James Madison stuns No. 13 Virginia Tech 21-16

BLACKSBURG

As Virginia Tech linebacker Jeron Gouveia-Winslow sat at the podium, trying to explain another missed tackle, someone opened a door in the back of the interview room. From the bowels of Lane Stadium, a sudden clatter briefly halted media proceedings.

James Madison's band blew its horns, banged its drums and danced down the host's hallways Saturday afternoon. The visitors' celebratory shrieks surely stung a Tech team trying to wrap its head around a 21-16 loss to the Dukes, arguably the most unexpected defeat in coach Frank Beamer's career.

Five days after falling in the final moments to third-ranked Boise State, a game the 13th-ranked Hokies had hoped would launch a national title run, their plan for JMU was to "rip these guys' heads off," cornerback Rashad Carmichael said.

Instead, the Dukes (2-0) ripped to shreds the notion that Tech is a contender for any championship. The Hokies (0-2) lost to a Football Championship Subdivision team for the first time since a 1985 home defeat to Richmond. They never had lost to an FCS foe under Beamer.

JMU was winless against Tech in six previous tries and had lost 10 straight games to Football Bowl Subdivision teams. It was supposed to be a get-well game for the Hokies. Instead, it made them sick.

"The Boise game really was a shock, and this game is just embarrassing, really," offensive lineman Jaymes Brooks said. "We were ready to come out here and play again to get Boise off our mind, to get it off everybody's mind. "

But Tech merely reinforced concerns over its offensive line and young defense.

While the Hokies rushed for 238 yards, it was a deceptive number. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, under pressure all day, scrambled for 86 of those. In the first quarter, marching toward a potential 14-0 lead, Taylor spun from a sack, but fumbled.

Tailback Ryan Williams gained 91 yards on 21 carries, but 20 of those came on one rush, after which Taylor threw an interception. Williams had 10 runs that gained two yards or fewer. That after managing just 40 yards on 20 carries in the opener.

The Hokies drove inside JMU's 25-yard line three times in the first three quarters and settled for field goals when the running game stalled - and once when Brooks was driven flat on his back by a defender, forcing Taylor to throw an incompletion.

"The bottom line is: You need to get it done," Beamer said. "We need to block better, and we need to tackle better."

The latter proved costly for the second straight game. The Dukes amassed only 235 total yards against Tech, but most of them came in quick strikes, at critical moments.

Facing third-and-17 late in the first half, JMU quarterback Drew Dudzik dumped off a short pass to tailback Jamal Sullivan. Gouveia-Winslow, making his second career start, dived at Sullivan's legs and missed. Linebacker Bruce Taylor, also a new starter, tried to shove Sullivan out of bounds. But missed.

Three other Tech teammates launched toward Sullivan along the sideline but none was successful. He raced 77 yards for a touchdown that kept the Dukes close.

They struck in the third quarter with a 14-play, 66-yard touchdown drive kept alive by a defensive holding penalty on Taylor. And again with 13:45 to play, when Dudzik executed a perfect read-option, freezing Tech's defense and sprinting untouched into the end zone. He'd scored the previous touchdown the same way.

Despite all the errors, the Hokies had a chance to avert disaster in the final moments. And it seemed they would.

Tech got a 22-yard scramble from Tyrod Taylor, followed by a remarkable run by Williams. Slung backward for an apparent loss after catching a short pass, Williams kept his feet, reversed field and gained 16 yards.

"I knew after that play we were going to close the game," he said. "No doubt in my mind."

But he needed a breather, so Darren Evans took the next carry nine yards down the JMU 12 with fewer than six minutes left. On Evans' next carry, linebacker Stephon Robertson popped the ball loose and the Dukes recovered.

They methodically ran out the clock to secure the upset, which Tech couldn't do against the Broncos five days earlier.

"People always say, 'Go back to the drawing board,' " said Taylor, the quarterback. "But we seriously have to do that."