Brown Out
HARRISONBURG, Va. — There has been no letting up for Jordan Brown and his teammates on James Madison University's football team.
The Dukes won the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision national title last season. Brown, a Seneca Valley High graduate, is the team's starting strong safety. JMU wrapped up its regular season last Saturday with a dominating 31-3 victory over 11th-ranked Elon to clinch the Colonial Athletic Association title.
The Dukes enter the playoffs as the top-ranked team in the country and have won 23 straight games dating back to last season.
“We knew we'd be getting everyone's best shot this year,” said Brown, a redshirt senior. “The fact that we are undefeated (11-0) shows how hard we have worked.
“The conference championship was on the line last week and that's what fueled us.”
JMU's defense has caused 27 turnovers this year. Brown has intercepted a team-leading six passes. Any defensive backfield is aided by a strong pass rush, something Brown has contributed to with 2½ sacks. As a team, the Dukes have 43 sacks and 27 quarterback hurries.
Opponents are averaging just nine points per game and 2.4 yards per rush and have totaled just four rushing touchdowns against them. In last week's victory, Brown and Co. held Elon to just 3-of-16 on third and fourth downs.
“This year, we are using more blitzes and more coverages,” added Brown, who is in his third year as a starter and second at safety. He was a cornerback in 2015. “We are able to do that because our defense has so much experience. Our front seven couldn't be playing any better right now. It causes the quarterback to make mistakes and that allows the defensive backs to make plays on the ball.”
As the top seed in the playoffs, JMU earned a first-round bye. The Dukes will play next Saturday against the winner of the Lehigh/Stony Brook game. The team needs to win four games to successfully defend its national crown.
“Getting a bye, it's a great time for guys to get healthy,” said Brown, who has made 59 tackles and broken up four pass attempts this year. “Our (head) coach (Mike Houston) won't let us get rusty. We are practicing now, but once we find out who we are playing, that's when things will really pick up.”
“We don't want to come out sloppy. Our seniors know that they can go home at any time now that the playoffs are here. That's motivation.”
Brown has already graduated and is currently enrolled in JMU's Master's program in communication and advocacy.
“I didn't know anything about James Madison a few years ago when I started looking at colleges,” he said, “but between football and academics, it's been more than I expected. (ESPN's) College GameDay has been here twice and more and more fans started coming to our games. Things have evolved before my eyes. It's a special place.”
