YSU Vs. JMU: Matchups To Watch
HARRISONBURG — The FCS will crown a new champion Saturday when fourth-seeded James Madison meets Youngstown State at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
JMU won the Colonial Athletic Association outright before knocking off New Hampshire, fifth-seeded Sam Houston State and top-seeded North Dakota State en route to its title game berth. Youngstown State finished third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and beat Samford, third-seeded Jacksonville State, Wofford and second-seeded Eastern Washington to reach Frisco.
The Dukes and Penguins have kickoff set for noon. Here are five critical match-ups that could impact the outcome:
YSU Pass Rush vs. JMU Pass Protection
Youngstown State has gotten to the quarterback more frequently than any other defense at the FCS level. The Penguins lead the country with 47 sacks.
Defensive ends Derek Rivers and Avery Moss each have double-digit sack totals to their name.
Rivers has 14 sacks and Moss has 10 sacks.
“Rivers maybe the best defensive lineman we’ve seen all year long,” JMU coach Mike Houston said. “But, those two defensive ends have given everybody fits. They gave West Virginia fits and that’s a good FBS football team right there.
“It worries you because you wonder if we can match up with them.”
To slow the duo of Rivers and Moss, Madison will rely on its tackles, junior Aaron Stinnie on the left side and redshirt freshman Tyree Chavious on the right side.
Stinnie has been a staple on the JMU offensive front all season, starting every game at the position. Since the postseason began, Chavious has filled the void of injured starter Mitchell Kirsch.
“The big thing is we’ve just got to be really, really good in our fundamentals and our technique and our protections, from our tackles,” Houston said. “We have to do a good job of mixing up our protections as far as how we account for those guys.
“We just have to be prepared, and [junior quarterback] Bryan [Schor] has done a great job all year long of being able to extend plays and make things happen when he’s got to get on the move.”
YSU QB Hunter Wells vs. JMU Pass Coverage
Houston called Youngstown State quarterback Hunters Wells’ reemergence as the starter, “the turning point” of the Penguins’ season.
Wells took over the starting role in late October after Youngstown State coach Bo Pelini juggled signal-callers through the first seven weeks of the season.
Wells was the team’s starter throughout the 2015 season.
In the playoffs, Wells has completed 64 percent of his throws for 849 yards. He’s thrown six touchdowns compared to only one interception.
“I think he’s a lot more comfortable in the pocket,” Pelini said of Wells. “I think he really has made strides with sitting in there and making difficult throws. He’s played at a high level.”
The ability to protect the football has enabled Youngstown State to have a plus-1 turnover margin. In the regular season the Penguins were minus-1 in turnover ratio.
JMU has a plus-15 turnover margin for the year, in large part due to its nation’s leading 20 total interceptions.
Madison junior safety Raven Greene leads the team with six interceptions.
Whether or not Greene and JMU’s defense can disrupt Wells, could determine the champion.
JMU RB Khalid Abdullah vs. YSU LBs
Week after week, JMU has rightfully leaned on All-American senior running back Khalid Abdullah.
The Newport News native has 10 100-yard games this season, including a 180-yard rushing performance at North Dakota State, which helped JMU win to get to Frisco.
Youngstown State, with its excellent defensive front is yielding only 128 yards per game on the ground. The mark stands 24th nationally.
“It’s a physical defense — a physical, physical defense,” Abdullah said. “I would compare them to North Dakota State.”
Abdullah said to continue success JMU would have to win individual battles in the running game.
“They’re going to be where they’re supposed to be, so there will be a lot of times when we’re one-on-one with defenders,” he said. “We’re going to have to make plays.”
If Abdullah can get to the second level, he’ll meet a talented Youngstown State linebacker like Armand Dellovade, Jaylin Kelly or Lee Wright in space.
Dellovade had 98 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss this season.
JMU Red Zone Offense vs. YSU Red Zone Defense
James Madison has more red-zone attempts and more red-zone touchdowns than any other offense in the country.
JMU has made 89 trips inside its opponents’ 20-yard line. It scores with a touchdown or field goal 86 percent of the time and comes away with a touchdown 71 percent of the time.
Youngstown State has one of the worst red-zone defenses (111th nationally) in the country, giving up scores on 34 of 38 tries.
Look for JMU quarterback Bryan Schor to locate his favorite red-zone target, tight end Jonathan Kloosterman, who has four red-zone touchdown-catches in the postseason.
JMU Coach Mike Houston vs. YSU Coach Bo Pelini
Both Pelini and Houston have had to build quickly to get their teams to the championship game.
Pelini is in year two at Youngstown State after seven seasons as the coach at Nebraska.
“I believe deeply in building a culture and having a culture of accountability, of hard work, of how you go about your business,” Pelini said of his two seasons at Youngstown State. “I think our kids have learned. I don’t think we’re exactly where I want to be yet. I think that’s always a work-in-progress, but it’s moving in the right direction.”
Houston is only in year one at JMU after climbing the ranks from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne and the Citadel to take the job in Harrisonburg.
“Certainly when I took this job, my goal coming here was to win the CAA championship and the national championship,” Houston said. “Did I expect to be here? Yes. Did I expect to be here in year one? Probably not.”
Houston said JMU’s seniors helped him mold a winning culture quickly.
The two coaches, with very different backgrounds, will need to make key decisions throughout the game to help their team.