FCS notes

JMU searching for answers

After averaging 34.3 points in its first three games, James Madison has scored just 34 in its past three.

The Dukes were shut out 27-0 by fourth-ranked Villanova on Saturday and crossed midfield just twice, leaving coach Mickey Matthews searching for answers.

There's not many changes he can make at this point in the season, he said yesterday.

"You can't put these guys on the waiver wire and go find some guys," he said. "No one's not trying. I think that was the Villanova on Saturday against us that everyone thought they were going to see in the first half of the season."

JMU has been unable to run the ball (averaging 126 yards in the past three games), its receiving corps has been riddled with injuries, and co-quarterback Drew Dudzik was lost with a broken foot. All of that has put more on the plate of redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Thorpe (Varina High).

The Dukes (0-3 in the CAA, 2-4) play fifth-ranked William and Mary this week. JMU fell out of The Sports Network Top 25 poll for the first time since 2005.

"You're open for a lot of criticism when you play as poorly as we did on offense Saturday," Matthews said.

Tribe looking to break streak vs. JMU

Matthews said no one would be holding "a pity party" for the Dukes, and that certainly won't be the case at William and Mary this weekend.

JMU has won four consecutive games in the series and 8 of 10 since Matthews took over in 1999. The Tribe's victories came in 2004 and 2001.

William and Mary (2-1, 5-1) was off last week. While the coaches watched some tape of JMU, coach Jimmye Laycock said the Tribe mostly spent the week healing some injuries, getting repetitions for backups and stressing fundamentals.

"I thought we took advantage of it," he said. "We tried to shore up ourselves more than anything."

VMI can't get breakthrough win

Virginia Military Institute is 1-5. The Keydets could be 3-3 with better play at the end of games.

VMI lost to Stony Brook 27-20 Saturday after scoring to take a 20-19 lead with 2:56 to play. Stony Brook returned the kickoff to the Keydets' 49, then scored with 52 seconds left.

"I think when we look at this one, we're going to be really disappointed," said VMI coach Sparky Woods, whose team had four turnovers.

The Keydets lost to Gardner-Webb 27-23 on Oct. 3. They had the ball at the Bulldogs' 9-yard line in the final seconds but couldn't score on three incomplete passes.

VMI, 0-3 in the Big South Conference, travels to Presbyterian this week. -- Tim Pearrell