Thursday, September 6, 2012

Preview: Alcorn State Braves at #5/6 James Madison Dukes

Alcorn State at #5/6 James Madison
Bridgeforth
Stadium (24,877) - Harrisonburg, Virginia
Saturday, September 8, 2012 - 6 p.m.
Video Broadcast: MadiZONE Video (Free)
Audio: JMU/nTelos Radio Network - WSVA 550AM (Harrisonburg)
, WREJ 1540AM (Richmond), Fox Radio 910AM (Roanoke), WGH 1310AM or ESPN 94.1FM (Hampton Roads); MadiZONE Audio
Live Stats / Twitter Hashtag: #jmualcorn






HARRISONBURG, Virginia - After breezing past St. Francis University (Pa.) 55-7 in the season opener and jumping to No. 6 in the FCS coaches’ poll, the Dukes are more concerned with putting men back on the field.

Despite having a solid performance, the defense still faces the same issues they did during the preseason -— keeping players healthy.

Head coach Mickey Matthews is particularly concerned about starting senior safety Jakarie Jackson as well as redshirt sophomore cornerback Jeremiah Wilson. Jackson injured his ankle during Saturday’s game, and Wilson has been struggling with a hamstring injury. Keeping the secondary healthy has been one of the primary concerns since camp started in August.

“It’s not good when you lose two of your top five safeties,” Matthews said. He also said he has no plans for any rearrangement in the secondary despite a potential lack of depth.

One potential solution to the problem is redshirt junior safety Peter Rose, a high-profile recruit while in high school, but a player that has had a tough time staying out of trouble. Rose, who originally signed with Virginia Tech, was charged and convicted in April 2009 with two counts of distribution of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school zone according to wsls.com.

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