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JMU Duke Dog
November 12th, 2005, 09:40 PM
http://www.jmusports.com/Team/Stories/2_3515.asp?TeamID=2&NewsID=3515

HARRISONBURG, Va., Nov. 12, 2005 – Junior quarterback Justin Rascati (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) hit senior tight end Casime Harris (Wilmington, Del./McKean) with a touchdown pass and junior tailback Maurice Fenner (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside) ran for a score immediately after second-quarter Villanova turnovers to spark James Madison to 28-13 Atlantic 10 Football Conference victory Saturday.

Trailing 10-7, JMU went ahead to stay on Rascati’s three-yard scoring toss to Harris with 10:12 left in the second quarter and raised its lead to 21-10 at the 7:13 mark of the period on Fenner’s three-yard scoring run.

Harris’ touchdown capped a four-play, 23-yard drive following a 25-yard interception return by JMU sophomore linebacker Justin Barnes (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills), and Fenner’s score completed a nine-play, 45-yard series that followed JMU senior cornerback Clint Kent’s (Macon, Ga./Westside) 14-yard fumble return. Kent’s fumble recovery came on Villanova’s first play from scrimmage after Harris’ score.

Villanova had only the two turnovers but scored again only on a late second-quarter field goal after getting 10 points on its first two possessions.

The victory, JMU’s second straight, raised the Dukes’ overall record to 6-4 and their Atlantic 10 mark to 4-3. Villanova lost for the second straight week and fell to 4-6 overall and to 2-5 in league play.

JMU got 100-yard ground efforts and rushing touchdowns from both Fenner and junior tailback Alvin Banks (Hampton, Va./Hampton), and Rascati threw for 145 yards and touchdown and ran for a score. Fenner had his second 100-yard game of the season and the eighth of his career, and Banks has his third-straight 100-yard outing and the 10th of his career. Banks raised his career rushing yards total to 2,335 -- fourth in JMU history -- and Fenner improved his career mark to 2,221 -- JMU’s No. 8 all-time mark.

Fenner finished with a season-high 127 yards on 16 carries and Banks with 114 yards on 25 attempts. Rascati completed 10 of 13 passes and wasn’t intercepted. Seven Dukes caught passes, including junior wide receiver Ardon Bransford (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), who had three receptions for 70 yards.

Villanova drove 72 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown on its first possession to lead 7-0 with 10:44 left in the first quarter, but JMU responded with a seven-play, 72-yard series to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:49 left in the first quarter. Martin Gibson got Villanova’s touchdown on a one-yard run, and Banks scored from 12 yards for JMU.

Villanova used 11 plays to drive 62 yards to the JMU 24 on the next series before settling for Joe Marcoux’s 41-yard field goal.

JMU fumbled at the Wildcat 25 on the following possession but intercepted Villanova quarterback Frank Jankowski three plays later to set up the touchdown that put the Dukes in front to stay.

Marcoux kicked a 34-yard field goal to get Villanova to within 21-13 with 0:48 left in the first half, but JMU went 76 yards in nine plays for a one-yard Rascati scoring run during the opening series of the final half to lead 28-13.

Villanova had a 31-yard field goal attempt blocked by JMU junior defensive tackle Chuck Suppon (Shavertown, Pa./Dallas) on its initial series of the third quarter, and the Wildcats were stopped on downs at the JMU eight with 6:51 to play and at the Dukes 29 with 0:45 remaining.

JMU lost a fourth-quarter fumble at the Villanova 27.

JMU finished with 436 yards of total offense (291 rushing, 145 passing) and Villanova with 401 yards (38 rushing, 363 passing). Jankowski hit on 30 of 47 passes for 363 yards and J.J. Outlaw had 10 receptions for 94 yards and John Dieser six for 107 yards for the Wildcats.

Sophomore free safety Tony LeZotte (Augusta, Ga./Westside) had 12 tackles and Kent and junior linebacker Akeem Jordan (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) 11 each for JMU.

Allyn Bacchus had 16 stops for Villanova.

JMU hosts Towson and Villanova entertains Delaware next Saturday (Nov. 19) as the teams close their 2005 schedules.

rokamortis
November 12th, 2005, 09:42 PM
Thanks Dukes - again regaining some of the 'luster' of our win that was lost a couple of weeks ago :D

JMU Duke Dog
November 12th, 2005, 09:44 PM
Thanks Dukes - again regaining some of the 'luster' of our win that was lost a couple of weeks ago :D

If you all make the playoffs, then enjoy it all you can. This goes for all teams that make the playoffs. I will definitely miss the fun of them this year. :( Good luck to everyone!

blukeys
November 12th, 2005, 09:53 PM
Thanks Dukes - again regaining some of the 'luster' of our win that was lost a couple of weeks ago :D

You beat an average A-10 team. What more do you want? :D :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

That is better than beating the Gateway Champ, a MEAC 2nd place team or a Big Sky team not named Montana. ;)

rokamortis
November 12th, 2005, 10:13 PM
You beat an average A-10 team. What more do you want? :D :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

That is better than beating the Gateway Champ, a MEAC 2nd place team or a Big Sky team not named Montana. ;)

They become more 'above average' with every win :D

It was really a tongue in cheek comment after people discounted our win over JMU - nothing too serious.

blur2005
November 12th, 2005, 10:13 PM
That is better than beating the Gateway Champ, a MEAC 2nd place team or a Big Sky team not named Montana. ;)
Uh, I don't know about the Gateway part, though I'd like to agree with you.

JMU Duke Dog
November 13th, 2005, 04:31 PM
Here is some video from the game:
http://www.jmusports.com/include/AdCode/abmc.asp?b=105&z=20

JMU Duke Dog
November 13th, 2005, 05:40 PM
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768120023&path=!sports&s=1045855934844

Two-game winning streak has Dukes hoping for a playoff berth

By Mike Harris

HARRISONBURG - James Madison University's football team needs Villanova coach Andy Talley on the Division I-AA playoff selection committee.

JMU improved to 6-4 yesterday by beating Talley's Wildcats 28-13 in an Atlantic 10 game before 10,984 at Bridgeforth Stadium. The Dukes did it with what coach Mickey Matthews called his team's best offensive effort of the season, an effort that included 436 total yards and a pair of 100-plus rushing efforts from Maurice Fenner (127) and Alvin Banks (114).

But the defending I-AA champion Dukes are a long shot to make the playoffs, even if they beat Towson at home Saturday in their regular-season finale to finish at 7-4.

"They're as good a team as they were last year, they just haven't won the close ones. They're a playoff team - whether they make it or not," Talley said. "They might not.

"That's what a playoff team looks like and I think we played very hard against them.

"I think they belong in the playoffs because they have a pedigree. They're an Atlantic 10 football team. They're defending national champions. Their 7-4 record would be comparable to anybody's 8-3 record anywhere else because of the league we play in. The only thing that could hurt them a little bit, candidly, is the Division II game on their schedule."

JMU opened its season with a victory over Lock Haven. Should it beat Towson, it will close with a three-game winning streak that followed a three-game losing streak. JMU's four losses have been by a total of 16 points. The Dukes are 4-3 in the A-10.

Matthews isn't willing to close the door on a return to the playoffs yet. In fact, he's confident enough to say, "I think we're going to be there," if the Dukes win against Towson.

"I don't make that decision . . . we know we have to win next week. When you realize we've lost four games on basically the last play of the game, that's some pretty tall talking.

"We feel like we'll be at the top of the list of the 7-4 teams. Whether they take any, I don't know. At some point in time, there's going to be a 7-4 team in the playoffs."

Said Mike Parham, the Dukes' junior offensive guard from Petersburg, "We're still fighting. Until they tell us we're not going to the playoffs, we'll keep on fighting. If we get in, they better be ready for us. We're coming."

The game had the makings of a serious shootout early. Villanova (2-5, 4-6) ended up with 401 total yards, 363 coming in the air.

Frank Jankowski completed 30 of 47 passes.

Things turned JMU's way early in the second quarter. Villanova led 10-7 after one quarter and forced a turnover when Raymond Hines fumbled on the first possession of the second quarter. But the Wildcats gave it back when Justin Barnes intercepted Jankowski and returned the ball 25 yards to Villanova's 23.

The Dukes ended up scoring when Justin Rascati threw three yards to Casime Harris.

Villanova's first play after the kickoff resulted in a fumble by Martin Gibson that JMU's Clint Kent recovered on the Dukes' 41.

Fenner eventually scored from three yards out.

The Wildcats got a late second-quarter field goal from Joe Marcoux but couldn't score in the second half.

Villanova came into the game with 24 turnovers for the season.

"[Those turnovers] are when we got the upper hand," Matthews said. "That's been Villanova's mode. They've just struggled with those turnovers. Every game Villanova has played, they have played well. They've just turned the ball over."