THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 5, 1994 TAG: 9412050146
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLIE DENN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
The 1994 football season ended with a mixed review for James Madison's Dukes.
There was a large measure of disappointment, naturally, with a 28-21 overtime loss to Marshall on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Division I-AA playoffs.
But JMU had to feel positive about its 10-3 season and its performance against the Thundering Herd, the program by which most other I-AA teams measure their success. The Dukes dominated the second half against Marshall and left the field believing they should have won.
``We weren't intimidated at all playing here,'' said wide receiver Macey Brooks. ``We believed.''
``We don't worry about anyone we're playing,'' added JMU quarterback Mike Cawley. ``We feel we can beat anyone we play in Division I-AA.''
The Dukes, who trailed, 14-0, at halftime and would have been down by another 14 points were it not for two Marshall turnovers deep in JMU territory, turned the game around in the second half.
JMU held Marshall to just 14 offensive plays and 57 yards over the last 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the Dukes were running up and down the field against the Herd defense, gaining 264 yards on 50 plays.
The key plays which kept JMU from advancing to the semifinals against Boise State this weekend were a missed 23-yard field goal by John Coursey at the end of the first half and a 100-yard interception return for a TD by Herd defensive back Melvin Cunningham early in the fourth quarter.
JMU was driving toward what would have been the tying touchdown at the time. The Dukes had the ball on the Marshall seven.
``Madison was a lot better team than I thought they were,'' said Marshall coach Jim Donnan. ``They played us very tough. They deserved a better fate.''
As for next year, the Dukes return seven offensive starters and eight on defense. Thirty-five of 44 players on their two-deep chart are back, including key offensive players such as Cawley, Brooks, tailback Kelvin Jeter and tight end Ed Perry.
On defense, the Dukes lose only one lineman, one linebacker and a defensive back.
``At 10-3, we had a heck of a season,'' JMU coach Rip Scherer said. ``We made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs and we took one of the premier teams in the nation into overtime.''
Marshall is 38-2 in its home stadium, including 9-0 this year. The Herd loses home games about as often as the country changes presidents.
``We thought we could win here,'' Scherer said. ``A lot of teams come in here and lose because they don't believe they can compete with Marshall. Well, we think we're a pretty good football team ourselves.''
The Dukes proved that Saturday. by CNB