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College football: CAA notes
JMU coach sees
a little progress
James Madison coach Mickey Matthews wanted to see improvement from his offense. He got some Saturday in a 17-13 victory at Towson, although he wouldn't describe it as vast.
"It was the best of the worst,"
Matthews he said.
JMU (1-1 CAA, 4-1) had scored 21, 10 and 10 points in three games. The Dukes scored 14 points in the first quarter against Towson (0-3, 1-5) but managed only a fourth-quarter field goal - after a 94-yard drive - thereafter.
JMU had 317 yards offense.
"We told the players we just wanted improvement from the week before after the fiasco against Delaware [13-10 loss] offensively," Matthews said. "We have so long to go because our improvement was 317 yards and 17 points, but it was improvement."
Dukes 'just OK'
near halfway point
At almost the halfway point of the season, Matthews said his team is playing "just OK." The Dukes, ranked No. 7 in FCS, play No. 16 New Hampshire on Saturday in Harrisonburg.
"We've got so many hard games left it's kind of mind-boggling," said Matthews, whose team still has No. 6 Villanova, No. 8 Massachusetts, No. 20 Richmond, No. 4 William and Mary and Maine.
"I really wish we were better offensively. It's been a struggle all year. . . . I thought we'd be better. We're just really struggling to make any type of big play."
One area the Dukes improved Saturday: penalties.
JMU had three for 45 yards. It was averaging 8.3 penalties and 76 yards.
Marriner, Riggins
contribute for W&M
William and Mary had a decisive 19-play touchdown drive in the second half that helped turn a tenuous 13-7 lead into a 26-7 win Saturday against Rhode Island.
That kind of crunch-time drive normally would rely on star running back Jonathan Grimes. He was on the sideline as Courtland Marriner and Terrence Riggins shared the runs. Marriner ended the drive with a 3-yard TD.
"[Grimes] was taking a pretty good beating out there," Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock said. "We were running the ball a little bit more than we had been. His reps were starting to pile up. You've got Courtland there, what the heck, get him in there and let him go.
"It's a great change of pace, I think, when Courtland gets in there . . . his quickness and his cutting. Then Riggins is a whole another type of back. We probably ought to do more of getting them in there."
Grimes had 20 carries for 77 yards and had 163 all-purpose yards. Marriner and Riggins each had 10 carries for 53 and 37 yards, respectively.
Tribe's 19-play
drive 'impressive'
Laycock said he was running out of plays during the long possession in Saturday's win. Rhode Island forced William and Mary to punt from its 10 after three plays, then gave the Tribe another chance by roughing the punter.
"I was not aware of [how many plays it took] until after the game," Laycock said. "We're so absorbed in what's going on and trying to get the next play called and anticipate what we're going to do on third down, the next thing you know it just kind of goes and goes and goes.
"That was pretty impressive."
William and Mary had an 18-play, 68-yard drive for a TD last year against Towson. It had a 20-play, 80-yard drive against Delaware in 2007 that resulted in a field goal.
- Tim Pearrell
