The rise of JMU football
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 2:02 pm
Midnight in Chattanooga: The game, the team and the dream behind the rise of JMU football

http://www.authorhouse.com/Bookstore/It ... okid=69914" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
written by a JMU '06 grad. conducted a ton of interviews with various people and not only captured the moments we all know about, but he uncovered some really great stories that I would bet the majority of fans never knew about.
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http://www.authorhouse.com/Bookstore/It ... okid=69914" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
written by a JMU '06 grad. conducted a ton of interviews with various people and not only captured the moments we all know about, but he uncovered some really great stories that I would bet the majority of fans never knew about.
Free Preview
Mickey Matthews was still fuming as the Dukes broke the huddle on second down. Rascati faked an end-around to Antoinne Bolton and settled into the pocket. Downfield, Boxley and Bolton ran pass patterns into the end zone. The JMU line held strong but Rascati had no open receivers. He motioned to Boxley, slid to his right and stepped up to throw. Three yards in front of him, Montana defensive tackle Kerry Mullen broke into the backfield and charged at the Madison quarterback.
The sheer mechanics of throwing a football leaves a quarterback completely open to a big hit. Rascati, with his deliberate, over-the-top motion, was exposed as he pumped to throw. No one was open and he heaved the ball through the back of the end zone. A split-second later, Mullen jumped into the air, swung his right arm around and caught Rascati with a punch to the facemask.
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Instead of third-and-goal from the 13, the Dukes now were awarded a first down at the Montana six. In the JMU huddle, Rascati’s emotions had taken over. His normally reserved demeanor had snapped into overdrive after the previous play. Rascati barely realized what had happened; to him it simply was a late hit to the facemask. He wouldn’t fully understand until long after the game. Yet he was visibly pumped up, as though he wanted to make the Grizzlies pay for Mullen’s costly mistake. “I remember leaving the huddle and thinking I wasn’t going to be stopped,” he later said.
The Dukes walked to the line and Rascati pointed toward the Montana defense. “You guys just lost the national championship,” he is believed to have yelled. And then Rascati boldly cut through the middle and raced into the end zone for his second touchdown run of the night.