WILLIAMSBURG – Smothering is the only way to describe it.
Wherever William & Mary went or tried to go with the ball, James Madison was waiting or already running the other way with it.
The No. 1 Dukes forced six turnovers in a 46-14 lopsided win over in-state rival William & Mary on Saturday at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg. JMU tallied 33 points off the six turnovers to secure the victory.
“[Defensive coordinator Bob] Trott always talks about what wins games for us,” JMU junior cornerback Rashad Robinson said. “And it’s always turnovers, whether it’s fumble recoveries or interceptions. Field position is a big part of our game, so when you do get turnovers like that, it gives the offense a great chance to score.”
The Tribe juggled through three quarterbacks – freshman starter Shon Mitchell, sophomore Brandon Battle and junior Tommy McKee – but none of them had any success to stabilize their offense as the Dukes’ defense terrorized the opposing front and lived in the backfield.
McKee was sacked four times. Battle and Mitchell were each sacked once. Battle and McKee each committed multiple turnovers.
“You look at it on film, and their front four really get after you,” William & Mary coach Jimmye Laycock said. “We talked about it all week and worked on it all week.
“In the passing game we weren’t going to be able to sit back there and take a long time. We knew that. And no matter how you do your protection, there were going to be one-on-one matches and they were going to be tough.”
JMU junior defensive end Darrious Carter started the relentless onslaught aimed at those Tribe signal-callers.
With less than five minutes to play in the second quarter and the Dukes leading 10-0, Carter strip-sacked Battle and jumped on the ball to set JMU’s offense up inside Tribe territory.
The fumble recovery led to a 30-yard field goal for junior kicker Tyler Gray.
On the very next William & Mary possession, Battle was intercepted by JMU senior safety Jordan Brown, who managed a return of 37 yards moving past midfield and into scoring territory again.
Four plays later, junior running back Marcus Marshall lunged past the goal line on a 1-yard run, giving the Dukes a 19-0 lead.
William & Mary was demoralized at the break.
“I expected it to really be a low scoring, defensive battle,” JMU coach Mike Houston said. “But I thought our defense’s ability to force turnovers and give our offense repeated positive field position really was the difference in the ball game.”
The second half was a continuation of what JMU’s defense had established in the first 30 minutes.
Robinson snagged an interception off a tipped pass when Carter pressured McKee to get rid of the ball. Robinson returned the the interception 63 yards to the William & Mary 22-yard line.
“It was just me running out of gas,” Robinson said. “I had two good blocks in front of me, so if would have kept up my stamina, I would have scored.”
Senior quarterback Bryan Schor made good on Robinson’s play, though, reaching the end zone on a 7-yard keeper to push the lead to 26-0.
Marshall, who led JMU offensively with 64 rushing yards and two touchdowns, registered his second touchdown on a 27-yard run, which came after the Dukes gained possession following a fumble recovery by senior defensive end Andrew Ankrah.
Junior cornerback Jimmy Moreland added a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown, and Brown recorded his second interception later in the fourth quarter.
“I think it started early with our d-line,” Brown said. “I think they pursued the quarterback like they needed to and they helped make our job easy.”
Five different defensive linemen – Ankrah, Carter, sophomore Ron’Dell Carter, senior David Ezeagwu and sophomore John Daka – had a sack for JMU, helping the Dukes record six sacks for a second straight week. Senior linebacker Kyre Hawkins and senior defensive tackle Simeyon Robinson combined for the other.
“I thought the pressure of our front four and our blitzes were really the key,” Houston said. “You got the two young [William & Mary] quarterbacks and they have not been in that situation a whole lot in their career yet, so putting them in a situation there where they feel pressured, they feel hurried, they’re getting hit and being rushed, all of a sudden they make a forced throw and that’s when the turnover happens.”
JMU (7-0, 4-0 Colonial Athletic Association) is now 23-17 all-time against William & Mary (2-5, 0-4 CAA). With the win, JMU extended the nation’s longest-active winning streak in Division I to 19 straight victories.
