This one 35-31 to Villanova, yes, Villanova.

RJ Archer is amazing.

Potts solid.

Elijah Great. 142, 2 TD’s.

Defense terrible. Remember, they aren’t allowed to play well twice?

I hate life.

Players of the game:

Offense

Elijah Brooks

Elijah diving in to the endzone…click here for a bigger shot.

Defense

N/A

Special Teams

Blair Pritchard

Field goal that took the lead…

Images

As you may know, Tim Abromaitis has commited to Notre Dame. He was one of our top targets, but after ND jumped in our chance was gone. He would have been a very nice player to have, but there are many other players we can look at.

One of them, who I heard about from a VERY credible source, is guard John Sexton from Mississippi. In a tournament about 2 weeks ago he scored 30, 35, 45, and 49.

Scout

It says he has interest from several SEC schools, but upon further inspection he really only “has received recruiting phone calls” from them.

Thought I would update you guys on some recruiting info.

Valeriu “Vali” Lazarescu

Vali in a dunk contest 

Also, in a recent tournament he was MVP scoring 22 points.

He made his visit on the 10th of November.

Tim Abromaitis: Tim is down to W&M, ND, Northwestern, Yale, and Princeton. Tim should be making his choice, and there will be celebration in my house if he puts on a green and gold hat.

Marcus Kitts: Visited on Saturday(10/21) and I think he is solid.

Overview

The Tribe enters this game playing much better than the start of the year. With a fairly close loss to Madison and a close win vs. Liberty, the Tribe may have the slightest bit of confidence. ‘Nova has 2 wins on the year, close ones vs. Penn and Hofstra, but lost it’s homecoming by a TD to Towson and lost by 13 the week prior to Maine. This is definitely the Tribes best chance to get an A-10 win in their final season in the league.

When VU has the ball

VU OL vs. W&M DL

The wildcats mix youth and experience on their offensive line with 3 seniors, a sophomore and a freshman. In 6 games, the VU offensive line has given up 17 sacks and VU only averages a little over 110 yards per game on the ground. The Tribe also mixes young and old with 2 seniors and 2 freshman. Senior end Josh Wright got a sack last week, and also picked up 5 tackles. The other end, freshman Adrian Tracy, only got 4 tackles and no sacks, but evened it out with 2.5 tackles for loss to give him a team-leading 9.5. Tackle Brian Williamson got a half of a TFL and 2 tackles, and while freshman CJ Herbert only got 1 tackle, he has blocked several kicks this year.

VU running game vs. W&M LB’s

No running backs on VU really blow you away, with starter Matt Dicken only averaging 23 yards per game, but fullback DeQuese May(47 ypg) and RB Aaron Jones(18 ypg) turn into a solid combo. QB Marvin Burroughs is also a threat to run, and averages 20 yards per game. The 114 yards per game doesn’t blow you away, but there looks to be several guys who can get it done. The Tribe has given up over 100 yards on the ground every game, and over 150 each game except one. Vs. JMU the Tribe did a solid job stopping Eugene Holloman, but he still got his big runs. Senior Chris Ndubueze got 10 tackles vs. JMU and a tackle for loss. Sophomore Michael Pigram got 6 tackles vs. JMU, and Travis McLaurin got 9 tackles and an interception. Senior Linebacker Travis McLaurin has really fallen off the map since UMass.

VU passing game vs. W&M DB’s

Villanova has been solid passing the ball this year. They average just under 200 yards per game through the air behind QB Marvin Burroughs. He needs to work on protecting the ball, with 6 TD’s and as many interceptions, but other than that looks to be solid and is also a threat to run. FB DeQuese May is also a top receiver, averaging just under 47 yards per game, and he is joined by WR Chris Polite who averages 48 per. Anton Ridley also averages 41 yards per game. The Tribe pass D has been up and down on the year, and was down last week. Whenever Rascati needed one he found a receiver and a few players broke it open. The defensive backfield is talented with Richard Riley, Kevin Allen, Alan Wheeling, and Derek Cox, but they haven’t been consistent enough. This week will be telling about the passing D.

When W&M has the ball

W&M OL vs. VU DL

The run-blocking was solid yet again, as Elijah was 1 yard away from the century mark. The pass-blocking gave up 6 sacks, all when Jake Phillips was in. I am not sure whether that is a coincidence or not, but I’m starting to think it’s not. Phillips seemed to abort the pass whenever a defender got past the line, while Potts just passed it quicker. Villanova only starts 3 players on the DL, running a 3-3-5(according to VU’s website, which is looking shakey). Their only end is sophomore Greg Miller, who only has 26 tackles but balances it out with 3.5 sacks and 5 TFL. At DT they have Peter Caroppolo, a sophomore who only has 7 tackles in(I assume) limited time, and David Dalessandro, a sophomore with 30 tackles, 4.5 TFL, and 2.5 sacks.

W&M running game vs. VU LB’s

Elijah Brooks has put together 2 solid weeks on the ground, gaining 200 yards and 3 TD’s total vs. Liberty and JMU. If he can continue this hot streak the Tribe is looking very good. DeBrian Holmes is also a back that can break one any second, and Elliot Mack is becoming a great threat for reverses. Nova gives up a respectable 122 ypg on the ground, and is led by sophomore Mike Holland who has 5 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. He is joined by JC Cooper and Darrel Young. Cooper, a senior, has 34 tackles, a half a sack, and a half of a tackle for loss. Young, a sophomore, has 32 tackles, 4.5 TFL, and a sack.

W&M passing game vs. VU DB’s

Villanova has had trouble stopping the pass this year, giving up almost 250 yards per game. They only have 2 INT’s, by senior Rodney Badger and senior Allyn Bacchus. The Tribe needs to exploit Nova(and their 5 DB’s) through the air, and the only way to do that is play Mike Potts start to finish. Potts is averages a little over 140 ypg through the air in limited play time(half the snaps each game). He has also only been sacked twice this year, compared to Phillips’ 13 times. There is something seriously wrong with Laycock if Phillips gets as many snaps as Potts, much less start. But I digress. The status of receivers DJ McAulay and Joe Nicholas is unknown for this weekend, but I’d be willing to bet they both play. RJ Archer didn’t play as well last week, but Elliot Mack stepped in nicely with 48 yards receiving and 20 rushing. The tight ends were(and will be) huge, as Matt Trinkle got 4 catches for 57 yards and Andrew Atchison 2 for 27. RB Elijah Brooks can also be counted on to gain 10-20 yards through the air per game. If the Tribe doesn’t dominate this match-up, they are in trouble.

Special Teams

David Caldwell and Derek Cox were both impressive returning the ball last week vs. JMU. Blair Pritchard, however, was not. He missed one kick he should have made, one he shouldn’t, and made one short one. For ‘Nova, last week Tony Canci returned a punt for 40 yards and Salim Koroma returned 3 kicks for 73 yards. Kicker Joe Marcoux is a terrible 2/6 on the year on kicks, but the long is 42. He has the leg. He is 10/11 on PATs.

Final Prediction

Villanova keeps it close behind some big plays by QB Marvin Burroughs, but the Tribe pulls away late to a 10 point win. Homecoming fuels the Tribe to play very well. 24-14 Tribe.

Links

W&M stats

VU stats

W&M schedule

VU schedule

W&M game notes

VU game notes

W&M message board

VU message board 

Fall Sports Round-up 

Women’s Soccer 

Today the Tribe women’s soccer team shut out UNCW 2-0 at Albert-Daly field, clinching the CAA regular season championship. If you haven’t seen them play yet, you are really missing something. They are #16 in the nation, and close out the regular season on Friday night at home vs. ODU. Come out and watch Claire Zimmeck and co. on senior night!

Men’s Soccer

The men aren’t too shabby either! 4-3 in CAA play and 8-7-3 on the year. Friday was senior night and senior Pat Scherder put away 3 goals to give the Tribe a W. Today they played UNCW in Wilmington and won in a 2-0 shut out to stop UNCW’s 5 game win streak. The men finish out their season on the 26th @ ODU, and a bus trip is getting put together for students.

Field Hockey

On Friday #19 W&M beat #18 Hofstra at Busch Field, 1-0. Becky Van Zee improved the Tribe to 9-6 and 3-2 in CAA play.

Volleyball

After 3 straight homes wins, the Tribe volleyball team went a combined 0-6 in 2 road matches vs. NU and HU. The Tribe is 8-12 total and 5-8 and CAA play, and they have 4 more home games when GMU, JMU, Hampton, and VCU come to town.

Men’s Tennis

The duo of Colin O’Brien and Alex Cojanu just defeated a team from Clemson and advanced to the semis of the ITA mideast regional. Today they defeated the Citadel and Georgia Tech to win the tournament.

Women’s Tennis

Behind Megan Moulton-Levy and a great freshman class, the Tribe dominated the Hampton Roads invite claiming 7 titles. Will be interesting to see if Megan can make another run in the NCAA tourney like last year.

Other Sports

Men’s Swimming and Diving-2-0

Women’s Swimming and Diving: 1-1

Men’s Golf-Top 10 in every event they’ve competed in.

Women’s Golf-Best place so far is 9 of 12

Men’s XC-Has won 2 tournaments and been solid in the other 2 events.

Women’s XC-Won the Tribe open, struggled in Brooks pre-national invitational

“Closer than the experts think”

-Lee Corso

Anyway, here is how my day went.

12:02-We start the trip to Harrisonburg, exciting the University Center. Magnets on, flags flapping, and college football on the XM.

2:33-And we are in H’Burg, 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Time to remove the flags and magnets so the car doesn’t get keyed.

2:45ish-Had “W&M SUCKS” shouted at me several times on the way into the stadium, but it was no big deal. While waiting at an intersection a car runs through a red light and a policeman shouts “I bet she went to JMU”.

3:05ish-In the stadium just in time for the kick. Tribe wins the toss and chooses to receive.

6:30 left in 1st quarter:JMU touchdown, fans say “James Madison” 30 times to the tune of their fight song.

End of first quarter:Tribe is driving.

11:34 left in the 2nd quarter:Touchdown William and Mary, Touchdown Green and Gold. Elijah Brooks from 2 yards out.

Halftime:JMU scores 10 more to make it 17-7 at the half. Can’t wait for the performance of 70% of JMU’s student body, er, the Marching Royal Dukes!

End of the third:Madison gets a TD to make the score 24-7. The Tribe has the ball on the 12 and Blair Pritchard is setting up for a field goal.

2:23 left in the game:Touchdown William and Mary, Touchdown Green and Gold. Potts to John Taylor from 5 yards out. 31-17.

6:47-Back in the car, and made it out of the stadium nicely save a “student” telling me to “bring it” with 2 of his favorite fingers up.  The game was pretty much what I expected. JMU got pressure on the QB all game which caused Potts to get rid of the ball quickly and Phillips to scramble a little, abort the pass, and get sacked. Incredible. Phillips sacked 6 times, Potts zero. Jakes mobility may even be hurting him. Both TD’s were with Potts in, and if I remember correctly all the points. While Phillips had a couple good passes, 2 of 7 and 27 yards just isn’t going to cut it. He is becoming a run-first QB and that allows the opposing D to know what is coming. When Potts was in Elijah ran better and the passing game was on. Part of me is saying this game would have gone to OT(or at least been much closer) had Potts played all game. Solid games from Elijah(99 yards and a TD running, 25 receiving), Matt Trinkle(team-high 57 yards), John Taylor(35 yards, TD), and Elliot Mack who jumped back onto the scene(48 yards and 20 running).

Nice game from the D-Line and linebackers, who contained Holloman. He is a great back and will get his yards, but the D did a good job minimizing them. Congrats to Travis McLaurin with the interception.

The pass D had some trouble today. Whenever Rascati stepped back to pass he had a man, and it was an exclamation point when he connected with Bransford who broke free for an easy TD late.

All in all, we have really played much better in the last 2 games and I like our chances going down the strech.

9:41-Finally back home and writing in my blog;)

By the way, check out my prediction

Yeah, I said it, and here’s why.

1)Dude’s legs look like toothpicks. He is small. To play in the CAA you’ve got to have the power, and at this point I just don’t think he has enough.

2)This year we really don’t need him. His 2 positions, PF and SF, are the Tribe’s 2 deepest spots. Laimis Kisielius, Corey Cofield, Chris Darnell, Alex Smith. I really don’t think he fits in for more than 5-10 minutes this year.

3)He is raw. In the practices I have attended, he has shown flashes of greatness, especially when he dunks, but otherwise looks a little bit lost. A year or 2 of polishing will do wonders for this kid.

4)When do you think he will have more success: True Freshman year, in limited playing time, or R-SR year, when he should be starting and one of the better players on the team?

This probably won’t happen, but I wouldn’t think it would be a terrible idea to explore if Danny is open to it. Mark my words, he will struggle early but as a junior and senior will be spectacular.

What say you, Tribe nation?

Coach Shaver got his second commitment of the 2007 recruiting class today. Valeriu Lazarescu, a 6′4″ guard from Montreal, joins Marcus Kitts in giving a verbal commitment to W&M. According to several links, including this one, he attended a college in Canada. Not sure if the recruiting system is different up there. He went to Champlain College Saint-Lambert. Here is the team roster, including him. Looks like he started at guard for his team. Scout.com describes him as a “Sophomore swingman”. In the 2 games I saw his stats for he got 11 points(each).Scout.com’s recruit database is saying he isn’t commited, but they have an article up saying he is. Here is what his coach had to say, according to Scout.

“He doesn’t have to worry about how much it costs to go to school: he’s going to William & Mary,” St. Lambert coach John Dangelas said. “What separated them was that he felt it was a real good fit for him. He wanted to play in a good conference and he wanted a good academic school.”

“He can score it. He’s a flat out scorer. Fadeaways, post moves, jumpers in transition, he’s a real good scorer.”

Now that I think about it, he was hanging out with the team at the W&M vs. JMU women’s soccer game. I wasn’t sure who he was, but now I know.

Thanks to Joe Nash for bringing this to my attention.

Overview

The big question for this game is which Madison team will show up. The first 2 games of the year were tough, barely beating DII Bloomsburg(yes, they are a top DII team, but they were without far and away their best player) and losing by 11 to then #1 APP State. The rebounded well for the next 2 games, though, crushing Northeastern and VMI, but those games were followed by a narrow victory over Rhode Island. Last week they really showed how well they can play, crushing the unquestioned #1 New Hampshire. The key to this game is which Madison shows up.

When JMU has the ball

JMU OL vs. W&M DL

The Tribe has had major trouble putting pressure on the QB lately. Sacks have been low, and the opposing team has usually had all day to throw it. Through all that, Adrian Tracy has really stepped up as one of the D’s major contributors. He is leading the team in sacks, tackles for a loss, and tackles. He may not play this week, though, as he was injured late vs. Liberty. Right now his status is uncertain. Josh Wright brings senior leadership to the line, and is #2 on the team in tackles for loss and sacks. Both of these guys need to be in the JMU backfield often if W&M has any shot at winning. Madison’s run blocking this year has been great, and they haven’t given up many sacks if you look away from the App State game(in which they gave up 4). Even when Rascati has gotten sacked, the lost yardage has been low.

JMU running game vs. W&M LB’s

The Tribe has had difficulty stopping the run since Josh Rutter went down, giving up over 180 yards to the halfback in the last 2 games and the the opponent’s starting RB’s average over the last 3 games is 150. Last week Trevor McLaurin was unseated from his starting position for the first time this year, and his replacement, Chris Ndubueze made it worthwhile. He had 11 tackles and a big-time sack. Michael Pigram made his 6th straight start at LB, and Travis McLaurin his third. Pigram got 10 tackles last week and is third on the team, while Travis only got 1 tackle and is 7th on the team. He only has 4 unassisted tackles on the year. Madison had trouble running the ball the first 2 games, but has come on very strong since. In their last 4 games they have rushed for over 247 yards, including 335 vs. Northeastern. That probably has a lot to do with the emergence of junior tailback Eugene Holloman. In his last 3 games he has run for 396(132 per) yards and 4 TD’s. Senior’s Maurice Fenner and Alvin Banks came into the season with high expectations, but Fenner has yet to rush for over 100 yards and Banks has only done it vs. VMI. Fenner has missed the last 2 games due to injury and Banks sat out vs. UNH. Fenner will not be playing vs. W&M. He has been suspended for 2 games due to missing a team bus.

JMU passing game vs. W&M DB’s

W&M has been solid at stopping the pass this year, opponents gain an average of 155 ypg(a number padded by blowouts vs. UMass, UMD) through the air. Senior’s Richard Riley and Alan Wheeling have been key this year, but Alan Wheeling’s status is uncertain after getting injured late in the Liberty game. Last week Wheeling joined Riley and Allen, getting his first INT of the year and returning it 33 yards. Sophomore Derek Cox has also played well and has a bright future. Madison has a great QB in Justin Rascati, but passing just isn’t Mickey Mathews thing. They only throw the ball around 18 times a game, and in the last 2 weeks have thrown it a total of 28 times. When they do throw, though, Rascati has been great. He averages 162 ypg passing and has thrown 8 TD’s compared to 3 INT’s. Though no Madison receivers have really stuck out over the last 3 games, LC Baker was spectacular in his first few games and has 359 yards and 4 TD’s receiving over the course of the season.

When W&M has the ball

W&M OL vs. JMU DL

Finally, the Tribe O-Line wasn’t horrible last week. Liberty got zero sacks and Elijah Brooks ran for over 100 yards. If this O-Line shows up next week I like our chances much more. Madison DT Chuck SuPPon had 3.5 sacks last week vs. New Hampshire, and is second on the team in sacks. End Kevin Winston is right behind him with 4 sacks on the year. They are both seniors, and are trailed by junior tackle John Baranowski who has 3. The 3 of them combine for 18 tackles for loss, and have no doubt been productive this year. The Tribe OL will have their hands full this weekend.

W&M running game vs. JMU LB’s

Elijah Brooks has had 2 100+ yard games this season, one vs. VMI and the other vs. and underrated Liberty run D. All 5 of his TD’s have come in those games. He has also had 2 average games, vs. MD(62) and Hofstra(79), and 2 terrible ones vs. Maine(29) and UMass(35). But Elijah has not been the problem. He can’t gain yards if he doesn’t have holes. If the O-Line plays well this weekend, Elijah will too. Also, if Jake Phillips starts at QB he is always a threat to run. JMU senior LB Akeem Jordon is leading the team in tackles for loss and tackles, and has 3 sacks. Senior Isaiah Dottin-Carter is leading the team in sacks(5), is 3rd in tackles for loss(6), and 2nd in tackles(54). This battle will surely be interesting.

W&M passing game vs. JMU DB’s

For W&M, the passing game all depends on which QB is in. Jake Phillips has been bad passing this year, with a completion percentage under 50%, low yardage gained, and only 4 TD’s compared to 3 INT’s. With Mike Potts, however, has been great passing the ball. In 50 less attempts, Potts has the same number of TD’s(4)and 2 less INT’s(1). He also has 519 yards in only 72 attempts and a 61% completion percentage. He also gets the ball out quickly, getting sacked only twice with a lack of mobility. Junior Joe Nicholas has been solid all year at WR, but last week he only gained 18 yards. RJ Archer, who has jumped onto the scene as one of the Tribes top receivers, made a huge catch that set up a TD and gained a total of 49 yards. DJ McAulay was a great big play threat, but it is looking to me like he won’t play this weekend for the second straight week. Elliot Mack was supposed to be one of the Tribe’s top receivers this year, but has disappeared the last 3 weeks. Elijah Brooks and Matt Trinkle have also been solid contributors to the passing game. The last 2 games the Dukes pass D has been suspect, giving up 352 yards to a spectacular UNH offense and 172 yards to a URI team that has always been a running team. They’ve got 4 INT’s on the year, the biggest being Marcus Haywood’s pick-6 vs. UNH. The secondary is led by Tony LeZotte, a JUNIOR! JUNIOR I SAY! and one of the top DB’s in I-AA.

Special Teams

LC Baker looks like an above-average return man, gaining 73 yards on 2 kickoff returns vs. UNH last week and over 10 yards per punt return over the season. The punting duties for JMU go to Jason Pritchard, I believe a sibling of W&M kicker Blair Pritchard. He averages almost 38 yards per punt, and has kicked-off 11 touchbacks this year. The kicker has been David Rabil. I’m not impressed by his numbers, 3/4 on the year with a long of 25. I’m wondering if he has enough range. He is 27-27 on extra points. Punt returning for W&M this year has been average at best. Derek Cox, hasn’t really broken one yet this year, but he is good for a few yards every return. David Caldwell did the kickoff returns in place of DeBrian Holmes vs. Liberty, and was impressive. Gained 67 yards on 2 returns. W&M kicker Blair Pritchard hasn’t been a whole lot better than Rabil. He is 2-3 with a long of 30, though his miss was on a kick of 38 yards while Rabil’s was much shorter. Pritchard has really improved in the last few games. He is 14-14 on extra points.

Final Predictions

JMU comes out flat and the Tribe makes some big plays through the passing game. The Tribe gives the Dukes a scare on homecoming, but JMU pulls away in the 4th quarter and cruises to a 31-17 win.

Links

JMU stats

W&M stats

JMU website

W&M website

JMU message board

W&M message board

JMU roster

W&M roster

Wow, nice to finally be back in the win column. LU is a solid team(3-3, losses to Towson and Wake), and at this point we need to take any win we can get. I’ll jump into the recap.

-We flat out got lucky. LU’s kicker missed 2 FG’s, and we blocked an additional XP and FG. This game was won on special teams, and kudos to Blair for making both of his XP’s.

-Penalties need to get cut down. We almost let them win the game via a PF penalty. I believe a few other players had some that were not needed(Nicholas).

-Offense. Elijah ran the ball very well today. 24 carries, 113 yards(4.7 per), and 2 TD’s. Great to see him get back on track against a stout LU run D. Phillips started, but the QB’s switched off every possession. Phillips ran the ball well, gaining 35 yards on 6 runs, but his passing was TERRIBLE. 1/8, 3 yards, an INT. Potts was better passing yet again. 6/9 and 92 yards. Archer was great again, going for 49 yards(most of them coming on a 46 yard pass from Potts). The only other players who caught passes were Brooks, Trinkle, and Nicholas, none of which catching more than 2 passes or gaining more than 20 yards. McAulay was injured(foot), and Mack played in his place, but his only impact was a 11 yard reverse. He has really disappeared lately.

-Defense. Running back, and transfer from I believe Pittsburgh, Rashad Jennings lit us up. We wouldn’t have won this game if he didn’t get injured in the 3rd quarter. In only 2 1/2 quarters he gained 186 yards and averaged 8.5 ypc. Second straight week an RB has run all over W&M. The passing D was solid. Wheeling had a great pick and run back, but got injured late, as did Adrian Tracy. We flat out need those guys to even play with JMU.

-More on Rashad Jennings, the guy is only a Sophomore and he beat us into the ground he is special now, I can’t imagine what he is going to be like in 2 years.

-My prediction:I was pretty good again! I said 17-14 W&M, not too far off.

-Players of the game…

Offense

Elijah Brooks

Defense

Alan Wheeling(8)

Josh Wright(94)

Special Teams

Blair Pritchard

One photo to sum up the game….

You can see the ball right next to the goal post.

Thanks to El Scorcho from flamefans.com for the picture!

Click here for the full-size image