JMU POSTGAME NOTES AND QUOTES

11/10/07 11:39PM

- The following notes and quotes were taken after the Tribe's 55-34 loss to JMU on Nov. 10:

Postgame Notes

• JMU won its fourth consecutive game in the series and improved to 16-14 all-time over the Tribe. JMU has won the last three games played at Zable Stadium.

• With the loss, W&M was sent to its third consecutive losing season. W&M last had three-straight losing records from 1980-82, head coach Jimmye Laycock’s first three seasons at the helm.

• With an announced sellout crowd of 12,259, the last three games between W&M and JMU at Zable Stadium have been sell outs.

• W&M is now 0-4 in conference night games since the permanent lights were installed at Zable Stadium.

• With the loss, W&M was also sent to its third-straight losing conference season, just the third since W&M joined the league in 1993.

• With three touchdown passes, junior quarterback Jake Phillips brought his career total to 35, one shy of Buddy Lex’s seventh-place total of 36 on the W&M career list.

• True freshman Terrence Riggins scored his second career rushing touchdown in just his second collegiate game.

• Junior wide receiver Elliott Mack posted his second 100-yard receiving game of the season with 128 yards and a touchdown on five receptions.

• Sophomore wide receiver R.J. Archer had a team-high and career-high tying six receptions for 74 yards and recorded his first career touchdown catch on a 24-yard pass from Mike Potts in the fourth quarter. The touchdown came on Archer’s 65th career reception.

• With JMU’s Rodney Landers (171) and Griff Yancey (132) each going over the 100-yard rushing mark, W&M allowed two opponents to eclipse the 100-yard mark in a game for the first time since 2004 at North Carolina, when Ronnie McGill (133) and Jonathan Lewis (123) each did it.

• With two punts blocked, W&M had a punt blocked for the first time also since 2004, when Delaware blocked a Mike Mesi punt at Delaware Stadium.

Postgame Quotes
JMU Tailback Griff Yancy

“We came out to have fun and we played hard. We got done what we needed to get done.”

“For me, this game was a little bit of redemption after the fumble last week. I felt like I let my team down last week and wanted to come out today and have a positive affect on the game.”

“On the offensive side of the ball we executed all night.”

JMU Defensive Tackle Sam Daniels

“On defense we tried to get after the offense from the start of the game. This year we’ve done well getting after the ball, but we’ve come out a little sluggish at the start of the game. We just tried to get after it from the start of the game today.”

“The onside kick got us some momentum. After that, we [the defense] got to sit on the bench for awhile. And that’s always good, we’re doing something right when the defense is sitting on the bench.”

“After two consecutive losses we had a lot of pressure on us today to perform.”

JMU Head Coach Mickey Matthews

“Our running game was working for the second straight week. The difference from last week to this week was the fact that we didn’t turn the ball over. Rodney’s been getting better and our receivers are hurt. Running the ball is our only options.”

“Our special teams coach told me earlier this week that he saw the opportunity for the onside kick. So we decided to try it early in the game this week. It worked and gave us some momentum.”

“I thought our special teams dominated tonight. We blocked two punts, returned a long kick off, and got after them.”

“Rodney has done everything for us. We’ve run out of options. Its not something that I’d like to do, but I just don’t have a choice. He’s just a great player.”

“William & Mary is beat up on defense. And then tonight they lost another two on that punt we blocked. We were rushing well.”

W&M Head Coach Jimmye Laycock

“I thought JMU played great offensively. They’re very tough to defend. I thought offensively we played well. Jake [Phillips] had another good game, and I thought Elliott [Mack] played well.”

“We knew coming into the game that it was going to be a tough offensive to defensive match up for us.”

“Our defense is really thin right now – and it got thinner tonight.”

“Jake was playing well tonight until they started getting off the ball a little better and forcing him to scramble. That got him off his rhythm a little bit.”

“They ran their offensive very well. They didn’t have any turnovers, that’s tough to compete with.”