THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 10, 1995 TAG: 9509100205
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
William and Mary pushed James Madison around the field for the better part of three quarters Saturday afternoon. But when time expired at the end of the third, all the Tribe had to show for it was a very vulnerable-looking 17-6 lead.
The Dukes, meanwhile, had a sense that they were just a play away from turning the game around.
``As long as we hung in there, and kept pushing, pushing, pushing, we knew good things were going to happen,'' safety David Lee said.
For Madison, something good finally did happen, just 10 seconds into the fourth quarter, when Tony Jordan blocked a Mike Fill punt deep in Tribe territory and Paul Harris covered it in the end zone.
JMU pulled within three after a two-point conversion and never looked back, rolling to a 24-17 Yankee Conference victory in front of 13,871 at Zable Stadium.
``Game ball goes to Tony Jordan. Play of the game,'' JMU quarterback Mike Cawley said. ``I seriously think I was inspired by Tony's play. I kind of found a second wind.''
Madison (2-0, 1-0 Yankee) had the wind knocked out of it early, as the Tribe rolled up 120 yards rushing in the first half to take a 17-6 lead.
Still, the Tribe (0-2, 0-1) had two first-quarter drives stall inside the JMU 25, and there was a sense that they were going to need more than 17 points to hold off the expolsive Dukes, who scored 76 points last week against Morgan State.
``We had so many opportunities we didn't cash in on,'' coach Jimmye Laycock said. ``When you do that against a good team, it comes back on you.''
``We had the momentum,'' fullback Troy Keen said. ``It was definitely our game to win.''
Things were already turning Madison's way when Jordan broke through, untouched, and changed the tenor of the game with his blocked punt. The Tribe's running game was stalling, and its normally potent passing attack was nonexistent. Quarterback Matt Byrne, who was 5 of 12 in the first half, completed just 2 of 12 in the second half and had two intercepted.
Byrne said he was forced into tough third-down throws because the running game had stalled. But he also took his share of the blame.
``God knows I could have been a lot sharper on some of my passes,'' he said.
Byrne overthrew several receivers and was finally replaced with 1:55 left by Mike Cook, a redshirt freshman.
By then, the Dukes had taken a 24-17 lead on a 3-yard run by Kelvin Jeter and a 40-yard field goal by Mike Coursey, a score that was set up by a Byrne interception.
Cook, whose sole college experience consisted of a few plays against Virginia last week, didn't fare much better than Byrne, completing just two of seven, with one interception.
Still, Laycock said he had no choice but to go with the freshman.
``I'd rather try something and have it not work out than just sit there and get beat,'' he said.
The loss drops William and Mary to 0-2 for the first time since 1981.
Madison, meanwhile, escaped with a win that is certain to move it up in this week's Division I-AA poll. The Dukes were ranked seventh this week.
``Last week we didn't face much adversity. I didn't know how we would react under the gun,'' JMU coach Alex Wood said. ``I told them today I've been around some pretty good football teams. But this one today showed more character than any one I've ever been around.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
James Madison's D'Artagnan Townes loses the ball as the Tribe's
Stefon Moody dives into the goal-line fray.
by CNB