Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410250037
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHARLIE DENN LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: HARRISONBURG LENGTH: Medium
Two football teams heading in opposite directions met Saturday with predictable results.
Surging James Madison won its fourth straight game, hammering William and Mary 33-7 at Bridgeforth Stadium. The victory boosted the Dukes' record to 6-1 and put them in a very favorable position where the post-season playoffs are concerned.
The Tribe, meanwhile, lost for the second straight week and the third time in its last four games after starting the year 4-0. The loss may have taken W&M (5-3) out of the playoff picture.
``That's as close to a complete game as we've played,'' said JMU coach Rip Scherer, who got a Gatorade dousing from his players with just a few seconds left.
The heroes were many for the Dukes. Quarterback Mike Cawley threw for 227 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 85 more yards. Tailback Kelvin Jeter scored three times and gained 84 yards while the inspired defense allowed some long plays but did a good job of keeping the Tribe out of the end zone.
And the JMU special teams also blocked two W&M punts. One went through the end zone for a safety and, while the other resulted in no points, it kept the momentum in the Dukes' favor.
``This was very satisfying,'' Cawley said. ``Last year against William and Mary I had the worst game of my career. I felt like I was responsible for us losing.
``Some days you just get up and feel like it's gonna be a good day,'' Cawley added. ``Today felt like it was gonna be a good day.''
The Dukes wasted little time in establshing their superiority. William and Mary turned the ball over on its first possession and the Dukes promptly marched 57 yards in nine plays.
Jeter scored from two yards out to make it 7-0. Then came the first blocked punt, which rolled out of the end zone for a safety and a 9-0 lead.
The Dukes took the ball again after the ensuing punt and got to the 15 before Cawley made a bad pitchout. W&M recovered, dodging a possible 16-point early deficit.
The Tribe came right back and scored its only touchdown of the day. Shawn Knight, who started at quarterback and played most of the way, hooked up with Michael Tomlin on a 43-yard scoring play. At that point, W&M was moving the ball fairly well and it looked like they might be back in the game.
But it was all JMU after that. Cawley's 42-yard run up the right sideline led to another score in the second quarter to put JMU in front 16-7 at the break.
On that long play, Cawley was blitzed, sprinted right and found an open lane. He dashed from the JMU 39 to the W&M 19.
``I didn't know where all their guys were,'' he said. ``I was surprised to be so open and, to be honest with you, I thought I was gone.''
He didn't score, but hit Ed Perry with a short touchdown pass four plays later.
James Madison broke the game open with two touchdowns in the third quarter, one on a 34-yard run by Jeter in which he broke three tackles en route to the end zone.
Frustrated with their lack of productivity, W&M turned to desperate measures as the score got more one-sided. The Tribe gambled on fourth-and-two from the JMU 42, but Knight overthrew Tomlin on what looked like a sure scoring play.
``I was pressured,'' Knight said of the play. ``If I would have had a split-second more, I think I could've put the ball in there.''
``When things aren't going well,'' explained W&M coach Jimmye Laycock of his decision, ``you can't sit back and do what you've been doing. You've gotta roll the dice and that's what we did.''
In the fourth period, W&M went for a touchdown again on a fourth-down play. But Knight couldn't connect with the receiver in the end zone.
It was the worst W&M loss against a I-AA opponent since a 40-7 shellacking by Holy Cross in 1987.
Knight finished with respectable numbers, completing 19 of 29 passes for 256 yards. However, he couldn't produce points when the offense needed them.
``We were moving the ball,'' Knight said, ``and I thought we were playing better than we have been on offense recently. But we didn't get the ball into the end zone and that's very disappointing.''
by CNB