ODU's second half was played to perfection

NORFOLK

Likely second-half scenarios Saturday at Foreman Field would have sooner included Old Dominion's Bobby Wilder coaching in costume jewelry than his Monarchs shutting out James Madison over the final 30 minutes.

But darn if it didn't happen. That shutout thing, I mean. Relax.

And darn if ODU, fourth-and-29 against Towson still haunting its dreams, didn't dance off into an otherwise miserable afternoon with a 23-20 victory that all but affirms the Monarchs (7-2, 4-2 CAA) as a national player at tournament time in a couple weeks.

"We owed that to ourselves, the offense and the fans for what happened last home game we had," ODU linebacker Craig Wilkins said. "As a defense we couldn't have another game be on us and let down everybody."

Easy to say. To do? Well, ODU earlier kept Georgia State and, last week, Villanova off the second-half scoreboard while padding routs. This time, though, it meant securing the most important victory - for reasons centered on in-state recruiting and national respect - in the school's football revival.

Remember, the Dukes led 20-14 at half, with an unlikely 186 yards in the air, 80 on the ground with two rushing touchdowns, 10 minutes more of ball control than ODU and points earned from all four first-half possessions.

JMU coach Screamin' Mickey Matthews could have greedily wished for more, I suppose. But what his team had going on already seemed pretty good, unless, that is, you happened to notice the number of Dukes offensive linemen being helped off the field.

"This is on us, the rest of the game is on us," is how tackle Ronnie Cameron, ODU's defensive leader, said he addressed his teammates at the break. "We had to come of age and pitch a shutout in the second half."

It got done, with authority, because ODU feasted upon a JMU line jerry-rigged with backups. Two starters were lost for the duration in the first half and another left early in the third quarter, as did the Dukes' two-TD back Dae'Quan Scott.

It got ugly fast as ODU - which enjoyed karmic payback when Taylor Heinicke's fourth-down prayer was reeled in by Larry Pinkard for a second-quarter TD - nibbled back and then ahead on three field goals by Jarod Brown, none longer than 40 yards.

That is to say, until the Dukes moved 42 desperate yards in the final minute, and before ODU's Craig Wilkins got a mitt on a last-second 47-yard field goal attempt, JMU dented the Monarchs for all of 34 yards after halftime.

"We couldn't block them," Matthews lamented in the end. "Our second-team guys weren't as good as their first-team guys."

That's pretty much how Cameron saw it.

"We were aware of guys going down," he said. "The thing about it, if someone shows you an opportunity, you smell blood in the water, you have to go after it, and that's what we did.

"Even with the young guys in there, they still have a pretty good offensive line. But as a competitor you've got to jump on top of an opportunity as soon as you can get it."

Fitting Cameron should say that, considering he made the signature stop of what Wilder called ODU's signature win, a hit that will get cheers in ODU's film room this week.

With about seven minutes left, JMU ran up the gut on third and 3 from ODU's 31. Two-down territory, or it was until Cameron, a fifth-year senior transfer from Hofstra, pounced the instant Jordan Anderson took the handoff, separated Anderson from his helmet for a 3-yard loss and forced an unmakeable 51-yard field goal.

"An NFL-caliber play," Wilder called the hit, the one heard 'round ODU's Saturday dominance and its crazy climb to football prominence.

Tom Robinson, (757) 446-2518, tom.robinson@pilotonline.com