"I sure hope this isn't intercepted by Griff Yancey ... oops"
Don’t be fooled: it was much closer than the final score of 24-10 would indicate. In fact, No. 7 James Madison was tied with No. 25 when the fourth quarter started.
Neither team was able to put together any semblance of a passing game in the near-Biblical rain, and JMU’s starting running back, Jamal Sullivan, was forced out in the third quarter with bruised knee — but would the Flames actually be able to pull off the upset?
Short answer: no.
Longer answer: No, because Corwin Acker cares not about the rain (near the end of the game, “…a lake had formed along the Liberty sideline. Standing water was several inches deep and covered nearly the length of the sideline.”), nor your “Beat JMU” t-shirts, or the idea that God himself may or may have been pulling for Liberty (see: Biblical rain. Also see: Falwell, Jerry). Acker gladly stepped-in for Sullivan, TORCHING the FLAMES to the tune of 147 yards and two scores on just 12 carries (MATH!: that’s an average of 12.2 yards a carry). In addition to running on water, Acker performed other miracles once thought impossible, like shredding the Liberty defense for a 65-yard touchdown.
The moment Corwin Acker tiptoed down the visiting sideline Saturday night at rain-soaked Williams Stadium, Liberty coach Danny Rocco knew there was a breakdown. A missed assignment. Something. Because with the defense Liberty had called, there was no way a tailback should be able to get to the outside and break free 65 yards down the sideline.
But that was exactly what Acker did, and the James Madison tailback’s first career touchdown gave the Dukes the lead for good as seventh-ranked JMU held off the 25th-ranked Flames, 24-10.
“A safety shows up in the alley and doesn’t make a tackle,” Rocco said. “Really, to be quite frank with you, it’s a defense that should not allow that play to go the way that it did.”
The game remained 17-10 until late in the 4th, when Liberty QB Tommy Beecher, trying in vain to keep his team’s chances alive, forced a throw that was intercepted by Griff Yancey. On the very next play, Acker ended any hopes of a comeback with his second score of the game.
While the scoreboard indicated a that it was a relatively close, the rushing numbers, um, did not. JMU racked up 301 yards on the ground, compared to Liberty’s 96. In sloppy conditions, it was clear the team able to run the ball better would win. Saturday night, that team was JMU.
Further Reading:
JMU 24, Liberty 10 … “I don’t think there was any question the punt was probably the big play in the game,” Matthews said. “It flipped the field.” … “Just butterflies,” Acker said. “I’m not going to lie, I was running scared. They say being thrown into the fire is the best thing for you. I guess that’s what happened.”
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