FIELD NOTES: The Loss That Irks Alls

FRISCO, Texas – There’s a loss from Terrence Alls’ high school career that still irks the James Madison University senior wide receiver.

“We went to the state championship game undefeated and we lost the game toward the fourth quarter,” Alls said Thursday at Toyota Stadium – the site of Saturday’s FCS national title game between top-seeded JMU (14-0) and second-seeded North Dakota State (13-1). “We just ran out of gas.”

Alls was a standout as a senior Dade Christian in Miami and had hauled in a 25-yard touchdown catch to help his Crusaders jump out to a lead against University Christian School from Jacksonville.

“I remember it,” Alls said. “At the Citrus Bowl. It was a big stage and we had a nice lead in the first half.”

So yes, Alls admitted the thought of being part of a perfect season has crossed his mind.

A JMU victory on Saturday would give Dukes an unbeaten, title-winning season.

“You don’t want to be that team that gets all the way to the championship undefeated and then lose,” he said. “I’ve been part of that in high school and I wouldn’t want that again.”

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- Alls is JMU’s leading receiver entering the championship game, having hauled in 53 catches for 681 yards and two scores this season. He said JMU receivers must win their one-on-one battles with Bison cornerbacks for the Dukes’ offense to have success.

- The Dukes’ receiving core also gets a boost as John Miller said he’d return Saturday’s game against NDSU. To see Miller’s full comments, click here.

- JMU is holding its closed practices at The Star – the headquarters and practice home of the Dallas Cowboys – for a second-straight year. Alls, junior running back Trai Sharp and senior safety Jordan Brown all said the facility is impressive. Brown said, “It’s ridiculous how nice that facility is.”

- Brown called NDSU quarterback Easton Stick “a competitor.” Brown said Stick can run, throw and is so smart. The key for JMU’s defense against Stick is to limit the amount of big plays he has whether it’s through the air or on the ground, the safety said.

- JMU junior cornerback Jimmy Moreland said the Dukes have done a good job of not altering their defensive game plan too much from what it’s been throughout the year. He said, “We’ve just got to focus in.”

- Moreland said NDSU’s receivers are physical just like the rest of the Bison team. Moreland said those NDSU receivers will try to get open against single coverage, but also block really well so that tight ends and running backs can get out into the open field.

- NDSU running back Bruce Anderson said his position group has discussed how important it’ll be to win one-on-one battles with JMU linebackers in the hole. Because of how physical the game is likely to be on the line of scrimmage, Anderson said there will be opportunities where running backs have to make a linebacker miss or run a linebacker over.

- Anderson, who has rushed for 1,153 yards this season, said JMU’s defense is outstanding and that the defenders are always disciplined within the scheme.

- NDSU linebacker Chris Board said tackles for loss and takeaways are the Bison’s biggest point of emphasis defensively.

- Board said JMU quarterback Bryan Schor extends the play extremely well and that it’s up to NDSU defenders to stay within their own individual role while not trying to do anything more to slow Schor. “It’s difficult to bring him down,” he said.