Grimes powers W&M past JMU

WILLIAMSBURG -- 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.

William and Mary got a big day from Grimes (158 yards rushing) and used an efficient second-half offense and a shut-down defense to exorcise one of the demons that had haunted its seniors.

No Tribe senior had been part of a victory over Villanova, JMU or Richmond. William and Mary lost to'Nova 28-17 earlier this season. Top-ranked Richmond looms in the season-finale on Nov. 21.

"It's definitely a sweet one," said Tribe senior quarterback R.J. Archer, who was 15 of 22 for 127 yards and two touchdowns. "It's one of the best rivalries we have here. It's an in-state game, a team we've struggled with the past few years. It's big time to come out and win the game the way we did."

No matter that James Madison (0-4, 2-5) is struggling to put points on the board. Any win over the Dukes is one to savor.

"We didn't want to look at them lightly because of their record. They're a very talented and capable team," said senior defensive end Adrian Tracy, who had eight tackles and 1.5 sacks. "The fact they have JMU on their helmets and their jerseys made it that much better."

Using Grimes, Courtland Marriner (62 yards) and some scrambles and passes by Archer, William and Mary was numbingly efficient during and after its final drive of the first half.

The Tribe started from its 13 with 1:36 left in the half and got into position for Brian Pate to kick a 34-yard field goal that made it 10-3.Its first drive of the second half lasted 14 plays and featured four third-down conversions. The final one was a well-designed 18-yard TD pass on a throwback from Archer to wide-open tight end Alex Gottlieb.William and Mary was 6 of 7 on third-down conversions in the second half.

"This is a good team," Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock said. "Right now, we're playing pretty well. I'd like for us to be a little more efficient sometimes offensively. But defensively, with the front four we have, we can play."

JMU encountered two problems: William and Mary's defense, which ranks 11th nationally (261.8 yards per game), and an offense which has scored just three points in its past two games.

The Dukes moved the ball at times and used Griff Yancey (Hermitage High, 14 carries, 26 yards) in a wildcat formation. But they still managed just 216 yards of offense and only three points.

"You can't imagine [how frustrating it is]," JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. "As good as we've been offensively. . . . Really, we've been good on offense forever. All of a sudden to run into this brick wall, the frustration level is hard to really put into words."

Grimes is a just a sophomore. Still, the significance of the victory for his older teammates was not lost on him.

"We just went out and handled business," he said. "Any win against JMU is big."

James Madison ------------------------- 0 3 0 0-- 3
William & Mary ------------------------- 7 3 7 7--24
First Quarter

WM--Varno 9 pass from Archer (Pate kick), 3:26.
Second Quarter

JMU--FG Wright 44, 13:48.

WM--FG Pate 34, :00.
Third Quarter

WM--Gottlieb 18 pass from Archer (Pate kick), 3:41.
Fourth Quarter

WM--Grimes 9 run (Pate kick), 5:45.

A--12,259.
 JMU

W&M
First downs-------------------------15

22
Return yards-------------------------39

14
Punts-Avg.-------------------------7-40.4

5-45.6
Rushes-yards-------------------------50-150

45-258
Passing yards-------------------------66

127
Comp-Att-Int-------------------------7-17-0

15-22-1
Fumbles-lost-------------------------2-2

1-1
Penalties-yards-------------------------3-30

2-20
Time of possession-------------------------30:07

29:53
RUSHING

JMU (50-150) , Thorpe 15-76, Sullivan 19-67, Yancey 14-26, L.Reynolds 1-3, Team 1-(minus 22). W&M (45-258) , Grimes 20-158, Marriner 15-62, Archer 5-24, M.Jones 3-16, Team 2-(minus 2).
PASSING

JMU (7-17-0--66) , Thorpe 7-17-0-66. W&M (15-22-1--127) , Archer 15-22-1-127.
RECEIVING

JMU , Yancey 2-27, Caussin 2-5, Noble 1-18, Turner 1-9, McCarter 1-7. W&M , Varno 5-46, Grimes 3-12, Gottlieb 2-41, McAulay 2-9, Conyers 1-13, Ribble 1-8, Marriner 1-(minus 2).