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James Madison is buzzing over game
Last year's thriller against Appalachian could be one reason
AP File Photo
JMU’s Rodney Landers says people are talking about the game.
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Published: September 19, 2008
Excitement seems to be at an all-time high at James Madison, which will play host to top-ranked Appalachian State at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The game is a sellout, and a crowd in excess of the school-record 17,000 that attended a 1995 game against Boston University is expected at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va.
"It's amazing," quarterback Rodney Landers of JMU said. "Everywhere I go, throughout town and on campus, people are stopping me and asking me about the game and telling me how excited they are about watching it and being in attendance…. Our fans are pumped. App always travels well, and they're going to bring their contingent here, and it's just going to be an amazing time."
Coach Mickey Matthews of the Dukes said: "We could fill a 50,000-seat stadium if we had a big enough stadium, there's going to so many people. I've heard from people I haven't heard from in two or three years wanting tickets to the game."
The Dukes are ranked No. 5 in FCS polls, and last year's playoff game with the Mountaineers in Boone ended in dramatic fashion and has no doubt fueled interest in the game. The Mountaineers recovered a fumble at their 9-yard line with 22 seconds left, hung on for a 28-27 victory and went on to win their third straight national championship.
The Mountaineers seem to be taking the buzz surrounding the game in stride. They set a school-attendance record of 30,718 for a Sept. 6 home opener against Jacksonville and opened the season at LSU's 92,300-seat stadium.
Coach Jerry Moore of the Mountaineers was asked by a reporter who covers JMU if his team was prepared for the hostile environment that it would encounter Saturday night.
"Have you ever been to Baton Rouge?" Moore said, and chuckled. "I tell you, it's hostile there."
Quarterback Armanti Edwards of the Mountaineers said: "We've been in all kinds of environments, so this is just going to be another hard-fought game that we'll have to go in and face."
ASU and JMU have met 15 times in a series that started in 1980, but ASU hasn't played in Harrisonburg since 1992. The Dukes have a 27-4 record at home since 2002.
The Mountaineers lead the series 12-3 and have won the last four meetings -- including games in 2006 and 2007. The Mountaineers have won the last three FCS national titles. The Dukes won the title in 2004.
"I think all of us look forward to big games like this," Moore said. "I'm sure the James Madison kids looked forward last year to coming down here. I think you get to a level both of us are at, you look forward to playing ballgames like this."
Moore, a long-time friend of Matthews and a fellow Texan, said he would like to see the series continue.
"Mickey and I have both talked about it," Moore said. "I don't think either one of us would run from playing the other. I think it's good to play good people like that, with good teams matching up."
Saturday's game will be televised by CN8, but isn't available in North Carolina. CN8 is a regional network that is available in New England and mid-Atlantic states.
■ Tommy Bowman can be reached at 727-7320 or at tbowman@wsjournal.com.
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