KINGSTON, R.I.—Courtland Marriner rushed for three touchdowns and William & Mary beat Rhode Island 39-14 yesterday. Marriner had 93 yards rushing and scored on runs of 9, 16 and 39 yards for the Tribe (4-1 CAA, 7-1). After the Rams (0-5, 1-7) took a 7-0 lead on a 5-yard pass from Chris Paul-Etienne to Shawn Leonard, the Tribe scored 39 unanswered points. In addition to Marriner’s three touchdowns, the Tribe got an 18-yard touchdown run from Terrence Riggins.

Kingston, R.I.
  When: 1 p.m.
  Radio: WTOX (1480), 12:30
  Records: William and Mary 3-1 CAA, 6-1;
Rhode Island 0-4, 1-6
  Players to watch: W &M—RB Jonathan Grimes, 110.5 yards per CAA game, WR D.J. McAulay, 33 catches, 423 yards, 3 TDs, DE Ravi Pradhanang, 3 sacks in last 4 games. URI—QB Chris Paul-Etienne, 133 yards per game, P Tim Edger, 41.6 average punt, DE Steve Weedon, 6 forced fumbles in 7 games this year.

SportsQuest and the Richmond Revolution indoor football team announced yesterday that they have signed former James Madison University quarterback and Dudley Award winner Rodney Landers to a contract for the 2010 season. Landers, from Virginia Beach, was the 2008 Colonial Athletic Association offensive player of the year and a finalist for the Payton Award, given to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. He led the Dukes to a 12-2 record last season. They lost in the FCS semifinals to Montana after Landers sprained his ankle late in the first half.

To running back Jonathan Grimes, it was almost business as usual. William and Mary’s 24-3 Colonial Athletic Association victory over James Madison yesterday was, of course, anything but that. The fifth-ranked Tribe (3-1, 6-1) cleared another hurdle in its run toward the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs by breaking a streak of five losses to struggling JMU.

R.J. Archer threw two touchdowns and Jonathan Grimes ran for a score to lead William & Mary in a 24-3 win over James Madison on Saturday. Archer was 15-for-22 with 127 yards and an interception, and Grimes rushed for 158 yards on 20 carries for the Tribe.

The crowd gathered at the top of the Colonial Athletic Association football standings could be in for a cruel game of musical chairs. When the season ends, postseason-caliber CAA teams probably will outnumber available seats for the 16-team Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. FCS’ most powerful conference has six ranked teams: No.1 Richmond (6-0), No.4 Villanova (6-1), No.5 William and Mary (5-1), No.9 New Hampshire (5-1), No.14 Massachusetts (4-2) and No. 19 Delaware (5-2).

When: Noon Tickets: Sold out On the air: TV—CSN; radio: WTOX (1480), WREJ (1540)
  Records: JMU 0-3 CAA, 2-4, William and Mary 2-1, 5-1
  Players to watch: JMU—QB Justin Thorpe, 75 carries, 332 yards, 2 TDs, 33-66 passing, 420 yards, 1 TD, 3 int., DL Arthur Moats, 50 tackles, 15 for loss, 6 sacks; W&M—QB R.J. Archer, 127-203 passing, 1,321 yards, 9 TDs, 3 int., RB Jonathan Grimes, 107-483, 4 TDs, LB Jake Trantin, 43 tackles.

Face down on the ground after the second of his two fumbles, James Madison quarterback Justin Thorpe buried his helmet in the turf and slammed his hands down. The gesture summed up the day and perhaps the season for Thorpe and the 16th-ranked Dukes, whose offensive troubles were front and center in a 27-0 Colonial Athletic Association loss to sixth-ranked Villanova yesterday.

When: 3:30 p.m.  On the air: TV - CSN; radio - WLEE (990), WREJ (1540)
  Tickets: $30 Records: Villanova 2-1 CAA, 5-1; JMU 0-2, 2-3 Players to watch: Villanova - QB Chris Whitney, 65-100 passing, 761 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs., 83 carries, 340 yards, 2 TDs; RB Aaron Ball 59-319, 2 TDs; WR Brandyn Harvey, 28 catches, 395 yards, 3 TDs. JMU - QB Justin Thorpe 20-34, 276 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs, 57 carries, 267 yards, 2 TDs; WR Rockeed McCarter, 17-287, 3 TDs; DE Arthur Moats, 41 tackles, 5 sacks.

No team with fewer than eight wins made the 16-team Football Championship Subdivision playoffs last year. That may leave James Madison in a precarious situation this year. The 16th-ranked Dukes are 0-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association, 2-3 overall. They have six games left, starting with No. 6 Villanova (2-1, 5-1) today at 3:30 p.m. in Harrisonburg.

“Stealing” a victory? The University of Richmond “swiped” one yesterday. Spiders defensive tackle Martin Parker swiped at the football held with one hand by James Madison quarterback Justin Thorpe as he was running in traffic at Richmond’s 6. Fumble. UR linebacker Eric McBride recovered with 58 seconds left. The Spiders’ 21-17 Colonial Athletic Association decision before an overflow crowd of 16,098 at Bridgeforth Stadium extended their school-record winning streak to 14, and flipped the last-minute result from the meeting 12 months ago at UR Stadium.

About halfway through this 2009 University of Richmond football journey, Martin Parker came up with a label. “It’s the right-handed year,“ said Parker, a Spiders junior defensive tackle. On Sept. 12, UR led at Delaware 16-15. The Blue Hens lined up for a 23-yard field goal with 39 seconds left. Richmond’s Kevin Grayson, a 6-3 wide receiver, went airborne at the line of scrimmage and blocked the kick with his right hand.

Youth will be served, but more often than not, experience carries the day. With 1:07 left in the game and victory just six yards away for the James Madison Dukes, redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Thorpe took the snap, stepped back, then darted up the middle. He was almost around Richmond nose tackle Martin Parker and things were looking good for the Dukes, except for one thing.

Ben Keating caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and Richmond rallied to beat James Madison 21-17 on Saturday. Richmond, the defending Football Championship Subdivision champion, has won 15 straight since losing to James Madison 38-31 on Oct. 11, 2008.

When captains meet at midfield before today’s University of Richmond game at James Madison, the Spiders should say “Thanks” rather than “Good luck.“ About this time last season, UR was 4-3 after a 38-31 loss to JMU, which won in the final seconds on a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown by Scotty McGee. The Spiders congregated in a silent locker room. Coaches, trainers and all other nonplayer personnel were asked to leave. More silence.