The final play of each half of the 62^nd annual Oyster Bowl ended the same way – with a blocked field goal attempt towards the south end zone.  The similarities between the two halves of football, however, end there.

Monarch's DB Keenan Terry (6 tackles) helped lead a defense that shut down JMU in the second half.

Old Dominion linebacker Craig Wilkins blocked Cameron Starke’s 47-yard field goal attempt as time expired to secure a 23-20 victory Saturday afternoon over James Madison.  Along with the blocked kick, the junior from Washington, DC, registered eleven total tackles and one tackle for loss.

Wilkins and senior defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron (ten total tackles, three TFL’s) led a Monarchs defense that allowed zero second-half points after the Dukes scored on all four of their first half possessions (two touchdowns, two field goals).  Down 20-14 at halftime, Old Dominion would score three field goals in the second half to come away with the victory.

In the Zone’s preview last week, three key areas to the game were identified – JMU’s rushing attack, ODU’s passing attack and special teams play.  All three areas affected the outcome of the game and are discussed below.

James Madison’s Rushing Attack

Coming into this weekend’s contest, JMU was first in the CAA with 243 rushing yards per game and last in passing yards (106/game).  In the first half against ODU the Dukes caught the Monarchs off guard by completing eleven passes for 186 yards; three of Jace Edwards’ completions gained at least 30 yards.  James Madison also moved the ball on the ground effectively, gaining 89 yards in the half.  Edwards finished the game with 236 passing yards.

In addition to ODU’s adjustments on defense, injuries would hamper JMU on offense in the second half.  Dae’Quan Scott (Staunton, VA) injured his wrist on the Dukes’ second possession in the third quarter, and his dynamic speed was severely missed.  Having lost Scott and three starting offensive linemen to injuries, the Dukes managed less than 30 net rushing yards in the second half.  Scott finished with 77 yards and two touchdowns despite missing most of the second half.

James Madison finished with only 103 net rushing yards on 37 attempts.  Part of this was by design in the first half as JMU moved the ball through the air, but injuries and ODU’s improved play on defense hampered the Dukes’ rushing attack in the second half.

Old Dominion’s Passing Attack

Taylor Heinicke (Atlanta, GA) threw two touchdowns to Larry Pinkard on the team’s first three possessions.  The second score came on a 23-yard completion on fourth-and-two, in which Heinicke fumbled the snap, scrambled while chased by three JMU defenders, and heaved a pass to the back of the end zone.  Sandwiched between two defenders, Pinkard (Washington, DC) managed to out-jump them and haul in the pass for the score.

While Heinicke would complete 23 of 35 passes for 236 yards without a turnover, his scrambling did as much to keep drives alive as his arm.  Excluding yards lost on sacks, the freshman scrambled seven times for 92 yards; three of those rushes resulted in first downs.  Heinicke’s running and passing led to nine points in the second half, providing ODU a 23-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Four separate JMU defenders registered a sack in the game, and those four sacks were two more than ODU had allowed in a single game this season.  But despite this constant pressure, ODU’s passing attack generated five scoring drives and did enough to position the team for a win.

Special Teams

The game-ending blocked field goal was not the only special teams play to impact the game.  The play of both punters deserves mention when considering the wet, windy conditions.  Preseason All-CAA Punter David Skahn averaged 42.6 yards on five punts for JMU, while ODU’s Jonathan Plisco kicked four times for an average of 48.5 yards.  Two of Skahn’s punts were downed inside the 20.

After James Madison’s field goal late in the second quarter put them ahead 20-14, Old Dominion drove the ball to the Dukes’ 28.  Senior Taveion Cuffee (Virginia Beach, VA) blocked Jarod Brown’s field goal attempt as the half ended.  This block had a subtle but important impact on the game.  The Dukes kept the CAA’s highest-scoring offense out of the end zone in the second half,  and Cuffee’s block kept the teams within one field goal of each other most of the second half.

But Wilkins provided the play of the day at the end to seal the win for ODU.  Similar to Cuffee’s block, Wilkins got enough of the ball to prevent it from even reaching the end zone.  It was the Monarchs’ sixth blocked kick on the season and the linebacker’s first.  The win marks the biggest in the program’s third year of existence, and will go a long way in extending the rivalry between the schools.

Next week James Madison (5-3, 3-2) looks to rebound on the road against the New Hampshire Wildcats, while Old Dominion (7-2, 4-2) plays its final home game against the Richmond Spiders.