No. 16 JMU Rolls Past Tribe, 55-34

Phillips Tosses Three Touchdowns, But W&M Drops Third-Straight

11/10/07 11:40PM

WILLIAMSBURG - James Madison quarterback Rodney Landers rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns, and Griff Yancey ran for three more scores to help the 16th-ranked Dukes roll past William and Mary, 55-34, Saturday night at soldout Zable Stadium.

JMU (7-3, 5-2 CAA) scored on its first eight possessions and snapped a two-game losing streak to keep its playoff hopes alive. In the 30th all-time meeting between the state-rivals, JMU posted its highest point total in the rivalry and won its fourth consecutive game in the series, three of which have come at Zable Stadium.

Landers set a JMU quarterback rushing record with his 171 yards on 18 attempts and also passed for another score, completing 9-of-15 attempts for 89 yards. Yancey rushed for 132 yards on 25 carries, as the Dukes netted 371 yards rushing.

For the second-straight week, W&M (4-6, 2-5 CAA) jumped out to an early lead against a ranked conference foe, before falling victim to another first-half offensive outburst.

Jake Phillips (Warm Springs, Va.) completed 14 of 24 attempts for 219 yards and three touchdowns, including a 52-yard scoring pass to Elliott Mack (Irvington, N.J.) on the game’s third play.

Behind Landers and Yancey though, JMU answered with four consecutive scoring drives to build a commanding 28-7 lead early in the second quarter. Yancey put the Dukes on the board on a 1-yard run, capping an 11-play, 57-yard drive that tied the game, 7-7, before JMU’s Dave Stannard recovered his own onside kick at the JMU 42-yard line.

Yancey converted a third down with a big 18-yard run on the ensuing drive, then plowed into the end zone from 1-yard out again to put the Dukes in front for good with 5:04 remaining in the opening quarter.

Landers sparked the Dukes’ next possession with a 34-yard run on first down, and Yancey scored his third rushing touchdown on a 10-yard scamper to cap a four-play, 64-yard drive that extended the advantage to 21-7.

JMU’s Marcus Turner blocked a punt inside Tribe territory to set up the Dukes’ next score, returning his own block to W&M 24. Landers rushed for 14 on the first play, before Antoinne Bolton scored on a 10-yard run with 13:02 remaining in the second to give JMU a 28-7 cushion.

Phillips tossed an 18-yard touchdown to Drew Atchison (Charlottesville, Va.) to pull the Tribe within 28-14, but JMU used a 10-yard run by Landers and a 29-yard field goal by Stannard to take a 38-14 lead into the break.

In the first half alone, Landers rushed for 145 yards, Yancey rushed for 90 and the Dukes’ tallied 328 total yards. JMU was 5-for-6 on third-down conversions and controlled the ball for nearly 19 minutes.

JMU didn’t let up coming out of intermission, as Scotty McGee took the opening kickoff of the second half back 66 yards to the Tribe’s 11-yard line. Yancey gained nine yards on first down, and a 1-yard run by Landers pushed the lead to 45-14.

W&M went three-and-out on its next series, and JMU made it 8-for-8 and took a 48-14 lead when Stannard connected on a 31-yard field goal with 8:57 remaining in the third.

Terrence Riggins (Newport News, Va.) scored on a 1-yard run, and Phillips threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Marriner (Chesapeake, Va.). Mike Potts (Middletown, Del.) came on in the fourth in his final game at Zable Stadium and threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to R.J. Archer (Charlottesville, Va.).

Archer’s 65th career reception produced his first career touchdown, and the sophomore led the Tribe with six catches for 74 yards. Mack recorded his second 100-yard receiving game with 128 yards on five receptions.

Riggins was the Tribe’s leading rusher with 39 yards in his second collegiate game. Marriner finished with 32 yards rushing on 10 attempts, and Phillips added 22 yards on 10 attempts.

Stats | Notes | Quotes