Towson at James Madison

[JMU Duke Dog]

Feel free to discuss the upcoming Towson at James Madison football game on this thread...

http://www.jmusports.com/Team/Stories/2_3521.asp?TeamID=2&NewsID=3521

HARRISONBURG, Va. (Nov. 14, 2005) – The James Madison University football team completes its 2005 schedule Saturday (Nov. 19) against a Towson squad that has been one of the surprises of the year in the Atlantic 10 Football Conference.

The Tigers will bring a 6-4 record into Saturday’s game and are 3-4 in conference play after going 0-8 a year ago during their first Atlantic 10 season. Towson is coming off a 48-21 home loss a week ago to Richmond but the previous week had crushed conference foe Villanova 40-19 after leading 38-6 at halftime.

JMU also will take a 6-4 record into the game, and the Dukes are 4-3 in Atlantic 10 play. JMU beat Villanova 28-13 at home a week ago and has won its last two games.

The Dukes and Tigers played for the first time in 12 seasons a year ago, and Saturday’s game will be Towson’s first in Harrisonburg since 1991.

The Series

JMU has played Towson more often than all but three other teams (William & Mary, Richmond, Northeastern) although last season’s meeting was the programs’ first since 1992.

The teams first played in 1976 before either gave scholarships and met every year but one through 1992. JMU in 1993 started play in the Yankee Conference (now the Atlantic 10), and Towson changed its scholarship commitment.

JMU leads the series 11-5-1 and has a 7-1 edge in games at JMU. The teams are 4-4-1 at Towson, and JMU won there 31-17 a year ago in its final regular-season game. Last season’s contest was the first of five straight games that JMU played -- and won -- away from home. JMU swept through the Division I-AA playoffs the next four weeks.
Towson’s win at JMU came during the Dukes’ final contest in 1983, a year in which JMU lost its last seven games after starting 3-1.

The series with JMU matches the longest in Towson history, and the Dukes’ 11 series wins are the most any team has against the Tigers.

JMU won the teams’ last meeting in Harrisonburg, 55-31 in 1991. The Dukes that year finished the regular season with an 8-3 record, and they went on to become the first JMU squad to post a victory in the Division I-AA playoffs (at Delaware).

[DB_Atlantic10]

Duke Dog,

The Dukes don't get any respect around here and most thought it was luck that we won in the first place...especially with a bunch of no-named sophmores. We had a few slips this year and could never gel (full credit to the winners), but we are as potent as any team out there..... noone wants us in the play-offs......as we've heard about 1000 times, our D-II win vs tons of other D-1A losses.... Heck we are not even ranked anymore since Mickey's prediction of us making the play-offs. I think that kind of upset the GODs of I-AA...putting down the MEAC and all. The first slap was beating W&M and being ranked behind them, the next slap was beating NOVA and falling completely out of the polls....

Rushing offense 15 overall, Key stat....5.2 yard per carry good for 5th National
Passing offense 70 overall, Key stat....68% completion percentage 4th National, we don't pass often, but are good when we do...
Total offense 30 overall, Key stat.....yards per play 6.28 12th National
Scoring Offense 18 Overall, .....3rd in A-10
Rushing Defense 13th overall, .......1st A-10
Total Defense 11th, 2nd A-10
Scoring Defense 7th, 2nd A-10
Passing Efficiency Offense 9th, 2nd A-10
3rd down conversion offense percentage 8th
4th down conversion percentage 1st....

but of course, we don't deserve to be in the play-offs, we "may" only have 6 D-1 wins and lost all current games by a total of 16pts on our worse days....... :cool:

To be honest, the only team out there that really scares me is App State!! I think they are going to run the table...but UNH would be nice to keep the A-10 streak alive.....

[TigerFan17]

I'll be there +7-10 others! We plan on coming friday afternoon and doing some partying in the JMU area (bars and stuff) and then going to the game Saturday and coming home after that. Its about a 3 hour drive.

Any suggestions on where to eat? What bars are good (we're all students if that makes a difference)? Hotels?

Also, if any of you guys wanted to meet up, let me know where your tailgate is and I'll do my best to stop by!

[JMU Duke Dog]

I'll be there +7-10 others! We plan on coming friday afternoon and doing some partying in the JMU area (bars and stuff) and then going to the game Saturday and coming home after that. Its about a 3 hour drive.

Any suggestions on where to eat? What bars are good (we're all students if that makes a difference)? Hotels?

Also, if any of you guys wanted to meet up, let me know where your tailgate is and I'll do my best to stop by!

Dave's Taverna and Calhoun's in downtown Harrisonburg are always good and not too crowded either. Any of the chain restaurants such as Outback, Chilli's, Applebee's are closer to most of the hotels and JMU's campus and are usually more crowded due to the close proximity.

[JMU Duke Dog]

DB_Atlantic 10,

I also found it odd for JMU to drop out of the top 25 after beating Villanova and after beating a ranked W&M the previous week. I have the feeling that there is now some anti-JMU sentiment in the national I-AA media either for Matthews' comments or jealousy of JMU winning the national title last year or something else. I think if JMU soundly beats Towson next week, then the Dukes deserve to finish in the top 25 in the polls. I think all of the three of the I-AA top 25 polls this week are jokes, but that is just my opinion.

[bluehenbillk]

I think it's just the ignorance of some voters that kept them in the top 25 the week before & hadn't realized they lost to Richmond.

[bandl]

I think it's just the ignorance of some voters that kept them in the top 25 the week before & hadn't realized they lost to Richmond.

I think that it's just the fact that other teams had more impressive wins, combined with the fact that everyone knows that JMU's season is done. IMO, teams ranked 20 and below can, and will, jump up & down all over the #20-#30 rankings at will because there isn't much difference between a #20 and a #30. That's JMO though.

[JMU Duke Dog]

http://www.dnronline.com/sports_details.php?AID=1584&CHID=3

7-4: Not Bad, But........
At JMU, Expectations Are Now Higher

By Mike Barber

It wasn’t so long ago that back-to-back winning seasons would have been considered a triumph for the James Madison football team.

What a difference a national championship makes.

With a second straight winning season locked up by Saturday’s 28-13 victory over Villanova, JMU coach Mickey Matthews talked Monday about the heightened expectations for his Division I-AA program.

"I think the bar’s been raised dramatically," Matthews said during his weekly press conference.

Based on that new standard, it’s hard not to view this season as disappointing. The Dukes (6-4 overall, 4-3 in the Atlantic 10) have three surprising losses on their 2005 resume – a non-conference setback at Coastal Carolina in Week 2, a game Matthews now said he regrets playing; a loss at Delaware when the Blue Hens were struggling; an 18-15 home loss to Richmond.

Despite Saturday’s win over the Wildcats, JMU fell out of The Sports Network’s I-AA poll, dropping from No. 25 to the top "receiving votes" team.

Still, for a coach who was 27-31 at JMU before last year’s 13-2 championship season, a 7-4 record in perhaps the nation’s toughest conference is nothing to thumb your nose at. That’s what the Dukes will be shooting for when they host Towson (6-4, 3-4) on Saturday in the season finale.

"Yeah it’s a good season," an obviously unsatisfied Matthews said. "Yeah. 7-4 is a good year. The difficult thing is, you’re coming off a 13-2 year."

Matthews said 7-4 would be good enough to continue to build the program in terms of recruiting and fan support. And, he said, it might be good enough to get JMU back in the playoffs – though that seems to be a long shot.

"If you’re the committee, if things go the way they could Saturday, they’re going to have to take two or three 7-4’s," Matthews said, "but there are going to be a lot of 7-4’s in the country that are good football programs."

Nine teams in the Top 25 have three losses and four more have four defeats already.

But, Matthews acknowledged, head-to-head losses to Richmond (7-3, 6-1) and Massachusetts (7-3, 6-1) could hurt the Dukes. With a win, Richmond would be all but assured of a playoff bid. If the Spiders lose to William & Mary on Saturday, they too would be 7-4. Choosing between JMU and Richmond could come down to the two teams’ earlier meeting.

"I would think it would," Matthews said. "I would not disagree with that, head to head, being in the same conference."

Last year, four A-10 teams made the postseason – JMU, Delaware, New Hampshire and William & Mary. This year, only No. 1 New Hampshire (9-1, 6-1) is a lock. A Massachusetts loss at Hofstra in Joe Gardi’s final game as Pride coach would put UMass on the bubble, though the Minutemen do have a 34-27 I-A loss to Army.

Matthews was quick to point out just how difficult it is to make the I-AA playoffs.

"I wish we were a I-A, ’cause we’re bowl eligible now," a smiling Matthews said. "If I was a I-A coach and not a I-AA coach, we’d be talking about what bowl game we’re going to right now. I say all the time, the most difficult thing in college football to do is make the I-AA playoffs. It’s hard to do. You look how many bowl teams there are at I-A, how many playoff teams there are at Division II, how many playoff teams there are at Division III. The most difficult thing there is to do in college football is make the I-AA playoffs."

The I-AA playoffs include 16 teams – eight automatic bids and eight at-large selections. Division II has 24 berths and Division III has 32.

Matthews said he doesn’t know how his players All-American hopes would be affected if the Dukes don’t make the postseason and get to play nationally.

Free safety Tony LeZotte and left guard Matt Magerko were both All-Americans last season and left tackle Corey Davis is deserving of consideration this year.

"They’re playing better than they did last year," Matthews said. "We’ve had good years. We’ve had some guys really play well."

[bluehenbillk]

Is it just me or is Matthews like that annoying fly at a picnic that just doesn't go away?

[JMU Duke Dog]

How many Towson fans are coming down to Harrisonburg for the game tomorrow?

[griz37]

Is it just me or is Matthews like that annoying fly at a picnic that just doesn't go away?

He wishes his team was I-A so they could go to a bowl? I guess he will be turning in that Championship trophy & will take 2 runner up trophies. 1 from the Massengil Not so Fresh Bowl & the other from the Pace Picante Nacho Bowl. He comes off as such a whiny little snot! If he doesn't like the fact that you have to EARN your way into the post season he should go coach in the MAC or Sun Belt where mediocrity is all takes to make the post season.

[JMU2004]

He wishes his team was I-A so they could go to a bowl? I guess he will be turning in that Championship trophy & will take 2 runner up trophies. 1 from the Massengil Not so Fresh Bowl & the other from the Pace Picante Nacho Bowl. He comes off as such a whiny little snot! If he doesn't like the fact that you have to EARN your way into the post season he should go coach in the MAC or Sun Belt where mediocrity is all takes to make the post season.



Still a little bitter about the ass whooping in Chatty last year???

after the whining and excuses (extra long cleats etc) that Griz fans cooked up after that game, eh....Get em Cats....some of these griz fellows act like the admins of I-AA

[Tribe4SF]

He comes off as such a whiny little snot! .

Mickey's not whiney! He's nuts! They even made up a cheer for him. :D

[JMU Duke Dog]

Mickey's not whiney! He's nuts! They even made up a cheer for him. :D

:lmao:

[JMU Duke Dog]

http://www.dnronline.com/sports_details.php?AID=1661&CHID=3

Seniors Have Their Day
If This Is The End, JMU Wants To End With Victory

By Mike Barber

For 18 seniors, today will almost certainly be their last time playing football for James Madison.

Some of them were part of the core of the Dukes’ 2004 national championship team – like offensive guard Matt Magerko and defensive tackles Frank Cobbs and Demetrius Shambley.

But the year that belongs to them – 2005 – didn’t play out the way they would have liked.

Even with a victory in today’s regular-season finale at 1:30 p.m. at Bridgeforth Stadium against Towson, it’s unlikely this year’s Dukes will be playing in the postseason. JMU’s seniors say they can’t control that. What they can control is how they go out.

"That puts a little pressure on us," Magerko said Friday before the team’s afternoon walk-through at Bridgeforth. "We’d like to at least go out and at least have a shot with the committee, make it hard for them by being 7-4."

Magerko, generously listed at 6-foot, 300-pounds, moved to the offensive line from defense during the Dukes’ disastrous 2002 season. The former state champion wrestler from Farnham infused the offensive line with such toughness that JMU coach Mickey Matthews has often listed the move as one of his best coaching decisions at Madison.

It’s hard to argue considering Magerko, who was an All-American last year, has had an even better season in 2005. The Dukes, however, have not. After going 13-2 and winning the school’s first national championship in any men’s sport, JMU suffered disappointing losses to Coastal Carolina, Delaware and Richmond and a tough 10-7 road loss at Massachusetts. At 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the Atlantic 10, it’s a long shot to receive an at-large playoff berth.

A victory over surprising Towson would keep their ever-so-slight playoff hopes alive, though a win over Division II Lock Haven might be frowned upon by the Division I-AA football selection committee. The brackets for the postseason will be announced live on ESPNEWS at 1 p.m. Sunday.

"If you go the national championship again, that’s the only way you can live up to what you did last year," senior tackle Harry Dunn said. "Everyone thinks you’re supposed to repeat but it’s very difficult to get there."

What if the Dukes finish 7-4 but aren’t invited back to the playoffs?

"It’s satisfying but is not where I wanted to be," Dunn said. "I want to be back in Chattanooga. Hopefully we’ll get a chance. Hopefully."

Either way, Dunn and Magerko both said they can take pride in helping turn around a floundering football program at JMU.

"It definitely feels good to know that our class was part of something here," Magerko said. "Turning around from when I got here, we were 2-9, 5-7. Then we were 6-6 and the past two seasons have been winning seasons."

Said Dunn, "It’s definitely rewarding to see it go form the first year 2-9 to last year 13-2. And it makes you feel good that you had a part do with it. That it totally transformed while you were here."

It’s the same kind of transformation Gordie Combs is trying to lead at Towson. Last year, Towson debuted in the Atlantic 10, perhaps I-AA’s toughest conference, with a 3-8 overall record including an 0-8 mark in league play.

Year 2? What a difference. Towson comes into today’s game at 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the league, with an impressive win over a Delaware team that beat JMU this season. The Tigers also come into the game having the Dukes’ full attention.

"Last year, they brought it," Dunn said. "They wanted to play. They wanted to beat the guys who were going to the playoffs. We realize we can’t take these guys lightly."

Towson played JMU tough last year, finally falling 31-17 in suburban Baltimore. The Dukes rested a number of key players in that game, a luxury Combs knows he won’t be afforded this time around.

"I think we played hard," Combs said Friday. "That was our last game. They rested a couple people and I understand that. They won’t be resting anybody today. This time last year they knew they were in the playoffs. This year they still have a chance to get in and I think every consideration will be given to the national champions."

JMU may be playing everyone available to them today, but Towson is also admittedly much improved.

"We’ve come a long way. To be picked sixth in the [Atlantic 10 Southern Division] and we’re at the point where we’re battling for second place in the league."

Perhaps the biggest concern for the Tigers is that they’ll be facing a team highly motivated to play well and win decisively. Senior Day, combined with the playoff implications mean this year, Towson should get JMU’s best shot.

"It’s a huge thing," Combs said of the extras surrounding today’s meeting. "Any time you have a group of seniors like they have that have contributed so much and won a national championship, it’s a very emotional situation."

[Mr. C]

These JMU players are living on Fantasy Island. They have NO shot at the playoffs (so says someone on the committee) and the only way they get to Chattanooga is if they buy a ticket.

[Chi Panther]

I think they need to stay optimistic.....play hard.....and give the committee reason to think.

Sure the committee won't be thinking JMU.....but they will have a hard time not thinking about Ill St and EWU....

Hampton is undefeated....but has played nobody....that auto-bid is silly for the MEAC.....Atleast coastal has played QUALITY teams outside of their conf.

[JMU Duke Dog]

JMU beats Towson!

Final Score:
James Madison 55
Towson 14

[JMU2004]

this one was over in the first quarter


a great effort, but too little too late

[JMU Duke Dog]

JMU took care of business today and hopefully the score will get the attention of the selection committee. I know it is a long shot but people need to carefully evaluate everyone and not throw a particular team out due to their own personal bias.

[JMU Duke Dog]

This game was JMU's most complete game of the season. One can only imagine if the Dukes had played like this all season long. Anyways, here are some stats from today:

1st 07:38 JMU Maurice Fenner 3 yd run (Paul Wantuck kick) 12 plays, 59 yards, TOP 5:46 0 7
04:02 JMU Maurice Fenner 45 yd run (Paul Wantuck kick) 2 plays, 62 yards, TOP 0:16 0 14
02:31 JMU Clint Kent 34 yd interception return (Paul Wantuck kick) 0 21
2nd 11:40 JMU Tony LeZotte 100 yd interception return (Paul Wantuck kick) 0 28
08:56 TOWSON Marcus Lee 19 yd pass from Sean Schaefer (Ron Halbruner kick) 9 plays, 53 yards, TOP 2:44 7 28
03:54 JMU Casime Harris 5 yd pass from Justin Rascati (Paul Wantuck kick) 11 plays, 80 yards, TOP 5:02 7 35
01:11 JMU Raymond Hines 13 yd run (Paul Wantuck kick) 4 plays, 38 yards, TOP 1:23 7 42
00:09 JMU Paul Wantuck 21 yd field goal 7 plays, 34 yards, TOP 1:02 7 45
3rd 10:38 JMU Raymond Hines 1 yd run (Paul Wantuck kick) 3 plays, 7 yards, TOP 1:32 7 52
03:27 TOWSON Andrae Brown 1 yd pass from Sean Schaefer (Ron Halbruner kick) 13 plays, 63 yards, TOP 7:11 14 52
4th 11:05 JMU Paul Wantuck 31 yd field goal 14 plays, 62 yards, TOP 7:22 14 55


Q JMU TU
1 21 0
2 24 7
3 7 7
4 3 0
F 55 14

Passing
Justin Rascati 11 of 15 for 91 yards and a TD

Rushing
Maurice Fenner 95 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries
Raymond Hines 67 yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 carries
Justin Rascati 65 yards on 8 carries
Alvin Banks 54 yards on 6 carries

Tony LeZotte set a JMU school record with a 100 yard interception return

[JMU Duke Dog]

http://www.jmusports.com/Team/Stories/2_3537.asp?TeamID=2&NewsID=3537

HARRISONBURG, Va. (11/19/05) – Senior cornerback Clint Kent (Macon, Ga./Westside) and sophomore free safety Tony LeZotte (Augusta, Ga./Westside) put their names in the interceptions portion of the James Madison record book as the Dukes closed the regular season Saturday with a 55-14 Atlantic 10 Football Conference victory over Towson.

Both returned their interceptions for touchdowns – the first time in team history the Dukes have had two interception returns for scores in a game – and their efforts allowed JMU to break the game open midway through the first half.

The victory was JMU’s third straight and raised the Dukes’ overall record to 7-4 and their Atlantic 10 mark to 5-3. Towson finished 6-5 overall and 3-5 in the Atlantic 10.

The Dukes led 14-0 on touchdown run of three and 45 yards by junior tailback Maurice Fenner (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside) when Kent and LeZotte scored on interception returns on consecutive Towson series to give JMU a 28-0 advantage 11:40 before halftime.

Kent intercepted Towson red-shirt freshman quarterback Sean Schaefer and scored from 34 yards with 2:31 left in the opening quarter for a 21-0 Dukes lead. The visiting Tigers then drove 72 yards in 13 plays to the JMU 10 before LeZotte’s interception and 100-yard return raised the JMU margin to 28-0.

Kent’s interception was the 13th of his career and moved him into a tie for first on JMU’s all-time interceptions list with Bob Logan (1975-78). Kent holds the team’s Division I record for interceptions.

LeZotte’s return was the longest for a touchdown in JMU’s 34-year football history. Mike Masella (1995-98) had a 100-yard interception return for a defensive two-point conversion for the Dukes in 1998 against Villanova.

JMU hadn’t had two defensive touchdowns in a game since scoring on interception and fumble returns in a 39-7 home win over Virginia Military in 1986.

JMU went on to lead 45-7 at halftime and 52-14 after three periods. The Dukes scored touchdowns the first six times they had the ball (including the two interception returns), and they punted only once. JMU finished with 390 yards of total offense (294 rushing, 96 passing) and Towson with 265 yards (89 rushing, 176 passing). The Tigers entered the game averaging 420 yards per game.

The Dukes scored on drives of 59 and 62 yards on their first two possessions and after the interception returns for touchdowns got a five-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Justin Rascati (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) to senior tight end Casime Harris (Wilmington, Del./McKean), a 13-yard touchdown run from senior tailback Raymond Hines (Hyattsville, Md./High Point) and a 21-yard field goal by senior Paul Wantuck (Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park) during the second quarter.

The Dukes went 80 yards in 11 plays for Harris’ touchdown, moved 38 yards in four plays for Hines’ score after LeZotte returned a punt 38 yards, and got Wantuck’s field goal after Towson fumbled the next kickoff.

Hines had a one-yard scoring run with 10:38 left in the third quarter after junior linebacker Akeem Jordan (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) intercepted a deflected Towson pass and returned it three yards to the Tiger seven, and Wantuck kicked a 31-yard, fourth-quarter field goal.

Fenner ran 16 times for 95 yards and two scores, Hines 14 times for 67 yards and two touchdowns, Rascati eight times for 65 yards, and junior tailback Alvin Banks (Hampton, Va./Hampton) six times for 54 yards. Banks played only during the first quarter because of an injury, and he raised his season rushing yards total to 940.

Rascati hit on 11 of 15 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown and wasn’t intercepted. He improved his season passing percentage mark to 69.6 percent and his passing efficiency rating to 165.6, both figures that are better than Dukes’ season records (65.4 percent by Rascati in 2004 and a rating of 164.8 by Eriq Williams (1989-92) in 1991.

Sophomore linebacker Justin Barnes (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) was JMU’s top tackler with 12.

Schaeffer threw touchdown passes of 19 yards to Marcus Lee during the second quarter and one yard to Andrae Brown during the third quarter. The scoring drives covered 53 and 63 yards, respectively.

[TigerFan17]

I was there...it was ugly. Just got back.

As a side note, had a fantastic experience. Beautiful campus and great stadium!

[JMUfan2008]

I was there...it was ugly. Just got back.

As a side note, had a fantastic experience. Beautiful campus and great stadium!

glad you could make it. i was kinda disappointed in us for running the score up in the first half, but we had to give the selection committee something to think about for at least an extra second or two ;) Also, some people have had bad experiences with our sometimes unruly crowd, so its nice to hear someone say they liked it. I was also glad to see a good representation from Towson, you all were pretty loud at some points, made the game a little more interesting (especially the guy in the red #88 jersey)

[JMU Duke Dog]

Here is an article from Richmond Times-Dispatch's Sunday newspaper about yesterday's game:
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768262106&path=%21sports%21colleges&s=1045855934926

JMU rolls . . . and now waits for word
Impressive victory over Towson may not be enough to earn bid

By Vic Dorr Jr.

HARRISONBURG - Did James Madison's Dukes deliver their most compelling argument when no one was listening?

Quite possibly.

JMU, the reigning champion of I-AA football, mauled Atlantic 10 rival Towson 55-14 yesterday in a game the Dukes needed to not merely win, but win impressively, to have even a remote chance of gaining admission to the 2005 playoff field.

The Dukes (5-3, 7-4) did their part. Aggressive and assertive on both sides of the line of scrimmage, they led 21-0 after one period and 45-7 after two.

"I have to think we got [the selection committee's] attention," JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. "That was our goal: Get their attention . . . show them that we're ready for the [16-team Division I-AA] tournament."

Ready? Yes. Deserving? Perhaps not. The Dukes' ledger includes four losses and only six victories over I-AA opponents - credentials that likely will leave the defending champions on the outside looking in when the selection committee distributes its eight at-large invitations this afternoon.

Still, JMU's players and coaches clung defiantly to hope in the aftermath of yesterday's landslide victory.

"Playing the way we did and winning the way we did gives us a chance, at least," defensive tackle Frank Cobbs said. "If we'd come out and played this way in every game this year, we'd probably be undefeated right now."

JMU has won three in a row and bears few similarities to the club that lost three consecutive games, by a combined margin of 12 points, in October.

Quarterback Justin Rascati said, "I definitely feel, right now, that we're one of the 16 best teams in the country - even if our record doesn't show it."

That refrain was repeated frequently. Matthews said he has implored the selection committee "to please, just pick the top eight at-large teams in the country. If you think we're one of those teams right now, then yes, pick us. If you think we're not, then don't."

The Dukes pounded Towson (3-5, 6-5) with a ground game that chewed up 294 yards and produced four touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was a thunderbolt: Maurice Fenner's 45-yard sprint around the right side for a 14-0 lead with 4:02 remaining in the opening period.

Towson coach Gordy Combs said the Dukes' November resurgence is tied, in large measure, to their recommitment to this most fundamental form of offense.

"They seem to have realized that that's their strength: running the football," Combs said. "Personally, I was hoping they wouldn't figure it out until after today."

JMU's defenders helped push the numbers on the Dukes' side of scoreboard into basketball territory. Cornerback Clint Kent returned Sean Schaefer's poorly-thrown pass 34 yards for a touchdown late in the first period. That theft, the 13th of Kent's career, tied a JMU Division I-era record.

Free safety Tony LeZotte returned another interception 100 yards for a score early in the second period. LeZotte's runback was the longest such play in JMU history.

The Dukes' effort was undeniably good. But was it good enough?

"We can't worry about it," Rascati said. "We did all we could. All we can do now is just sit back and wait to see what happens."

[ChickenMan]

Matthews along with a few JMU fans needs to quit chasing ghosts... JMU has ZERO chance on being in the playoffs. A 7-4 mark... with only six D1 wins won't get you... even if you're the defending champ... a sniff. The party's over... JMU can turn out the lights...

[JMU Duke Dog]

Okay well here is a highlight video of yesterday's Towson at JMU game.
http://www.jmusports.com/include/AdCode/abmc.asp?b=105&z=20

Good luck to all those who made the playoffs especially the A10 teams! New Hampshire versus Richmond 2005 national championship game in Chattanooga!