Watch the Fritz Blitz.“We had no idea we would go in this direction offensively,” Matthews said on Monday.
Now, with Landers being a Walter Payton Award finalist and the top-ranked Dukes riding their spread offense into the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals - they play Montana Friday at 6 p.m. Mountain on ESPN2 - it's a given Matthews will soon be combing the highways and back roads of Virginia looking for a QB with 4.5 speed.
That's what Landers most often does, in an offense that Matthews says borrows plenty from the spread formation sets run by West Virginia and Florida.
The Dukes ran the ball very effectively in 2004, when they went 13-2 and beat Montana 31-21 for the FCS title. That was with Justin Rascati at quarterback. James Madison was run-first with some spread and option components, but Rascati was more of a thrower who could run. The Dukes had a fleet of running backs.
Landers, a senior, is a more dangerous runner who can throw; he threw for three TDs Saturday.
“Coming out of high school, Coach Matthews and his staff were one of the first schools to take a look at me, and I had my heart set on playing quarterback in college,” said Landers, who had offers from Virginia, Virginia Tech and North Carolina to play defense. “In high school I did a lot - playing on both sides of the ball, returning kicks - but a lot of people wanted me at defensive back.
“Coach Matthews and his staff kept telling me I had an opportunity to play quarterback for them, and they kept after me.”
It's been a perfect match. Landers isn't the whole team - for starters the Dukes have an excellent running back in Eugene Holloman, defensive stalwarts in end Arthur Moats and free safety Marcus Haywood, and another big offensive line that weighs 1,520 pounds, tackle to tackle - but there's no underestimating his importance to a team that has had several close calls.
“Sometimes when he's back there it looks like he's fixing to get sacked, and I'm thinking, ‘We're going to have to punt here in about five seconds,' ” said Matthews. “Next thing I know he's diving for a first down. He did that a couple times Saturday night.”
That was in a 31-27 come-from-behind quarterfinal win over Villanova. In that game the Wildcats went ahead 27-24 with a touchdown pass with 6:54 left.
The Dukes took more than five minutes to drive 54 yards to the winning score, which came - of course - on a 1-yard run from Landers with 1:38 remaining.
“It was a physical, physical ball game,” said Landers, who ran for 143 yards. “I think it could've gone to either side. It was pretty much going to come down to who had it at the end.”
In reality Villanova had it at the end, but didn't get to midfield before JMU picked off a pass. The Dukes' 4-2-5 defense has been steady, if not as stingy as the group that turned back Montana in '04. James Madison has given up 22 points a game, and Matthews has found himself adjusting the front seven (or eight) to bolster the run defense.
Cornerback Evan McCollough and Haywood were first team all-Colonial Athletic Association. But Hassan Abdul-Wahid, a 245-pound senior, was second team at one defensive end while the other end, Moats, trumped Villanova with three sacks last weekend.
If Matthews has a concern, it's his linebacker corps.
“They're still the weak link,” he said Monday. “We're having spring training every week with those guys.”
It appears the training is paying off. James Madison is back in the semifinals after spending 2005 on the sidelines and losing first-round playoff games the next two seasons.
“We've been working hard to get back to this point,” said Edwards, who was a redshirt in 2004 before working in at strong safety, then weak safety and finally - after four-year starter Tony LeZotte graduated - free safety this season. “The senior leadership, I think, has been a big part of it. They're trying to keep things moving.”
Special teams - highlighted by backup cornerback Scotty McGee, who has taken three punts for TDs this season - have helped, but the spread offense and Landers have been the keys.
“We went to this because he was the best at QB,” said Matthews of the offense. “Since the Duke game (a 31-7 loss) we're averaging over 40 points a game.”
That's been enough to notch 12 straight wins, including nail-biters over the likes of defending champion Appalachian State, fellow semifinalist Richmond - McGee won that one with a punt return - and Villanova (twice).
The Wildcats obviously hoped they'd gotten over the JMU hump with their fourth-quarter TD Saturday. It wasn't to be.
“Our defense provided the game-winner with the interception,” noted Landers. “But the touchdown drive is pretty much the story of our season. We were on the sidelines and everybody knew what we had to do. We had to take the ball and move down the field and score.”
Up Next: No. 5 Montana at No. 1 James Madison
Friday, 6 p.m. (MST)
Bridgeforth Stadium (15,500, FieldTurf)
JMU is back with a big-time quarterback who's fueled a lights-out running attack and the Dukes' school record-tying 12-game winning streak.
Location: Harrisonburg, Va. Enrollment: 17,500
Series history: James Madison leads 1-0.
Man in charge: Mickey Matthews (West Texas State, 1976) is 76-45 in his 10th season at JMU.
Ones to watch:
7 Rodney Landers (6-1, 220, sr., Virginia Beach, Va.): The Payton Award finalist has run for 1,686 yards and 16 touchdowns and thrown for 1,519 yards and 21 TDS out of JMU's spread offense.
14 Eugene Holloman (5-11, 185, sr., Virginia Beach, Va.): The tailback has been a nice complement to Landers with 941 yards and eight touchdowns rushing. He's also caught 11 passes.
34 Marcus Haywood (6-0, 190, sr., Williamsburg, Va.): He's taken over the free safety spot vacated by Tony LeZotte and piled up a team-high 94 tackles to go with five interceptions.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)
Beijinger wrote on Dec 10, 2008 8:25 PM:
" I don't think the Griz would have a problem with this guy if the game was in Missoula. See what happened when they faced an equally great running back in Montana State's Demetrius Crawford. They let him have his yards, but no touchdowns. I think it will be much tougher for the Griz to win all the way over in Virginia in front of JMU's home crowd. None the less I believe in the Griz and their defense, which Mount Vernon Joe alluded to, is their greatest asset. "
Mount Vernon Joe wrote on Dec 10, 2008 8:37 AM:
(I sure hope that the Griz go to the spread option someday.) "