Seeking More ‘Playoff Darrious’

FRISCO, Texas — Even Darrious Carter said he’s unsuccessfully tried to pinpoint the difference.

“I wish I knew the trick because I’d play like that all year,” the James Madison junior defensive end said. “I don’t know if it’s just the playoffs. I really have no idea what it is, but I wish I knew what it was because I’d be doing exactly the same thing every single game. But I guess I am just amped because I don’t want to go home. I just want to win.”

Whatever it is about the postseason, Carter has found a way to elevate his play in heightened situations.

And the top-seeded Dukes (14-0) will need the 6-foot-5 edge rusher to be at his best again Saturday when they meet second-seeded North Dakota State (13-1) for the national title in Frisco, Texas.

With 2017 FCS Athletic Directors Association Defensive Player of the Year Andrew Ankrah, who also is a consensus All-American, manning the opposite side of the defensive front, it’s Carter that goes unnoticed, which qualifies him as the X-factor for the Dukes.

“One of my coaches told me that it’s time to bring out ‘Playoff Darrious,’” Carter said. “And I didn’t think anything of it, but I guess I’ve made a few more plays in the playoffs, so I guess I’ve got to bring out ‘Playoff Darrious.’

“[Strength coach] Big John [Williams] told me that. He was saying bring out ‘Playoff Darrious,’ but I’m just doing what I can to help the team.”

In JMU’s 51-16 win over South Dakota State in the national semifinal, Carter registered two sacks and two forced fumbles.

“We made it very clear that we wanted to get a pass rush on [South Dakota State] for sure,” Carter said. “Coaches always bring up articles talking about how people say something about us and one of the articles said that we haven’t gotten a pass rush since Elon, so we really wanted to go out and prove that our defense is really, really dominant.”

He had a sack in last year’s championship game against Youngstown State and another in the 2016 semifinal at North Dakota State.

More than 40 percent of his nine career sacks have come in postseason play. Carter joined the Dukes before last season after transferring from the University of Virginia.

Carter said in order to get sacks against the Bison, the Dukes must consistently put North Dakota State in clear-cut passing situations.

“We just can’t have them getting into third-and-1 because they get in a lot of third-and-1s and have success,” Carter said. “We need them in a lot of second-and-10s and third-and-longs. Hopefully they don’t run the ball on third-and-long, but you never know with North Dakota State, so once we get them second-and-long or third-and-long, that’s when they throw the ball.”