JMU Heads to UAlbany For CAA Road Matchup, Oct. 4

10/1/2014 10:38:00 PM | Football

Dukes Take The First of Two Trips to New York: James Madison heads on the road for the first of two trips to the state of New York, playing tonight at UAlbany. The Dukes will also head back to the state for a contest at Stony Brook, Nov. 8.

The Coaches: James Madison Head Coach Everett Withers (Appalachian State, '86) is in his first season at JMU with a 2-3 mark and second as a head coach overall with a 9-9 record.
      UAlbany Head Coach Gregg Gattuso (Penn State, '83) is in his first season with the Great Danes with a 4-0 mark and 13th as a head coach overall, sporting a 101-32 record.

History With UAlbany: This will be the just the second time that the Dukes and Great Danes have met on the football field. JMU won the initial contest last year, 40-13 at Bridgeforth Stadium, as UAlbany was a newcomer to the CAA for the 2013 season.
vs. UAlbany
JMU leads 1-0
(Home: 1-0)
Date          Location       W/L       Score
10/5/2013 Home            W         40-13

Road Challenges: JMU will find the challenges on the road, playing seven of its 12 regular season contests away from home. The Dukes opened the season with back-to-back road contests at Maryland and the second week's game at Lehigh, which was receiving votes in both major Football Championship Subdivision polls. CAA road opponents Villanova (#7/8) , UAlbany (#23) and Richmond (#20/21) continue to make the road challenging throughout the season. Of the seven opponents this year, six of them won at least five games last year and had a combined 22-18 mark at their home fields in 2013. Currently, the Dukes are 1-2 on the road in 2014.

Moving the Ball Quickly For Points: The Dukes like to get a rhythm going offensively, and, when they do, the drives are quick and to the point. Of the 20 JMU scoring drives in the first five games, 12 of them have been less than two minutes in length yet 17 of them have been 50 yards or more. The longest drive in terms of time and plays this season was a 19-play, 75-yard march over 7:29 against Delaware, Sept. 27. Included in the eight beyond two minutes are the two longest drives of the year (98 and 99 yards), both ending in touchdowns.

Overtime Wasn't the Right Time: Madison went to overtime for just the 13th time in school history against Delaware, Sept. 27, and came out on the losing end of the 30-23 decision. Below are all the overtime games in JMU history.
JMU's Overtime Games (6-7)
Date               Result
11/30/91     JMU 42, Delaware 35 (2 ot) (A) (NCAA)
11/19/94     Northeastern 9, JMU 6 (H)
12/3/94        Marshall 28, JMU 21 (A) (NCAA)
9/23/95        JMU 28, Villanova 27 (A)
11/15/97     JMU 39, URI 37 (3 ot) (H)
10/6/01        Villanova 45, JMU 44 (2 ot), (A)
9/21/02        JMU 24, Hofstra 21 (2 ot) (A)
11/16/02     JMU 34, William & Mary 31 (H)
9/12/09        Maryland 38, JMU 35 (A)
11/6/10        Richmond, 13, JMU 10 (A)
10/8/11        Maine 25, JMU 24 (H)
10/13/12     JMU 27, William & Mary 26 (2 ot) (H)
9/27/14        Delaware 30, JMU 23 (H)
Can It BE Any Tougher?: JMU sports one of the toughest schedules in FCS football, with five opponents currently ranked in the top 25 of at least one poll and two others among the receiving votes in each.

Last 10 Years Versus the CAA: For the last 10 seasons (starting in 2004), James Madison has been among the top CAA teams. During that time span, the Dukes have put together a 53-29 conference mark and trail only New Hampshire. Overall JMU is 82-42 in that span, surpassed only by New Hampshire's 94-37 mark. Additionally, Madison is the only school in this group to have at least a .500 overall record in each of the past 11 seasons back through the 2003 campaign.
CAA Records 2004-Pres.      Conf.          Overall
New Hampshire                         58-23            94-37
James Madison                         53-29            82-42
Villanova                                        47-34            74-51
Richmond                                      46-35            76-48
Maine                                              44-38            62-56
Delaware                                       42-39            73-50
William & Mary                            40-42            64-55
Towson                                           31-51            56-62
Rhode Island                                 17-64            30-82
NOTE: During this time period until the 2010 season, CAA teams each season played five other teams in their division and three of the six teams in the other division for an eight-game league slate. With the dropping of football by two CAA schools prior to 2010, the league eliminated the divisions and used one set of standings. After the 2011 season, Massachusetts moved up to the FBS level.
All-Time JMU vs. CAA Teams
(* Former league teams, Includes when not CAA members)
                                                         JMU            Last
Opponent                              Overall         Met
Albany                                           1-0            2013
Boston University*                 5-1-0          1997
Connecticut*                            4-1-0          1999
Delaware                                  8-14-0         2014
Georgia State*                         1-0-0          2012
Hofstra*                                       6-3-0          2009
Maine                                         11-5-0         2012
Massachusetts*                       7-8-1          2011
New Hampshire                      7-8-0          2013
Northeastern*                         12-8-0         2007
Old Dominion*                        0-2-0          2012
Rhode Island                             8-3-0          2012
Richmond                                14-17-0        2013
Stony Brook                               0-1-0          2013
Towson                                      18-6-1         2013
Villanova                                  12-11-0        2014
William & Mary                     20-17-0        2013
Totals                                    134-101-2    (.560)

Second Half Adjustments Paying Off in Wins: Madison has made its second half adjustments pay off in its two wins this year. JMU has outrushed its opponents by more than 80 yards in the second half of each of the victories while gaining an average of 8.31 yards per carry as compared to 4.33 for its foes. It has also punched the ball into the end zone five times in the two contests, with opponents putting up six just twice in that final 30 minutes.

Lee Setting Records Through the Air: Redshirt-junior quarterback Vad Lee had a record-setting passing day at Villanova, Sept. 20. In the game against the No. 8 Wildcats, Lee set a school single-game record with 406 passing yards, surpassing the previous mark of 388 set by Greg Maddox against Hofstra on Sept. 12, 1998. Redshirt-junior tight end Deane Cheatham was one of the key recipients, as Cheatham had his first career 100-yard receiving game with six catches for 109 yards and one touchdown.

Special Teams Making Big Plays: JMU's special teams have been making plays this year. After no blocked kicks in 2013, this year's team has already gotten to three kicks in the first five games. Freshman defensive back Jimmy Moreland blocked a potential game-tying field goal at Lehigh. Redshirt-junior defensive lineman Xavier Gates got his hand on a field goal attempt against Saint Francis and redshirt-junior linebacker Marzae Brooks got a piece of a punt at Villanova.

Spreading the Ball Around: With JMU's passing game continuing to develop, the team is showing that it has a variety of weapons and options. Through four games, 14 different players have had receptions, with eight of them with four catches or more. Redshirt-senior wide receiver Daniel Brown leads with 18 catches for 239 yards and three touchdowns.

Moreland Turning The Ball to the Dukes' Favor: Freshman defensive back Jimmy Moreland has made getting the ball for JMU an "every-game" occasion so far this season. Moreland has created at least one turnover for JMU in four of the five games, starting with an interception at Maryland, the blocked game-tying field goal attempt at Lehigh, an interception returned for a touchdown and a fumble recovery against Saint Francis and a fumble recovery at Villanova.

Last Meeting - JMU Dominates In Win: No. 21 James Madison took control against UAlbany with 20 unanswered points in the first half en route to a 40-13 win in the Dukes' second conference game of the 2013 season.
        Redshirt-junior Daniel Brown had a big receiving game, earning 86 yards and tying the school's record for single-game touchdown receptions with three against the Great Danes. Redshirt-senior Dae'Quan Scott broke the all-time career scoring record at JMU with 240 points, surpassing David Rabil's (2003-06) 231 points.
        Redshirt-freshman Gage Steele played tough for the Dukes on the defensive side of the ball with 18 tackles, 13 of which were unassisted. His 18 tackles were the most for a JMU player since 2007, and he posted the program's third game of 13 solo stops dating back to 1999. He also tallied a sack on Albany's quarterback, junior Will Fiacchi, for a loss of two yards in the first quarter. (Complete recap on page 22.)

Last Time Out - Dukes Drop Overtime Heartbreaker to Delaware: The James Madison football team scored 17 points in the final 5:15 of regulation but saw its comeback attempt fall just inches short, dropping a 30-23 overtime heartbreaker to No. 25 Delaware, Sept. 27.
        The last 5:15 of the game featured 24 points, 17 of them by the Dukes, sending the game into overtime.
        The Dukes won the toss and deferred, putting Delaware on offense to start. Using Wes Hills' ground attack for the first three plays to get to the JMU 4, Hurley again found Harrison, this time from four yards out, and the visitors were back on top 30-23.
        After a pair of incompletions forced third down, redshirt-junior quarterback Vad Lee found redshirt-junior tight end Deane Cheatham for 16 yards to put the Dukes at the 9-yard line. Three carries later, the Dukes were on the doorstep at the UD 1, but the final carry on a pitch to freshman Taylor Woods came up just inches short of the goal line, as confirmed by television replay, to end the game. (Complete recap on page 23.)

Replay Experiment In the CAA This Year: The Colonial Athletic Association is conducting experiments with officials replay during the 2014 season across the league. The CAA is conducting one replay game per school site this season, with JMU having had its game already in the home conteest against Delaware, Sept. 27.

Newcomers Making an Impact: Looking at the two-deep for James Madison in the 2014 season, there are a lot of new faces for the Dukes and first-year Head Coach Everett Withers.             Through five games, four new FBS transfers and a combined total of 20 redshirt freshmen and freshmen have seen action for the Dukes as compared to 16 freshmen playing in all of the 2013 season.
FBS Transfers to JMU on Two-Deep (including former school and year)
Offense:       2     Vad Lee - Georgia Tech (2014)
                        6     Sean Tapley - North Carolina (2014)
                        13 Ishmael Hyman - Kansas (2014)
                        30 Alden Hill - Tennessee (2014)
                        61 A.J. Bolden - Toledo (2014)
                        69 Nick Appel - North Carolina (2014)
                        77 Austin Lane - Syracuse (2011)
Defense:      1     Titus Till - Maryland (2012)
                        21 Jeremiah Wilson - Maryland (2012)
                        95 Xavier Gates - Kansas State (2014)

Redshirt Freshmen (10)
No.     Player                                           Yr.        Pos.    Ht.   Wt.
   12     Blaine Stewart                         R-Fr.        WR     6-1   205
   13     Ishmael Hyman                       R-Fr.        WR     6-0   185
   29     Kyre Hawkins                           R-Fr.         LB      6-0   220
   44     Jordan Brown                           R-Fr.          S        6-2   190
   61     A.J. Bolden                                 R-Fr.        OL      6-3   305
   65     Evans Osuji                                R-Fr.        DL      6-3   270
   70     Aaron Stinnie                           R-Fr.        DL      6-3 273
   74     Simeyon Robinson                R-Fr.        DL      6-1 275
   84     Brandon Brown                        R-Fr.         TE       6-3   260
   93     Andrew Ankrah                       R-Fr.         LB      6-4   234
True Freshmen (10)
No.     Player                                           Yr.        Pos.    Ht.   Wt.
   17     Bryan Schor                                 Fr.          QB      6-2   213
   17    Jimmy Moreland                      Fr.          CB     5-10 175
   20     Taylor Woods                              Fr.           TB      5-9   190
   28     John Miller                                  Fr.           TB     5-10 180
   34     Justin Bethea                              Fr.          CB     5-10 165
   35     Marcell Johnson                        Fr.            S        6-2   193
   41     Aaron Peak                                  Fr.          CB      5-9   198
   46     David Ezeagwu                          Fr.           LB      6-3   225
   91     Jonathan Kloosterman           Fr.           TE       6-3   241
   94     Cornell Urquhart                       Fr.          DL      6-4   255

A New But Not Inexperienced Signal Caller: For the third time in three years, the Dukes entered the season with a new quarterback leading the charge, but this one has a strong base of experience to count on. Redshirt-junior Vad Lee transferred to JMU in the spring and went through both spring and fall drills to earn the starting job here. For the past two years, he had been the man under center at Georgia Tech.
      In the 2014 season opener at Maryland, Lee was 16-for-37 for 141 yards and two interceptions through the air and rushed eight times for 27 yards. Lee improved against Lehigh, going 20-for-37 for 284 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers in leading the Dukes to the late road victory. Lee accounted for more than 300 yards of total offense in the win over Saint Francis, as the Durham, N.C., native ran for a career-best 174 yards and one touchdown and threw for 147 yards and two scores. His collegiate career-best rushing total was more than 60 yards better than his previous high total. Recently, Lee threw for a school-record 406 yards and three touchdowns at Villanova, Sept. 20.
      Lee currently ranks fifth in the CAA in rushing at 85.4 yards per game, fourth in passing average at 246.0 yards per game and second in total offense at 331.4 yards per game.

The Ground Pounding Gets the Job Done: Madison has been effective in its rushing attack in the two wins against Lehigh and Saint Francis. In each, the Dukes amassed more than 300 yards of rushing, making it the first time since the 2008 season that JMU has had back-to-back games with more than 300 rushing yards. At the end of the 2008 regular season and into the first game of the playoffs, the program had four consecutive 300-yard games on the ground, led by a 440-yard, seven-touchdown effort against Towson on Nov. 22, 2008.
        On an individual basis, the Dukes have had three 100-yard rushers, including a pair in the win over Saint Francis. Against Lehigh, freshman John Miller had 106 yards and one score on 16 carries. Then versus the Red Flash, redshirt-junior quarterback Vad Lee had a career-high 174 yards and one score, while redshirt-senior running back Jauan Latney had 106 yards and one touchdown. It was the first time JMU has had two 100-yard rushers in a single game since running back Dae'Quan Scott and quarterback Justin Thorpe accomplished the feat at Maine, Nov. 3, 2012.

Oh Captains, My Captains: This season, JMU has elected three permanent captains in senior linebacker/defensive end Sage Harold, senior safety Dean Marlowe and redshirt-junior quarterback Vad Lee. The fourth captain for each game will be determined before the contest.

Withers Takes the Reins: Head Coach Everett Withers has taken over the leadership of the JMU football program for the 2014 season. Withers is just the sixth head coach in the program's 42-year history.
JMU Coaching History
Challace McMillin (1972-84)
Joe Purzycki (1985-90)
Rip Scherer (1991-94)
Alex Wood (1995-98)
Mickey Matthews (1999-2013)
Everett Withers (2014)

Harold Earns First CAA Weekly Award: James Madison defensive lineman Sage Harold was named the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Sept. 15. It was the first weekly award of Harold's career and the third earned by a JMU player this season.
        Harold was a standout in the home win over Saint Francis, recording a career-high 10 tackles, including seven solos, and tying for JMU team-high honors in the contest. He also added one sack, one tackle-for-loss, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in the 38-22 victory.

Calling Long Distance: In Sept. 6's thrilling win at Lehigh, the Dukes put together a pair of extremely long drives. On the second scoring drive of the final half, Madison marched 99 yards in nine plays to tie a school-record long drive. Then on the eventual game-winning possession, JMU used 11 plays to go 98 yards, capped off by redshirt-senior running back Jauan Latney's six-yard run. In all, all five Dukes' scoring drives were 65 yards or more, with four of them eight plays or more.

Marlowe Preseason Honors: Senior safety Dean Marlowe is one of the top returning players for the Dukes, having earned Second Team All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) honors last season as a safety and third team honors as a punt returner. Selected as an All-CAA safety in each of his first three years, Marlowe recorded 77 total tackles, including 37 solo stops, one interception and eight passes defended last season. He ranked 12th among league defensive backs with 6.4 tackles per game, including a career-high 13 against Stony Brook, and was named to The Sports Network Preseason All-America Third Team earlier this summer.
        In 2012, Marlowe earned First Team All-CAA honors as the only sophomore on the CAA defensive first team and was selected as First Team All-State by both the Roanoke Times and Virginia Sports Information Directors Association. As a sophomore, Marlowe recorded 82 tackles on the year including 44 solos, 5.0 for loss, seven passes defended, a team-high tying three interceptions, one forced fumble and one safety.
        This year, Marlowe currently has 31 tackles (21 solo) on the season with three pass breakups and 2.0 tackles for loss.

Putting Together Offense at Lehigh: JMU had some dynamic play at times on the offensive side of the ball against the Mountain Hawks, Sept. 6. The Dukes put together 322 yards of rushing (averaging 7.5 yards per carry) while connecting on 284 yards of passing (7.7 yards per attempt) to total 606 yards of total offense.
        The 322 yards of rushing for JMU was the most since the 2012 season opener when it racked up 377 yards and five touchdowns against Saint Francis. That game was also the last time that Madison had 600-plus yards of total offense, finishing with 602. The total was also the most since the 2004 regular-season starter against Lock Haven on Sept. 4, when the Dukes amassed 609 yards of total offense.
        Individually, freshman running back John Miller had his first career 100-yard game with 106 yards and one score on 16 carries. Through the air, redshirt-junior Vad Lee had 284 yards passing and two scores, with 123 of those and both touchdowns going to sophomore Rashard Davis, a career-high for the wide receiver.

Pair Earn CAA Weekly Honors For Lehigh Win: JMU picked up its first two weekly honors from the CAA following the Lehigh victory, as freshman defensive back Jimmy Moreland was named Special Teams Player of the Week and freshman running back John Miller earned Rookie of the Week, Sept. 8.
        In his second collegiate game, Moreland came around the right side of the Lehigh defense and blocked a game-tying 27-yard field goal attempt to preserve JMU's 31-28 victory at Lehigh. It was the first blocked kick for the Dukes since the 2012 season. In addition, Moreland recorded eight tackles on the day, with all eight of them solos.
        Miller came off the bench and gave JMU a spark in its battle at Lehigh. The freshman had 16 carries for a game-high 106 yards and one score, part of a 322-yard rushing effort for the Dukes in the come-from-behind win. Miller's 9-yard touchdown run came less than three minutes into the second half, sparking Madison to 21 points in the final two quarters for the win. He only had one carry for a 1-yard loss, while Miller's season-best 36-yard scamper put the Dukes at the Lehigh 28, setting up their final and eventual game-winning score.

JMU Football History: The 2014 season is JMU's 43rd season of football, its 41st varsity football season, its 36th season with football scholarship players and its 35th season competing at what is now the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, formerly Division I-AA.
        JMU began football in 1972, moved to a recognized varsity schedule in 1974, first awarded scholarships for the 1979 season and moved to Division I-AA in 1980. JMU moved from Division III to Division II in 1979 and to then-Division I-AA for the 1980 season.
        JMU's top seasons in addition to winning the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA championship (13-2) have been in 2008 when the Dukes reached the FCS semifinals as the playoffs' top-seeded team and compiled a 12-2 record, 2007 (8-4, NCAA playoffs), 2006 (9-3, NCAA playoffs), 1999 (8-4, NCAA playoffs), 1995 (8-4, NCAA playoffs), 1994 (10-3, NCAA playoffs, second round), 1991 (9-4, NCAA playoffs, second round), 1987 (9-3, NCAA playoffs), 1982 (8-3), 1978 (8-2, No. 9, Division III), and 1975 (9-0-1, College Division).

Dukes in the Show: JMU is well represented in the NFL on the 2014 rosters entering the season. The Dukes had four former players on the opening day 53-man rosters for their respective teams. Linebacker Akeem Jordan spent his first six years in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, spent last year with the Kansas City Chiefs and is now a backup at middle linebacker with the Washington Redskins. Starting his fifth season in the NFL is former defensive end turned linebacker Arthur Moats (Pittsburgh Steelers), who is listed as the backup at both outside linebacker slots. Additionally, second-year offensive lineman Earl Watford is backup at right guard with the Arizona Cardinals. From last year's squad, offensive tackle Josh Wells recently made the 53-man roster with the Jacksonville Jaguars while defensive lineman Jordan Stanton is on the practice squad with the New York Giants.

Dukes Historically in the NFL: In addition to the former Dukes currently active with professional football organizations, JMU's leading all-time performers include several other players who have enjoyed success in the NFL - placekicker Scott Norwood (1978-81), wide receiver Gary Clark (1980-83), defensive end Charles Haley (1982-85), linebacker Dion Foxx (1990-93), wide receiver Macey Brooks (1993-96), running back Curtis Keaton (1998-99), tight end Ed Perry (1993-96) and return specialist Delvin Joyce (1997-2000).
        Norwood received All-Pro honors as a placekicker with the Buffalo Bills. Clark was All-Pro with the Washington Redskins and a member of two Super Bowl title teams and later played with the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins. He was selected in the first round of the first United States Football League draft in 1984.
        Haley was the first player to be a member of five Super Bowl title teams while playing with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first Duke to be a first-team Division I-AA All-America and the first Duke chosen in the NFL draft (San Francisco, 1986, fourth round). He is JMU's career tackles leader.
        Foxx played with the Miami Dolphins. Brooks was with the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.
        Keaton was with the Cincinnati Bengals and New Orleans Saints after being the 1999 Atlantic 10 offensive player of the year when he ran for 1,719 yards and 20 touchdowns.
        Perry was a tight end and long snapper with the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs after being Miami's sixth-round 1997 draft pick and first-team All-Yankee Football Conference during each of his final three collegiate seasons.
        Joyce was a return specialist for the New York Giants and New York Jets. He ended his career at JMU as the only player in Division I-AA history with 1,000 yards in each of the career statistical categories of rushing, receiving, punt returns and kickoff returns and as the all-time Division I-AA leader in punt return yards and combined kick return yards. He holds many of JMU's career kick return marks and is the program's all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 5,659.
    Two other former Dukes saw extensive time during the 2007 preseason with NFL teams, including tailback Alvin Banks (2003-06) with the New York Jets and offensive lineman Corey Davis (2003-06) with the Buffalo Bills. Justin Rascati, JMU's starting quarterback from 2004-06, briefly was with the Chicago Bears. Former tight end Mike Caussin spent time with Buffalo Bills (active) and Jacksonville Jaguars (practice squad) last season.