Editor’s Note – Mike Barber, the assistant sports editor of the Daily News Record in Harrisonburg, will be offering a weekly look at the James Madison University football program to readers of Virginia Sports Now. Keep up with Mike’s great work daily at the paper’s site – www.dnronline.com – and look for a CAA notebook and the JMU story here weekly.
HARRISONBURG – After the perhaps the most disappointing loss in Mickey Matthews’ 11 years as James Madison football coach, the Dukes finally named a starting quarterback.
And the timing was as surprising as the choice.
Redshirt freshman Justin Thorpe will start Saturday when the Dukes host No. 1 Richmond – undefeated and the reigning Division I-AA national champion – on Saturday at a sold-out Bridgeforth Stadium.
Matthews announced his decision – which he called a “unanimous” choice between himself and offensive coordinator Jeff Durden – on Tuesday, despite saying Monday that neither Thorpe or junior Drew Dudzik had played well in the team’s 24-17 loss to unranked Hofstra, a team that hadn’t beaten JMU since 1999.
Tuesday, Matthews said he anticipated still playing Dudzik some in the game, though Thorpe would get most of the snaps in practice and in the game.
Justin Thorpe
“We’re not declaring a permanent thing,” Matthews said. “We’re still going to play Drew. Justin is going to get most of the snaps and he’s going to start Saturday. But we’re going to get Drew ready, and we anticipate he’s going to play in the game.”
Still, Thorpe – whose blazing speed made him the only real offensive threat for Madison on Saturday in Hempstead, N.Y. – wasn’t letting any of the circumstances dampen his excitement over the promotion.
“Man it feels wonderful,” said Thorpe, who had been locked in a battle with Dudzik since the spring. “Richmond is a huge game and for them to give me this opportunity, I’m just truly blessed right now.”
Getting the nod now holds special meaning for Thorpe. He’s a Richmond native who starred at Varina High School. He lost a quarterback competition his junior year to current Virginia Tech safety Davon Morgan.
His uncle played linebacker for the Spiders and took Thorpe to games when he was young, Thorpe said.
“It adds so much,” Thorpe said of Saturday’s opponent. “Being from Richmond, I’ve known about the Richmond-JMU rivalry since birth.”
Thorpe and Dudzik had been splitting time – rotating series by series – so far this season. Dudzik started against Maryland, Liberty and Hofstra while Thorpe started the home-opener against VMI.
The move to Thorpe is a bit of a surprise, considering that Matthews had been turning to Dudzik in the second halves of close games against Maryland (a 38-35 overtime loss) and Liberty (a 24-10 win).
Each of those times, Matthews said Dudzik was “managing the game better.”
Saturday, Dudzik suffered a mild concussion on the Dukes’ first offensive possession. The team medical staff cleared him to play and he rotated the entire game, even taking over mid-series on the game’s final drive.
Matthews said this week that Dudzik was healthy and that his concussion wasn’t a factor in the decision.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Thorpe is 13-for-19 for 189 yards this season, with one touchdown and one interception. He’s also rushed 43 times for 225 yards and two touchdowns. He was highly recruited by I-AA programs coming out of Varina, turning down both Richmond and Appalachian State in favor of JMU.
The 6-1, 210-pound Dudzik – a Centreville native – is 25-for-44 for 404 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also rushed 33 times for 155 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown in an overtime loss to Maryland to open the season.
Against Hofstra, Thorpe’s ability to run with the ball was JMU’s only consistent offensive weapon. He rushed 18 times for 96 yards and scored a 37-yard touchdown.
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