#17 JMU Wraps Up Regular Season Against Elon on Senior Day Nov. 22

2014 JMU Football Seniors

#17 JMU Wraps Up Regular Season Against Elon on Senior Day Nov. 22

11/20/2014 2:28:00 PM | Football

Madison Wraps Up Regular Season Against Elon: James Madison returns home to conclude the 2014 regular season, hosting the Elon Phoenix. The Dukes are currently on a six-game winning streak, the longest for the program since 2008 and currently is tied for the seventh longest active streak in FCS football.

The Coaches: James Madison Head Coach Everett Withers (Appalachian State, '86) is in his first season at JMU with an 8-3 mark and second as a head coach overall with a 15-9 record.
      Elon Head Coach Rich Skrosky (Ramapo College, '87) is in his first year at Elon with a 1-10 record and second as a head coach overall, sporting a 2-18 mark.

History With Elon: This will be just the third time that the Dukes and Phoenix have met on the football field, with JMU having won the two previous meetings, both at Bridgeforth Stadium. The most recent was in 2001, with Madison having won 42-21. However, this will be the first one as a conference game, with Elon having joined the CAA this year.

vs. Elon
JMU leads 2-0
(Home 2-0)
Date          Location       W/L       Score
9/26/98       Home             W          19-12
9/1/01          Home             W          42-21
                       Totals                           61-31

Surging In the Polls: After entering The Sports Network's Top 25 Poll at No. 25 last week, the Dukes jumped eight spots to No. 17 after last Saturday's 55-20 victory at Richmond. In the FCS Coaches' Poll, Madison had moved up six places the week before after the win at Stony Brook to the equivalent of No. 31 and leaped nine spots to No. 22 for its first appearance in the top 25.
Can It BE Any Tougher?: JMU sports one of the toughest schedules in FCS football, with three opponents currently ranked in the top 25 of at least one poll and one other receiving votes in each. JMU played four consecutive weeks against a team that was either ranked or receiving votes at the time of the game, going 2-2 in that stretch. The Dukes are now 4-2 versus ranked or receiving votes teams after Nov. 15's 55-20 road win over then-No. 14 Richmond.

What Do These Men Have in Common?: The men are Rip Scherer, Alex Wood, Mickey Matthews -- and the answer is each led the JMU football team to the I-AA/FCS Playoffs in their first year as the leader (Scherer-1991, Wood-1995, Matthews-1999). Current Head Coach Everett Withers has led the Dukes to an 8-3 mark this season and strong consideration for a berth in the playoffs. A victory against Elon would virtually guarantee that place, making Withers the fourth straight coach that has led Madison to a playoff spot in his first year as the head coach.

Road Challenges: JMU has found 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 (#5/6) , UAlbany (then #23) and Richmond (#14) continued 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 5-2 on the road in 2014, with the most recent a 55-20 win at then-No. 14 Richmond.

Lee Added To Payton Watch List: James Madison redshirt-junior quarterback Vad Lee has been added to the 2014 Walter Payton Award Watch List, The Sports Network announced. The 28th annual Payton Award, presented by The Sports Network, will be bestowed upon the outstanding player in the FCS on Dec. 15 at the national awards banquet.
      Starting all 11 games in leading the Dukes to an 8-3 record so far, Lee has paced the JMU offense to 34.9 points per game and a No. 17 ranking in The Sports Network Top 25 Poll. The offense ranks 10th in total offense at 497.5 yards per game and 13th nationally in passing offense at 281.5 yards per contest. The offense and defense have also combined for a +0.91 turnover margin, tied for seventh nationally.
      Individually, he has amassed impressive numbers, leading the Colonial Athletic Association and ranking third in the nation with 346.1 yards of total offense per game. He is also currently first in the league and seventh nationally at 278.7 passing yards per contest and seventh nationally and second in the CAA with 26 passing touchdowns. He has also been solid on the ground, as he is currently eighth in the conference with 67.4 rushing yards per game and seventh with seven rushing touchdowns.
      Looking game-by-game, he has had a school-record five straight games and six overall of 300 or more passing yards, currently totaling 3,066 yards on the season, the first JMU player ever to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a single year. He set a school record with 406 passing yards at Villanova, Sept. 20, and just surpassed it with 433 yards through the air in the resounding 55-20 win at then-No. 14 Richmond this past Saturday. He has also set new single season marks for passing completions (241), attempts (405) and touchdowns (26) while throwing just six interceptions and having no single player ranking among the top-10 in the CAA in receiving yards. On the ground, he has team highs of 741 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 2014. He posted a collegiate career-high 174 rushing yards in the home win over Saint Francis, Sept. 13.

Reynolds Named CAA Defensive Player of the Week: Redshirt-sophomore cornerback Taylor Reynolds has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced earlier this week. This is his first CAA weekly recognition this year and the ninth by a JMU player this season. He also garnered ECAC Defensive Player of the Week and College Football Madness National Defensive Player of the Week accolades for last week's play.
      Reynolds was instrumental in the Dukes' resounding 55-20 thumping of the then-No. 14 Richmond Spiders at Robins Stadium. The cornerback had eight total tackles (seven of them solo) along with two interception returns for touchdowns, two forced fumbles for touchbacks and two additional pass breakups. Reynolds produced the second touchdown for Madison when he intercepted a Michael Strauss pass at the JMU 45 and returned it 55 yards to put JMU up 14-0 midway in the first quarter. Then in the second quarter, he punched out a fumble on a rush that rolled 25 yards into the end zone and was recovered by senior safety Dean Marlowe for the touchback, ending the scoring threat. Early in the third quarter, Richmond was headed to the end zone on a run that Reynolds punched out from behind at the JMU 1 and rolled through the back of the end zone for another touchback. Reynolds then added his second interception of the game later in the third, picking off a pass at the UR 46 and returning it for a school-record second interception return for a touchdown to put the Dukes up 41-20.

Running More Plays Than Ever: This season, the James Madison offense is running up its number of plays on the field. In the overtime loss to Delaware Sept. 27, the Dukes ran 99 plays, which surpassed the school record for plays in a game of 96 at Richmond, Sept. 22, 1990. At Charlotte Oct. 25, JMU ran 95 plays, just one short of the top mark for a regulation game in school history. It was the third time this year that Madison has run more than 90 plays in a game, as there were also 93 plays run on offense at Villanova.
        For the season, JMU set a new single-season play record in just 10 games, now having run 910 plays, breaking the previous mark of 802 set in 1982 and matched in 2002. The team has also set a new single-season offense mark with 5,473 yards, eclipsing the previous record of 4,552 set in 1991.

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 58 JMU scoring drives in the first 11 games, 30 of them have been less than two minutes in length, yet 47 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 nine beyond three minutes are the three longest drives of the year (one 98 and two drives of 99 yards), with all three ending in touchdowns.

Going Long: It has taken some research to confirm, but this season marks the first time that JMU has had two 99-yard drives in a single season, with one at Lehigh and one at UAlbany. Also, the Lehigh game was the first time that the Dukes have had more than one 90-yard touchdown drive in a single game in school history.

Second Half Adjustments Paying Off in Wins: Madison has made its second-half adjustments pay off in its seven wins this year. JMU has outrushed its opponents by an average of 47 yards in the second half of each of the victories while gaining an average of 7.07 yards per carry as compared to 3.92 for its foes. It has also scored 163 points in the final 30 minutes of the eight victories, as compared to the opponents' 75, including shutting out its last two opponents in the second half.

Setting New Offensive Marks: JMU's offense is showing its effectiveness on the field and is closing in on several single-season school records. Below is a chart of the current status, both of teams and individuals, of both broken and approaching school records (all based on regular season totals only).
New Records
Team                                                      Current            Previous Record         Year
Total Yards                                              5,473                          4,552                    1991
Total Plays                                                910                              802                1982, 2002
First Downs                                              274                              237                      1992
Passing Attempts                                  412                              376                      2013
Passing Completions                          244                              229                      2013
Passing Touchdowns                             26                                 23                       2013
Passing Yards                                         3,096                          2,813                    2013
Passing First Downs                             139                              118                      1995

Individual                                             Current            Previous Record         Year
Vad Lee
Passing Attempts                                  405                   376 (Birdsong)           2013
Passing Completions                          241                   227 (Birdsong)           2013
Passing Yardage                                   3,066               2,728 (Birdsong)         2013
Passing Touchdowns                             26                      22 (Birdsong)            2013
Total Offense                                         3,807                3,304 (Landers)          2008
Jimmy Moreland
Interception TDs                                      2                2 (5x incl. Moreland)
Taylor Reynolds
Interception TDs                                      2                2 (5x incl. Reynolds)

Nearing Records
Individual                                             Current                      Record                   Year
Sage Harold
Sacks                                                           10.5                     12 (Morant)              1999

Withers Named As Eddie Robinson Award Finalist: First-year Head Coach Everett Withers has been named one of 20 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, The Sports Network announced Nov. 20. Withers has led the Dukes to an 8-3 mark, including six straight victories. The team enters the Elon game at 5-2 and third place in the CAA after being picked eighth in the preseason poll. A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the Robinson Award, now in its 28th year. The winner will be announced Dec. 15 at The Sports Network FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation.

Going Streaking: Madison is on a hot streak headed towards the end of the regular season, having put together six consecutive wins. The last time the Dukes had six straight wins was in 2008, when the team won 12 in a row and was ranked No. 1 for a majority of the year. JMU has also won five of seven road games one year after going winless in five road games. The last time JMU won that many non-home games in a single season was in 2004, as the team was 8-1 (including playoffs) in road and neutral games en route to the National Championship. The Dukes last had five regular season road victories in 1995 when they went 5-1 and had their only road loss in the opening round of the playoffs at Appalachian State, 31-24.

The Ground Pounding Gets the Job Done: Madison has been effective in its rushing attack in its eight wins this season. In the first two against Lehigh and Saint Francis, 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 five 100-yard rushing games, including a pair in the win over Saint Francis. Against Lehigh, freshman running back John Miller had 106 yards and one score on 16 carries. Versus SFU, 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 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.
        The most recent 100-yard game came from Latney, as he had 104 yards on 13 carries in the win at Stony Brook, Nov. 8.

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.
        That record lasted exactly seven games, as Lee was 27-for-37 for a new record of 433 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 55-20 win over Richmond, Nov. 15, the most points ever scored by the Dukes against the Spiders.

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 11 games, 16 different players have had receptions, with 10 of them having 10 catches or more. Redshirt-junior tight end Deane Cheatham leads with 42 receptions for 453 yards, while senior wide receivers Daniel Brown leads with 539 receiving yards and a team-high seven touchdowns on 40 catches. Despite setting a new school record for passing yardage, the distribution is so great to a variety of receivers that JMU does not have a single pass catcher ranked in the top 10 of the CAA.
        At Charlotte, Oct. 25, redshirt-junior quarterback Vad Lee connected with 12 different receivers, a team season high. Cheatham led the Dukes with eight receptions, while Brown had a team game-high 76 yards and one touchdown in the victory.
        At Richmond, Nov. 15, Lee connected with 10 different players, led by redshirt-senior DeAndre' Smith with four catches for a career-high 128 yards and one touchdown. The duo connected on JMU's third offensive play for a 93-yard touchdown, the longest passing play and second longest offensive snap in school history.

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 six kicks in the first 11 games. Freshman cornerback 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. Moreland got his hand on a punt in the win at UAlbany, Oct. 4 and did it again in the win over Towson, Oct. 11, blocking another field goal attempt. Moreland blocked another punt in the win over William & Mary, and most recently, defensive lineman Simeyon Robinson stopped a fake field goal for a 7-yard loss, leading to JMU's game-winning touchdown at Stony Brook.

Moreland Named to Jerry Rice Award Watch List: Freshman cornerback Jimmy Moreland has been named to the initial Jerry Rice Award Watch List for the 2014 season, The Sports Network announced Wednesday. The top first-year player in the FCS, whether a true freshman or a redshirt freshman, will win the award named for legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice.
        Moreland has 36 tackles, 25 of them solo, in nine games this season, along with team bests of three interceptions (two of them returned for touchdowns), four blocked kicks and two fumble recoveries. His 36 tackles are ninth on the team and he is tied for the CAA lead with two fumble recoveries and three interceptions so far. Against Lehigh, Moreland recorded eight solo tackles and blocked the potential game-tying field goal attempt in the final minute to secure JMU's victory over the Mountain Hawks. Against Saint Francis, he had a fumble recovery and an interception return for a 43-yard touchdown to help propel the Dukes to a victory. He had a season-best 10 tackles, including seven solos, and a blocked punt in the last-second victory at UAlbany. Recently, he had three tackles and blocked a punt in the victory over No. 17 William & Mary. He is also the only player in FCS football and one of only three in Division I play to have a pair of interception returns for touchdowns.
        He is the second straight JMU player to be on the watch list, as redshirt-sophomore linebacker Gage Steele was a finalist for the award last season.

Stability On the Offensive Line: A significant part of JMU's offensive success is due to the offensive line blending and improving from week to week. Through 10 games, the Dukes have had the same five starters on the offensive line, which is key since one is new to JMU since the summer (Nick Appel) and two did not go through spring practice due to injuries (Matt Williams and Mitchell Kirsch).

The Sack Attack: After going the first two games without a sack, the JMU defense stepped up its pressure on opposing quarterbacks. So far, Madison has 30 sacks on the year, with 15 different players having at least 0.5 sack. Of the 30, 26 of them have occurred in the last seven games (avg. of 3.7 sacks per game), including six straight wins. Redshirt-senior Sage Harold leads the category with 10.5 sacks on the season, including a career-high 3.0 in the win over No. 17 William & Mary, Nov. 1.
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 80 tackles (51 solo) on the season with five pass breakups and 4.0 tackles for loss. Recently he was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game following the season.

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 had a strong base of experience to count on. Redshirt-junior Vad Lee transferred to JMU in spring 2014 and went through both spring and fall drills to earn the starting job after spending the past two years as 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. Lee threw for a school-record 406 yards and three touchdowns at Villanova, Sept. 20. Most recently, he posted his third consecutive 300-yard passing game at Stony Brook, Nov. 8, going 20-for-33 for 314 yards and three touchdowns, earning him CAA Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the No. 1 defense in FCS football.
      Lee currently ranks eighth in the CAA in rushing at 67.4 yards per game, first in passing average at 278.7 yards per game and first in total offense at 346.1 yards per game. He is also third in FCS football in total offense, seventh in passing touchdowns (26), seventh in passing yards per game and 76th in rushing yards per game. He also has thrown 12 touchdown passes in the last four games with no interceptions and has 19 TDs to just 1 INT in the last seven for the Dukes, six of them victories.

Harold Making His Presence Felt... On Quarterbacks Mostly: Redshirt-senior defensive end/linebacker Sage Harold has been seen all over the field for JMU's defense this fall, but especially by opposing quarterbacks. He currently ranks fourth in the CAA and 13th in FCS football at 0.95 sacks per game, while also being fourth in the league and ninth nationally at 0.46 forced fumbles per contest. He has 64 total tackles (first among CAA defensive linemen), which ranks third at JMU, including 19.5 tackles for loss (second in the CAA), 10.5 sacks for 63 yards, nine quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles (tied for second in CAA) and one fumble recovery. He had a career-high 10 tackles against Saint Francis and in the win at UAlbany Oct. 4, Harold recorded seven tackles (five of them solo) with 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. Against No. 17 William & Mary, Harold had nine tackles, including 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks, earning him CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week. At Stony Brook, he tied his career high with 10 tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks, including a shared sack on the final SBU offensive play that resulted in a game-clinching fumble recovery.

Last Time Out - Dukes Hang More than 50 On the Spiders: Redshirt-sophomore cornerback Taylor Reynolds recorded two interceptions for touchdowns and redshirt-junior quarterback Vad Lee set the program's single-season passing record as the 25th-ranked James Madison rolled to a 55-20 Colonial Athletic Association football victory at No. 14 Richmond at Robins Stadium.
      The Dukes won their sixth straight game of the season.The 55 points scored by JMU was the most it ever tallied against Richmond in the 32-game history, besting the previous record of 47 in 1991 and was the most points on the road since beating Towson 58-20 on Nov. 22, 2008.
      Reynolds set a pair of program records in the win, as he became the first Duke to register two interceptions for touchdowns and had 101 yards on his two picks, also a record. Only the third JMU player to record two defensive TDs, he also forced two touchdown-saving fumbles, had eight tackles and two pass breakups.
      Lee also rewrote the JMU record book Saturday, throwing for 433 yards with two touchdowns. He not only broke his own single-game passing record (406 at Villanova) but also surpassed Michael Birdsong's single-season passing record (2,728) and is now the lone JMU quarterback to ever reach 3,000 passing yards as he sits at 3,066 yards. Lee also ran for 22 yards and added another rushing TD.
      Senior wide receiver DeAndre' Smith made four catches for a career-best 128 yards, which included a program-record 93-yard touchdown reception early in the first quarter. That play, in which Lee found Smith wide open downfield, was also the second-longest play from scrimmage ever by JMU. It was the second 100-yard receiving game of Smith's career as he had 122 yards at Richmond on Oct. 20, 2012. (Complete recap on page 25.)
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)

Moreland Turning The Ball to the Dukes' Favor: Freshman cornerback Jimmy Moreland has made getting the ball for JMU almost an "every-game" occasion so far this season. Moreland has created at least one turnover for JMU in eight of the 10 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. In the win at UAlbany, he got his hand on a punt, and also blocked a field goal and had an interception return for a touchdown in the victory over Towson. Most recently, he had a blocked punt in the home win over No. 17 William & Mary.

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 seven games, four new FBS transfers and a combined total of 22 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 (12)
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
   67     Tay Crutchfield                          Fr.          DL      6-0   245
   91     Jonathan Kloosterman           Fr.           TE       6-3   241
   94     Cornell Urquhart                       Fr.          DL      6-4   255
   96     Ryan Etheridge                          Fr.           LB      6-2   231

Last 10 Years Versus the CAA: For the last 10-plus seasons (starting in 2004), James Madison has been among the top CAA teams. During that time span, the Dukes have put together a 57-28 conference mark and trail only New Hampshire. Overall, JMU is 89-42 in that span, surpassed only by New Hampshire's 99-37 mark. Additionally, Madison is the only school in this group to have at least a .500 overall record in each of the past 12 seasons back through the 2003 campaign.
CAA Records 2004-Pres.      Conf.          Overall
New Hampshire                         64-23          100-37
James Madison                         58-28            90-42
Villanova                                        52-35            80-52
Richmond                                      50-37            81-50
Maine                                              47-41            65-59
Delaware                                       45-42            76-54
William & Mary                            43-45            67-58
Towson                                           33-55            58-66
Rhode Island                                 17-70            30-89
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                                           2-0            2014
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                                15-17-0        2014
Stony Brook                               1-1-0          2014
Towson                                      19-6-1         2014
Villanova                                  12-11-0        2014
William & Mary                     21-17-0        2014
Totals                                    139 -101-2   (.556)

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.

Lee Named CAA Offensive Player of the Week For Second Time in Three Weeks: Redshirt-junior quarterback Vad Lee was named the CAA Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced Nov. 10. This marked the second time that Lee has won the weekly award this season and the eighth weekly award for the Dukes in 2014.
        Lee led Madison to a 27-24 victory at Stony Brook, helping the offense to 515 yards of total offense against the No. 1 ranked defense in FCS football that was averaging giving up just 250 yards of total offense a game. He finished the game 20-of-33 passing for 314 yards and three touchdowns through the air, while posting 56 yards on the ground on 16 carries. In his efforts against the Seawolves, Lee set new JMU single-season records for passing touchdowns with 24, surpassing Michael Birdsong's 22 last season, and for total offense with 3,352 yards (former record was Rodney Landers in 2008 with 3,304 yards).

Harold Earns Weekly Honors for Second Time This Year: Senior linebacker/defensive end Sage Harold was named the Colonial Athletic Association Co-Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Nov. 3. This was the second weekly honor this year and in his career for Harold, as he also garnered the award for his play against Saint Francis, and he is sharing the honor with Richmond's Omar Howard. He also was named the ECAC FCS Defensive Player of the Week for his play against William & Mary.
        Harold continued to be a strong player for the Dukes in CAA action, recording nine tackles (including a career-high tying seven solos), 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks, tying career highs for both tackles for loss and sacks and setting career highs for both in yardage lost. Harold was huge in limiting the Tribe to just 274 yards of total offense. Harold had two tackles, including a sack, on the Tribe's first drive of the fourth quarter to force a 3-and-out. Then on the final drive, he sacked the W&M quarterback on what ended up as the final play of the win.

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

Getting it Going Against Towson: JMU's win against the 2013 national runner-up Towson Tigers on Oct. 11 had some large numbers for the home squad. The 62 points represented the fourth-best scoring total in the program's Division I history and the highest scoring output since 65 against Delaware State in 2005. It was also Madison's most points ever in a conference game.

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)

Lee Earned National, League Defensive Award: Senior defensive lineman Brandon Lee was named The Sports Network National Defensive Player of the Week, the publication announced Oct. 20. Lee was earlier named the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week and College Sports Madness National Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
        In the Dukes' 62-7 win over Towson, Lee made his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball, recording five total tackles, with 3.0 tackles for 19 yards of loss, including 2.0 sacks for 16 yards, and three forced fumbles resulting in two JMU turnovers. The second forced fumble directly resulted in points, as it was caught in the air by linebacker Rhakeem Stallings and returned 27 yards for a touchdown to put JMU up 20-0. Lee was a leader on the defense that limited Towson's Darius Victor, the second-leading rusher in the CAA, to just 37 yards on 12 carries, and the Tigers' offense to just 234 yards of total offense, while forcing four turnovers.

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 during 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 made the 53-man roster with the Jacksonville Jaguars while defensive lineman Jordan Stanton is on the practice squad with the New York Giants.

Former Duke Haley Enshrined in College Football Hall of Fame: Former James Madison football All-American Charles Haley was enshrined in the College Football Hall Of Fame, July 15-16, 2011, in South Bend, Ind. He was the first ever player from a CAA school and sixth person overall (five previous were coaches) to be elected to the Hall.
                                Haley was a four year starter at JMU from 1982-85. He was a two-time All-American and a three-time Defensive MVP at Madison. As a senior at JMU, Haley was voted a 1985 Associated Press First-Team I-AA All-American and both the Richmond Touchdown Club and Roanoke Times & World News' State Defensive Player of the Year. He leads JMU's all-time tackles list with 506, including three seasons of more than 100 tackles.