James Madison coach Mickey Matthews said kicker Cameron Starke's range in practice is anywhere between 55 and 60 yards. But kicking in practice and kicking with the game on the line against a Top 25 opponent are entirely different things.
That's why Justin Thorpe's three-yard carry for a first down was such a key play Saturday night at Liberty University's Williams Stadium. It gave the Dukes a first down and one more play to set up Starke right where he needed to be, on the left hash at the Liberty 23 for a game-winning field-goal attempt. After Liberty called one timeout to try to ice him, Starke nailed the 40-yarder as time expired to give the 13th-ranked Dukes a 27-24 victory over the 22nd-ranked Flames.
"As I was lining up, all I was thinking about was that we do this every single day in practice," Starke said. "I knew (long snapper Chris) Beaver was going to do his job, so I had to do my job. I had to just put my head down and follow through."
The kick set off a wild celebration at midfield as the Dukes made it three victories in three years over the Flames. Starke's kick was JMU's first game-winning field goal since 2005, when Paul Wantuck made a game winner against William & Mary.
"Right about there," Liberty coach Danny Rocco said when asked about how far he thought Starke's range was. "That was kind of just about the spot that we thought that was a range where he'd be comfortable. When they picked up that last chunk of yards, that last four or five yards, I thought that was big. Five yards further back, that's a lot tougher kick to make."
JMU (2-1) never trailed, but the Dukes struggled to pull away from Liberty (1-2), which played what quarterback Mike Brown called "the worst first half since I've been here." Still, JMU led just 10-3 after a half filled with personal fouls from both sides. Liberty opened the second half with a 10-play, 42-yard drive capped by Brown's 2-yard touchdown run, and the lead went back and forth from there.
JMU led 24-17 with 12:16 left after Dae'Quan Scott's 2-yard touchdown run, his third of the game. But Liberty answered that drive with another score as Brown hit Chris Summers on a post route for a 43-yard touchdown. Backup kicker Alex Kacere, who took over when Liberty All-American Matt Bevins injured his quad early in the game, nailed the extra point to tie the game at 24.
The Flames got a stop, but they failed to take advantage and grab the lead. A 32-yard Brown-to-Summers pass was called back because of a holding penalty, and an Aaron Harper sack of Brown at the Liberty 16 ended the Flames' drive.
JMU took over at the 25, and Thorpe engineered the 8-play, 52-yard drive to set up Starke's game-winning kick.
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