarter touchdown after an interception.
Justin Rascati (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) got JMU’s first points on a one-yard run with 8:11 left in the third quarter. The Dukes drove 11 yards in four plays after Bruce Johnson (Lithonia, Ga./Lakeside) covered Villanova’s bad punt snap.
The lead went to 9-0 with 11:37 to play when a Wildcat punt snap from their 13 sailed through the end zone, and the Dukes all but sealed the win when Alvin Banks (Hampton, Va./Hampton) scored on a 14-yard run with 5:17 left.
Cortez Thompson set up Banks’ touchdown with a 27-yard interception return to the Villanova 25, and the Dukes scored five plays later.
JMU gained 122 total yards (111 rushing, 11 passing) in the wet, windy conditions and overcame five lost fumbles.
Villanova had a minus-two rushing yards, threw for 93 yards, lost four fumbles and threw two interceptions.
Banks ran 25 times for 86 yards for JMU.
In addition to Thompson, Trey Townsend had a JMU interception. Townsend, the Atlantic 10 co-defensive player of the week, was credited with nine tackles and one of JMU’s seven sacks.
Kwynn Walton took part in a career-high-tying 11 tackles and Tony LeZotte (Augusta, Ga./Westside) 10 for the Dukes. LeZotte, the Atlantic 10 rookie of the week, also had a sack, and Johnson was credited with two sacks.
http://www.jmusports.com/Team/Stories/2_3490.asp?TeamID=2&NewsID=3490
HARRISONBURG, Va., Nov. 7, 2005 – The James Madison University football team returns home Saturday for its first of two season-closing home games with the opportunity to assure itself of a winning season.
The Dukes are 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Atlantic 10 Football Conference and are coming off a 30-29 victory over William & Mary last week, their third straight victory in series games on the Tribe’s home field.
In visiting Villanova, JMU will be meeting a team hoping to get to the .500 mark for the season. The Wildcats are 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the Atlantic 10 after losing 40-19 last week at Towson. Villanova the previous week beat William & Mary 35-21 at home.
Each of JMU’s final two home games will begin at 1:30 p.m.
JMU closes the season next week (Nov. 19) in a 1:30 p.m. home game with Towson, and Villanova will host Delaware to close the campaign.
The Series
Each team has six wins in the series that began in 1993 when JMU began competing in the Yankee Conference (now the Atlantic 10). Villanova has won three of the five series games in Harrisonburg, and JMU has a 4-3 record in games at Villanova.
JMU won 17-0 last season at Villanova to snap a three-game Wildcat winning streak in the series. Including last season’s game, the teams played three times during a four-year period on the Wildcats’ home field. Villanova won the last meeting in Harrisonburg, 30-26 in 2002.
JMU won the first three series meetings, including a 28-27 road overtime decision during an NCAA playoff year in 1995. The Dukes also won at Villanova during their 1999 playoff season, defeating the Wildcats 23-20.
Villanova beat the Dukes 45-44 in double overtime on its field in 2001. The Wildcats’ Brian Westbrook had 405 all-purpose yards and scored five touchdowns in that game, and then JMU red-shirt freshman quarterback Matt LeZotte threw for 376 yards and had 405 yards of total offense. LeZotte’s effort set a JMU game record for total offense, and his passing mark is JMU’s second-best all-time game figure.
Last Season
JMU’s defense set a then-team record for fewest yards allowed to a Division I-AA foe and led the Dukes to a 17-0 win at Villanova.
JMU allowed the fifth-ranked Wildcats only 91 total yards and got each of its points after turnovers or key special teams plays. Most of the game was played in heavy rain.
JMU’s defensive effort surpassed the team Division I-AA record of 102 yards allowed to Northeastern in 1985, and the shutout of a Division I-AA opponent was the Dukes’ first since beating Northeastern 21-0 in 1990. JMU never before had shut out a Division I-AA opponent on the road.
After a scoreless first half (both teams lost first-half fumbles at the opponent’s three), JMU got a third-quarter touchdown after a bad snap on a Villanova punt attempt, a fourth-quarter safety on another bad snap, and a fourth-quarter touchdown after an interception.
Justin Rascati (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) got JMU’s first points on a one-yard run with 8:11 left in the third quarter. The Dukes drove 11 yards in four plays after Bruce Johnson (Lithonia, Ga./Lakeside) covered Villanova’s bad punt snap.
The lead went to 9-0 with 11:37 to play when a Wildcat punt snap from their 13 sailed through the end zone, and the Dukes all but sealed the win when Alvin Banks (Hampton, Va./Hampton) scored on a 14-yard run with 5:17 left.
Cortez Thompson set up Banks’ touchdown with a 27-yard interception return to the Villanova 25, and the Dukes scored five plays later.
JMU gained 122 total yards (111 rushing, 11 passing) in the wet, windy conditions and overcame five lost fumbles.
Villanova had a minus-two rushing yards, threw for 93 yards, lost four fumbles and threw two interceptions.
Banks ran 25 times for 86 yards for JMU.
In addition to Thompson, Trey Townsend had a JMU interception. Townsend, the Atlantic 10 co-defensive player of the week, was credited with nine tackles and one of JMU’s seven sacks.
Kwynn Walton took part in a career-high-tying 11 tackles and Tony LeZotte (Augusta, Ga./Westside) 10 for the Dukes. LeZotte, the Atlantic 10 rookie of the week, also had a sack, and Johnson was credited with two sacks.