James Madison vs. West Virginia: Complete Game Preview

Following a bye week in Week 2, the No. 9-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers will return to the gridiron this Saturday when they take on James Madison at FedEX Field in Landover, Maryland. 

The Mountaineers offensive attack looked extremely powerful and potent in a huge blowout victory over Marshall in Week 1.

Now, it will be fun to see what QB Geno Smith and the rest of the offense can do against an FCS opponent. 

Here's a look at all the important information you need to know for West Virginia's Week 3 matchup. 

Game Day Information

Who: James Madison vs. West Virginia

When: Saturday, 4:30 pm (EDT)

Where: Landover, Maryland

Stadium: FedEx Field (Capacity: 85,000)

TV: Root Sports 

Radio: WVAQ 101.9 FM

Internet Stream: WVUSports.com

West Virginia Depth Chart

Offense

QB: No. 12 Geno Smith (Sr. 6’3’’, 220)
Backup: Paul Millard (Soph. 6’2’’, 220)

RB: No. 20 Shawne Alston (Sr. 5’11’’, 236)
Backup: No. 13 Andrew Buie (5’9’’ 188)

WR (X): No. 3 Stedman Bailey (Jr. 5’10’’, 195)
Backup: No. 19 K.J. Myers (Fr. 6’2’’, 197)

WR (Y): No. 1 Tavon Auston (Sr. 5’9’’, 171)
Backup: No. 88 Cody Clay (Fr. 6’3’’, 256)

WR (Z): No. 81 J.D. Woods (Sr. 6’1’’, 190)
Backup: No. 5 Ivan McCartney (Jr. 6’2’’, 182)

WR (H): No. 10 Jordan Thompson (Fr. 5’7’’, 164)
Backup: No. 15 Dante Campbell (Fr. 6’4’’, 213)

LT: No. 67 Quinton Spain (Soph. 6’5’’, 334)
Backup: No. 79 Nick Kindler (Jr. 6’6’’, 296)

LG: No. 77 Josh Jenkins (Sr. 6’4’’, 303)
Backup: No. 70 Brandon Jackson (Fr. 6’3’’, 328)

OC: No. 74 Joe Madsen (Sr. 6’4’’, 305)
Backup:  No. 60 John Bassler (Sr. 6’4’’, 308)

RG: No. 57 Jeff Braun (Sr. 6’5’’, 316)
Backup: No. 73 Russell Haughton-James (Fr. 6’5’’, 311)

RT: No. 76 Pat Eger (Jr. 6’6’’, 304)
Backup: No. 62 Curtis Feigt (Jr. 6’7’’, 317)



Defense

DT: No. 98 Will Clarke (Jr. 6’7’’, 271)
Backup: No. 91 J.B. Lagerman (Sr. 6’3’’, 273)

NT: No. 90 Shaq Rowell (Jr. 6’4’’, 308)
Backup: No. 95 Christian Brown (Fr. 6’3’’, 300)

DE: No. 99 Jorge Wright (Sr. 6’2’’, 291)
Backup: No. 96 Korey Harris (Fr. 6’4’’, 240)

Buck LB: No. 53 Tyler Anderson (Jr. 6’2’’, 251)
Backup: No. 4 Josh Francis (Sr. 6’0’’, 224)

Star LB: No. 28 Terence Garvin (Sr. 6’3’’, 221)
Backup: No. 37 Wes Tonkery (Soph. 6’2’’, 221)

Sam LB: No. 47 Doug Rigg (Jr. 6’1’’, 241)
Backup: No. 31 Isaiah Bruce (Fr. 6’1’’, 225)

Will LB: No. 33 Jared Barber (Soph. 6’0’’, 232)
Backup: No. 36 Shaq Petteway (Soph. 6’0’’, 227)

CB: No. 6 Pat Miller (Sr. 5’11’’, 187)
Backup: No. 22 Avery Williams (Soph. 5’11’’, 180)

CB: No. 23 Brodrick Jenkins (Jr. 5’10’’, 183)
Backup: No. 24 Cecil Level (Sr. 5’10’’, 186)

FS: No. 8 Karl Joseph (Fr. 5’10’’, 197)
Backup: No. 34 Ishmael Banks (Soph. 6’0’’, 184)

BS: No. 25 Darwin Cook (Jr. 5’11’’, 201)
Backup: No. 9 K.J. Dillon (Fr. 6’1’’, 202)




Special Teams

PK: No. 40 Tyler Bitancurt (Sr. 6’1’’, 205)
Backup: No. 44 Corey Smith (Sr. 6’0’’, 210)

Punter: No. 44 Corey Smith (Sr. 6’0’’, 210)
Backup: No. 48 Michael Molinari (Soph. 6’2’’, 197)

PR: No. 1 Tavon Austin (Sr. 5’9’’, 171)
Backup: No. 23 Brodrick Jenkins (Jr. 5’10’’, 183)

KR: No. 1 Tavon Austin (Sr. 5’9’’, 171)
Backup: No. 3 Stedman Bailey (Jr. 5’10’’, 195)

James Madison Depth Chart

Offense

QB: No. 7 Justin Thorpe (Sr. 6’1’’, 220)
Backup: No. 12 Lafonte Thourogood (Fr. 6’2’’, 230)

RB: No. 11 Dae’Quan Scott (Jr. 5’9’’, 200)
Backup: No. 28 Jordan Anderson (Jr. 5’11’’, 200)

WR: No. 82 Ryan Dixon (Soph. 6’0’’, 190)
Backup: No. 41 Andre Coble (Soph. 5’10’’, 180)

WR: No. 10 Daniel Brown (Soph. 6’4’’, 195)
Backup: No. 86 Renard Robinson (Jr. 5’11’’, 185)

WR: No. 18 Arlandis Harvey (Jr. 6’0’’, 195)
Backup: No. 88 Quintin Hunter (Jr. 6’1’’, 195)

TE: No. 84 Brian Barlow (Sr. 6’3’’, 255)
Backup: No. 85 Dominick Richards (Fr. 6’6’’, 230)

LT: No. 77 Austin Lane (Soph. 6’5’’, 300)
Backup:  No. 78 Wray Fucci (Fr. 6’6’’, 280)

LG: No. 70 Earl Watford (Sr. 6’4’’, 290)
Backup: No. 59 Casey Kroll (Fr. 6’6’’, 275)

OC: No. 53 Matt Williams (Soph. 6’3’’, 280)
Backup: No. 62 Andrew Baumgardner (Fr. 6’3’’, 275_

RG: No. 55 A.J. Scott (Soph. 6’5’’, 280)
Backup: No. 51 Scott Jones (Jr. 6’5’’, 290)

RT: No. 71 Josh Wells (6’5’’, 300
Backup: No. 60 Matt Cunningham (Soph. 6’3’’, 280)




Defense

DT: No. 56 Jordan Stanton (Jr. 6’4’’, 280)
Backup: No. 90 Alex Mosley (Fr. 6’3’’, 280)

DT: No. 98 Sean O’Neill (Sr. 6’4’’, 270)
Backup: No. 67 Bingham Togia (Jr. 6’1’’, 265)

DE: No. 39 Aaron Harper (Sr. 6’1’’, 230)
Backup: No. 50 Brandon Lee (Soph. 6’2’’, 245)

DE: No. 95 Tyler Snow (Jr. 6’3’’, 270)
Backup: No. 3 Sage Harold (Soph. 6’4’’, 220)

Whip LB: No. 25 Chase Williams (Sr. 5’11’’, 230)
Backup: No. 2 Jamie Veney (Sr. 6’2’’, 225)

Middle LB: No. 27 Stephon Robertson (Jr. 5’11’’, 225)
Backup: No. 48 Ascene Jacques (Fr. 6’2’’, 220)

CB: No. 26 Ryan Smith (Sr. 5’9’’, 180)
Backup: No. 21 Jeremiah Wilson (Soph. 5’10’’, 195)

CB: No. 32 Corey Davis (Soph. 5’9’’, 160)
Backup: No. 36 Terrell Mickens (Fr. 5’9’’, 175)

SS: No. 1 Titus Till (Soph. 6’2’’, 215)
Backup: No 42 Isaiah Wright (Sr. 6’1’’, 205)

FS: No. 16 Dean Marlowe (Soph. 6’2’’, 195)
Backup: No. 43 Eric Magruder (Soph. 6’0’’, 180)

WS: No. 15 Jakarie Jackson (Sr. 5’11’’, 190)
Backup: No. 35 Sean Walker (Fr. 5’11’’, 190)




Special Teams

PK:  No. 46 Cameron Starke (Jr. 5’10’’, 155)
Backup: No. 49 Graham Sharples (Soph. 5’10’’, 150)

Punter: No. 41 David Skahn (Sr. 6’2’’, 170)
Backup: No. 46 Cameron Starke (Jr. 5’10’’, 155)

PR: No. 11 Dae’Quan Scott (Jr. 5’9’’, 200)
Backup: No. 26 Ryan Smith (Sr. 5’9’’, 180)

KR: No. 21 Jeremiah Wilson (Soph. 5’10’’, 195)
Backup: No. 28 Jordan Anderson (Jr. 5’11’’, 200)

Recapping the Mountaineers' Last Game

West Virginia started off the 2012 season in the same fashion that it finished off the 2011 season. 

The Mountaineers came one missed extra point away from matching their 70-point total from the Orange Bowl when they beat down Marshall 69-34 in Week 1. 

The score wasn't even as close as it seemed.

Late miscues by the second-team unit allowed the Herd to make things look a lot closer than they actually even were. 

The offense looked unstoppable, as the unit rolled up 665 total yards, including 324 yards through the air. 

Recapping the Dukes' Last Game

James Madison may not have put up 69 points in its last game, but the Dukes certainly looked impressive in a dominant 42-3 victory over Alcorn State last weekend. 

The team finished with 416 total yards of offense on just 53 plays. 

RB Dae'Quan Scott was the star of the game.

The junior back ran for 107 yards, caught five passes for 39 yards and scored three touchdowns.

What This Game Means to Both Teams

Besides a nice profit from gate revenue, this game really doesn't mean much to either program. 

Yes, the two teams get to play in an NFL stadium in front of their Maryland-based alumni, but otherwise, this is just a typical FBS vs. FCS early-season showdown. 

The Mountaineers are expected to win comfortably, but that doesn't mean that James Madison won't be looking to put up a fight. 

This will obviously be the best team that the Dukes will face all season. If they can make the game interesting for more than a half and prove that they can hang around with a big boy school, it should really help the players build up some confidence for the rest of the season. 

West Virginia's Key Player: QB Geno Smith

Geno Smith looked like a true Heisman contender in his first game of the season against Marshall. 

Smith completed 32 of his 36 pass attempts for 323 yards, rushed for 65 yards and accounted for five touchdowns. 

The 6'3'', 220-pound senior seems like he's ready to develop into one of college football's elite quarterbacks in 2012. 

Now that this is his second year in Dana Holgorsen's Air Raid-style offensive attack, Smith should be ready to really unleash his full array of abilities onto opposing defenses this season. 

James Madison's Key Player: RB Dae'Quan Scott

RB Da'Quan Scott is one of the best running backs at the FCS level, and he's clearly the most dangerous offensive playmaker that James Madison has. 

Scott, who ran for 1,304 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2011, is the type of back that can hurt a defense as both a runner as well as a receiver. Plus, he can also add a valuable dynamic element as a returner as well. 

The 5'9'', 205-pound junior may not have intimidating size, but he does possess outstanding power and explosion. 

Last week, Scott was named the CAA Offensive Player of the Week for his outstanding performance against Alcorn State. 

West Virginia Will Win If.......

There are no disastrous breakdowns on defense or special teams, and the offense plays a halfway decent game. 

West Virginia definitely doesn't have to put together its best performance of the season to win this game easily. Still, you'd like to see the offense come out and continue to stay in rhythm, especially after a bye week. 

Plus, it would be nice to see the Mountaineers go out and play a great game for all four quarters. That's something that didn't happen last week, as the they ended up looking sloppy near the end. 

Unless, the team comes out and just plays completely flat and doesn't give any effort, West Virginia should have at least a 20-point lead going into the fourth quarter. 

James Madison Will Win If........

Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey all come down with a bad case of food poisoning before the game and can't play on Saturday. 

In all seriousness, though, James Madison is actually a more formidable opponent than you would expect from your average "small school." 

The Dukes are one of the best teams at the FCS level this year, and they've got some legitimate talent on both sides of the ball. 

Plus, they'll be playing without anything to lose since all the pressure will be squarely on West Virginia's shoulders. 

If the Mountaineers make a few critical mistakes early, and the Dukes can capitalize on them, that pressure will only continue to build and weigh down West Virginia even more as the game wears on. 

Prediction

James Madison are a better team than what you normally see from an FCS opponent. Plus, the Dukes did pull off a shocking 21-16 upset win over Virginia Tech back in 2010. 

Still, on paper, there is simply no comparison between these two teams. 

West Virginia's speed and athleticism on offense will simply be too much for the Dukes defense to handle. 

I wouldn't be shocked if RB Dae'Quan Scott causes some problems for the Mountaineers defense throughout the course of the game. However, ultimately, Geno Smith and his deadly receiver duo of Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey will just be too overwhelming. 

Prediction: West Virginia 52, James Madison 24