THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 4, 1994 TAG: 9412040203
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLIE DENN, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: HUNTINGTON, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
As twilight faded to dark Saturday, the scoreboard at Marshall Stadium still reflected the game's final score - Marshall 28, James Madison 21.
But those numbers fell far short of capturing the electricity of an overtime Division I-AA quarterfinal game that came down to one big play for each side.
The difference was that Marshall converted when it counted and James Madison did not.
The victory sends Marshall (12-1), which has played in the last three championship games, into the semifinals next week at Boise State.
``I'm really proud of our guys,'' said Madison coach Rip Scherer. ``We spotted them 14 points, gave 'em another (TD) and still had a chance to win. It says a lot about the character of our team.''
It took a huge turnaround just to get the Dukes (10-3) to that point.
Lackluster in the first half, which ended with Marshall up, 14-0, Madison dominated the second half and left Marshall on the ropes by the end of regulation.
Then it came down to those big plays. James Madison won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense first, a decision Scherer staunchly defended.
``The conventional wisdom is to hold the other team and then see what you need to win,'' said Scherer. ``It was the right decision. I wouldn't change it.''
Marshall got a first down but then faced a fourth-and-1 from the 2-yard line. Tailback Chris Parker got the call. He swept the left side of the line and dived into the end zone for the touchdown.
``We knew they'd run Parker,'' said Scherer. ``We even had the play figured, although we didn't guess the exact formation. We just didn't stop them.''
Then it was Madison's turn. The Dukes' season came down to a fourth-and-4 from the Marshall 19.
Quarterback Mike Cawley rolled right but couldn't find a receiver. He neared the sideline under heavy pressure before finally tossing a pass toward John Allen. But Herd defensive back Thomas Maxwell broke up the play.
``It was a five-step drop,'' Cawley said. ``I didn't handle the pressure well. Right before I went out of bounds I just tried to loft the ball so someone could make a play on it.''
Maxwell said he saw the ball coming and merely wanted to knock it down.
``That was the game,'' he said. ``I knew if I could just get my hands on the ball, their guy couldn't catch it.''
The drama of overtime overshadowed a number of big plays during the final half, which Madison opened by driving 65 yards to score on its first possession.
Madison was marching again as the fourth quarter began. But a Cawley pass intended for Jay Jones was picked off in the end zone by cornerback Melvin Cunningham and returned for a 100-yard touchdown with 13:21 left.
It was the longest interception return in NCAA playoff history.
``I threw the ball a little soft and inside the receiver,'' Cawley said. ``Their guy got it and he was really fast. We couldn't catch him.''
The play could have finished the Dukes but they came right back. Cawley hit Jones with a 41-yard TD pass three plays after the interception return and Marshall fumbled on its first play after the kickoff.
Madison recovered and Cawley marched the Dukes 40 yards in 11 plays. Cawley's 2-yard dive made it 21-21 with 6:43 to play.
The Dukes then recovered an onside kick but could not move into field-goal position. However, Marshall quarterback Todd Donnan fumbled on his own 46 with 1:28 left.
Madison, though, could only get to the 37, where kicker John Coursey missed a 54-yard field goal try with 13 seconds left.
``I've seen Coursey make them from 54 yards on grass,'' said Scherer. ``This was turf, so I figured I'd let him try it. If he hits it, we win and if not, we were looking at overtime.''
Indeed. That gave life to Thundering Herd, which knows better than most how to turn it on in the postseason. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
James Madison quarterback Mike Cawley is sacked by Marshall's John
Duncan on Saturday in Marshall's 28-21 win.
by CNB