A pair of R.E. Lee alums are expected to play key roles on the JMU offense this fall.
“Dae’Quan is the best receiver right now of the young kids,” Dukes coach Mickey Matthews said, talking about true freshman Dae’quann Scott, who is moving to wide receiver at James Madison after starring at quarterback for David Tibbs at Lee.
Matthews said Scott could work into the quarterback mix into the future, but he’s being pressed into duty at wideout this year due to a run of injuries at the position. It helped that Scott gave himself a bit of a leg up this summer by making himself a regular at JMU’s voluntary summer workouts.
“That was a big help. I was in shape. I could play whatever position they wanted me to play,” Scott said.
Former Lee teammate Roane Babington, a redshirt sophomore, is showing flexibility as well. After signing with Madison as a defensive lineman, Babington made the switch to offense as a freshman, then last spring got some time with the starting unit as a center before settling in this summer at right guard.
O line might be the most important position on the JMU team with the sophisticated zone-read offense that Matthews likes to employ. It all starts up front, and it can all end there, too, if any of the five guys on the line make even a minor misstep.
“Coach always says, The bigger things seem, the smaller things get,” Babington said. “With all the fans here, and everybody watching, wondering what is happening, small, one-second things on the field can change a play from a touchdown to a 10-yard loss. So pay attention to the small things.
“So when the crowd is oohing and aahing, I’m just thinking, He’s my guy, he’s my guy, my buddy and I are supposed to get you two, how are we going to do this?” Babington said.
– Story by Chris Graham
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