The view from Todd's seats.
JMU opened up the 2010 football season with a 48-7 blowout of Morehead State yesterday. Clear blue skies and temps in the 70′s, makes for a outstanding day in the ‘burg. Throw a big Dukes’ victory on top of it and you’ve got a near perfect Saturday. I made the trip down with my 2 year old future Duke, and met Todd, commenter Uncle Ron and his wife. We also caught up with some other friends on campus. We had no real plan and while the pregame tailgating was fun, it was clear we were still shaking the rust off and not in mid-season form. The same could probably be said for the Dukes.
The game was never close, as JMU took advantage of several Morehead State turnovers and never looked back. Kerby Long had an awesome day, highlighted by a terrific catch and run to put the Dukes in scoring position on the opening drive. Long racked up 2 TDs and 175 yards in his first game since the tragic loss of his father last February. Dudzik made some good decisions, had a spectacular TD pass to Long, but had some iffy throws and a pick. The Dukes offense coughed it up 3 times. Not good. Mickey definitely had them throwing more though, and it’s pretty obvious that this team has a number of weapons with big play ability.
Defensively, the Dukes look dominant. It’s tough to read too much into the performance given the quality of the competition, but I loved the intensity and the fact that guys were just swarming to the ball. I know it was just Morehead State, but I’m optimistic that the D is gonna be really tough this year.
However, the victory might be overshadowed by the injury Justin Thorpe suffered near the end of the first half. Last year’s, CAA Offensive Rookie of the year lost the QB battle to Drew Dudzik in the offseason and appeared to be slated to learn from the sidelines this year. Coach Matthews apparently decided Thorpe was too talented to leave on the sideline and he brought in to play QB and WR sporadically in the first half. Thorpe is unquestionable a threat with the ball in his hands, but it’s a high risk, high reward strategy to say the least. Personally, unless you’re willing to pull the redshirt off one of the freshman QB if necessary, I question the value of the strategy. The Dukes now face VA Tech with Dudzik and no real back-up. That’s not good, considering the 2 primary goals of Saturday’s game seem to be to cash the $450,000 check and leave Blacksburg with no injuries. Now the Dukes are looking at having Drew play the entire game, or bringing in another offensive player such as Kevan Seaton or Quintin Hunter to take mop-up duty.
At long last, it’s time to cut the ribbon, sort of, on 1/2 Bridgeforth. The Dukes take on the Morehead St. Eagles at 6 p.m. Valley time on Saturday night to kickoff the 2010 season.
Morehead St. Basics: Located in Morehead, Kentucky, near the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest, this public school of around 9000 students, the Eagles are careful to stress that Morehead is the premeire university in “East 
Kentucky”, so as not to be confused with their “more famous” neighbor, “Eastern Kentucky”. MSU plays in the Ohio Valley Conference for most sports, but participates in the Pioneer League for football. Thankfully for the purposes of JMU’s home opener, the Pioneer is the nation’s only non-scholarship, football only conference in the Football Championship Subdivision. Only part of the preceding mouthful that’s relevant here is “non-scholarship.” Dukes better win this one handily if 2010 is to go the way we all hope!
Questions: Health of the O-Line? Will Thorpe play? Any chance the Dukes will be able to tackle Ryan Williams next week?
BOTW and other tailgate items: Beer of the Week is going to be a recurring item in the gameday columns this year. Rob’s suggestions for this “summertime” game are Bell’s Oberon and Abita Satsuma Wit if you can still scrounge behind the ridiculously early pumpkin, punkin, and Festbiers already crowding your local market out of the lighter suds we all enjoy in the heat. Given that Jim Cantore is currently camped in front of my in-laws beach house (never a good sign), I also think you can’t go wrong with a 40 of Hurricane. Topical and old-school JMU style! Drink down to the label and see if you won anything!
JMUSB Attendance: Todd’s a sure thing this week and will be joined by frequent commenter, occassional contributor Uncle Ron (aka Dric). We’re happy to report we appear headed for a prime P-Lot spot (Showker) courtesy of friend of the blog Field Hockey’s Coach Lucas. Rob’s a gametime decision based on the status of the 2-year old, but in either case, we’ll be sporting JMUSB’s very own Old Guys Leave t-shirts so stop by and say hi.
Around the CAA: Villanova plays Temple at the Linc on Friday at 5 – Winnable FBS game was a sign of things to come last year for the ‘Cats. Can they repeat?
Final Score (Thur): Albany 3, Maine 0 – NOT a good sign for the BlackBears and a bad loss for the Conference to the frequently bubblicious Great Danes.
Final Score (Thur): Buffalo 31, RhodeI 0 – NOT a good sign for the Rams but an FBS loss is never that bad.
Final Score (Thur): Delaware 31, West Chester 0 - exactly what the Dukes need to do.
Final Score (Thur): Indiana 48, Towson 17 – respectable points from the Tigers against the Big Ten Hoosiers
Saturday: Cent. Conn. St. vs. UNH (nothing to see here); Richmond at UVa (can the Ticks follow the Tribe by knocking off their former coach?)
Game of the Week: William & Mary at UMass – Tribe should roll but no time for working out any kinks as they are on the road in-conference.
Score Prediction (Todd): Dukes 37, Eagles 10
Other gameday JMU Sports Events: Field Hockey in action against #13 Louisville at noon and Men’s Soccer hosts Rider at 1:30. Go Dukes!
Apparently this Twitter thing is gonna take off, and Facebook too. So, in the interest of keeping up with the rest of the civilized world, Todd and I have jumped on the bandwagon and set up a JMUSB twitter account and Facebook page. I guess you can call us trend setters. So before you read another word, please go “like” our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Immediately.
OK, now that we’ve got that of the way, we understand that many of you have questions. That’s fair. Here are our answers to some of the most common questions you might have.
Why do I need to follow you on Twitter and Facebook if I read the blog everyday?
First of all, of course you read the blog every day. Who doesn’t? That’s great, but sometimes Todd and I have opinions, thoughts to share, pics, etc on things that don’t merit full posts. We’re going to post lots of those things to Twitter and Facebook and we’re also going to send out links to posts to keep you up to date on all things JMUSB related.
What if I don’t have a Twitter or Facebook account?
This one is easy. Just pull yourself out from that rock you’re living under and go sign up for each.
If I follow JMUSB on Twitter, will you follow me?
If it is important to you, then yes. However, it is kind of pathetic that you need to broker deals like that. It’s about one step short of begging. Sad. I’m just sayin’.
So what’s in it for me?
Aside from having more JMUSB in your life? Well, you’ll be provided with another opportunity to interact with us and your fellow JMUSB readers. Can’t find the football game on tv where you live? Check our Twitter feed to get in game updates. Have some photoshopped pics of Aaron Corp you want to show JMU fans? Post them to our Facebook page. Need tickets for the UMass game? Reach out to the other Facebook fans and snag some.
Why does the JMUSB Facebook page indicate that it is for a product?
Because we’re morons. There I said it. Although, I will say that it would be very helpful if “website” was one of the default choices provided to you when you’re setting up a page. We’re not all in bands Mr. Zuckerburg.
What’s the big deal and why do you guys care how many fans and followers JMUSB has?
Plain and simple, we are very vain. Facebook and Twitter are not like the blog where we know our pageviews, but you don’t (Ed note – we got 987 million site visits yesterday), the numbers are literally right there for everyone to see.
Seriously, what’s in it for me?
It’s going to be fun. It’s new to us also, but we’re really excited to see how things play out. Plus, we’ll probably have special JMUSB contests for our followers and fans and since our buddy Jari isn’t on Facebook or Twitter, someone else can finally win.
Well boys and girls, we’re legitimately close enough that we can talk in terms of hours until the JMU Dukes officially start the season. That means JMUSB owes you a preview. We’re also trying something a little different. I’m writing half of it and then handing it off to Todd for him to carry home as he sees fit. Enjoy it everyone!
It’s Not Rebuilding, It’s Transitioning
Get up Ronnell Brown! JMU needs lots of plays that lead to this!
The Dukes had a team for the ages in 2008, but they decided to cough up the ball at the most inopportune time and crashed out in the semi-finals. The one high point from that season ending loss was the play of back-up QB Drew Dudzik, who came on in relief of an injured Rodney Landers. Everyone thought he’d be “the guy” in 2009, but that’s not how it played out. It was more like a QB controversy, settled by Drew’s injury, which lead to despair, before the Dukes closed the season strong to finish 6-5. (Ed. Note – We still have no idea what the controversy was. We love Mickey, but seriously? You really thought Justin was better? Seriously?) Lost in all that, was the fact that Justin Thorpe actually played well for a first year QB and won CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year. Still though, 2009 felt more like a pause, than an actual season. So, here we are. The 2010 team is not rebuilding per se, but we still don’t know what to expect. Lots of new faces being led by the QB most fans thought should have been the clear #1 last season. Plus the team is playing it’s home games in the nicest half-stadium I’ve ever seen, since construction is half-way done on the new Bridgeforth. So yeah, it’s a team in transition.
What We’re Most Excited About
Where do we begin? Is it the giant leap forward JMU is taking with facilities and the new half-stadium? Is it Dudzik being given the reigns? Is it the chance to see a seriously dangerous WR core? Having a team store in-stadium for halftime karma changes and terrible impulse buys? Is it simply the chance to get back to the ‘burg and tailgate? I’m not sure. There is a lot to be excited about with the JMU program. The banged up offensive-line is not one of those things.
What We’re Most Concerned About
O-Line Health - The boys up front simply got to protect Drew if MM stands any chance of actually delivering on his annual promise to throw more.
Thorpe’s psyche – Dukes are gonna need him at some point. Should get a chance to see how he’s handling things in each of the first two games.
Pressure on the QB – On defense, the Dukes have a ton of talent returning in the back seven but they’re going to need big things from Ronnell Brown and DJ Bryant up front. Both of them have shown flashes, but in FCS pressure is everything and it will be tough to replace the Moats/Daniels combo.
Fan Apathy: Last year was really the first year that developed a negative vibe for a while since ’04, economy’s in the crapper, and everyone knows next year is the big Bridgeforth year. A respectable performance at VT followed by big home wins over Liberty and Delaware early would go a long way towards avoiding the mid-season duldrums from ’09.
JMUSB Question of the Year: Can the Dukes stay alive in the playoff race long enough to force Rob and I to further discuss our plan to make the roadie to Maine the week before Thanksgiving?
Official JMUSB 2010 Prediction: Keeping in mind that we have far less ability to even reasonably guess this one than any of our previous CAA prognostications, we’re going with an optimistic 8-3. Optimistic because we came down somewhere around 7 or 8 wins and of course we’re taking the better of those options. After the first two weeks, every game “could” go either way, but we’re thinking Dudzik and Brown take over the program leadership roles and keep this team in the hunt all year. Plus we both think Delaware and UNH are overrated. Fourth in the CAA gets in with 20 teams in the playoffs, fifth will be reallllly tough, so that will be the question all year.
Five days to go!! One more time, five days to go! Hard to believe, but on tonight’s grocery run, I realized I could realistically peruse the beer section with tailgating in the ‘Burg in mind. Speaking of which, we’re working a 2010 Tailgating special, the JMU extravaganza preview, and then we’ll have our first actual pregame post for Morehead St. to finish the week so check back often.
What to do w/out Armanti?!
But one thing we wanted to do was take a quick look at arguably the two biggest powerhouses in FCS (certainly over the last decade), Appalachian St. and Montana. I also tend to think these two programs bear quite a resemblance to our own beloved Dukes despite the fact that sort of makes me puke in my mouth a little.
Alas, since we don’t actually play either of them in the regular season, and because other’s have done the work already, in the end I’m just providing links to some great previews of both teams.
App. St. Preview from Bleacher Report here. Montana preview from The Missoulian.
As to our feelings on the two programs, they could not be more disparate. In spite of the remaining sting of the ’08 semi loss at Bridgeforth (where Rodney was injured and Drew proved why we have so much to be excited about this year) and the highway robbery in the ’06 Mascot Challenge, I definitely respect, if not admire, the Grizzlies program. They’ve built great tradition in Missoula, consistently pack one of the largest and most intimidiating home fields in the nation, and have great fans. Nearly all of my experiences at the ’04 title game and the ’08 semi were pleasant, good-natured, and felt like a meeting of my tribe. A tribe that understands the great things about 1-AA, loves their team, has high hopes for their program’s futures, but generally remains cognizant of the fact this ain’t Eagles/Giants.
On the other hand, (cr)App. St. brings nothing but bile to the back of my throat and that’s all I have to say about that. The fact the Mountaineers are in reality one of the closest things to a mirror image of the Dukes (sizable state school with big dreams and a bit of an inferiority complex) and certainly more comparable than some of our in-state snotty rivals only irritates me more.
JMUSB 2010 Montana prediction: 9-2, Still a #1 seed. As usual, UM’s schedule is mostly western creampuffs and contains no FBS opponent (who in the west would want to play them?). Therefore, even the loss of Head Coach Bobby Hauck and all-everything Mariani shouldn’t kill them too much, but we’re guessing the have a snag along the way and finally drop a rivalry game with the Montana St. Bobcasts to limp into the postseason. That said, the committee hearts them big-time and Montana’s committed fanbase would make a good showing in the first FCS Title Game in Frisco, Texas, so we’re guessing that slide into top seed anyway.
JMUSB 2010 Appalachian St. prediction: 9-2, seeded in playoffs. It really is difficult to see the Mountaineers losing ANY of their first NINE games. The SoCon is a joke right now for them and they’ll be riding high throughout the season, probably cruising for a #1 ranking at some point as the CAA big boys beat each other up, but they will not have been tested at all before they play Wofford to wrap up their conference schedule. The Terriers are always tough and we’re guessing a combination of arrogance and looking ahead to their finale trips them up. As to that finale, can’t say they don’t play anyone because they go The Swamp Nov. 20th to play the Gators, yes, the real Florida Gators. Like we said, 9-2.
Season Tix arrived so it’s really that time! 8 days and counting till Opening Day at 1/2 Bridgeforth!
Amazingly, as you’ll notice in the upper right hand corner, we’re up and running on both Facebook and Twitter. Become a fan or follow us with our irregular tweets. Should be pretty sweet that we’ll be able to upload on-site if you’re interested.
And now we’re even getting linked by opposing teams’ blogs for the upcoming season: http://www.gobblercountry.com/2010/8/26/1652510/around-the-acc-is-this-north (thanks guys even if Rob is now Ron)
Scotty McGee makes the paper in Florida, sort of:
Too bad this was the scramble for his fumble
Caussin’s going with a Cooleyesque #47 right now but it has to be cool when you’re listed in a fantasy draft: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/24473/news;_ylt=ApLJPq0C8O1IQd_FDAQb37j.uLYF
Arthur Moats still getting ink in upstate NY: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100824/SPORTS03/8240310?utm_source=web&utm_medium=twitter
Akeem Jordan makes the grade from harsh Iggles Inquirer Blog: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/moving_the_chains/Man_Up_Allen_Sims_and_Graham.html
Very cool post about Dorian Brooks on SteelersDepot: http://www.steelersdepot.com/2010/08/who-the-hell-is-dorian-brooks-and-why-you-should-care/
We’re going to be posting fast and furious for the next week leading up to our first game preview of Morehead St. so follow on all week. Goals include ASU, Montana, and ODU previews in addition to a tailgating beer-of-the-season challenge.
My 2010 JMU Football Season Tickets came in the mail this week. For those of you who are not season ticket holders yourself (yet), I’ve got to tell you, JMU does a pretty good job packaging them. You can’t tell in the picture, but the book they come includes pictures, gameday info, sponsor info, etc. Mine even came with the unexpected surprise of passes for the hospitality tents at home games, because I’m kind of a big deal. And then to follow that up, I got a special email the very next day from JMU informing me that the printer made a mistake and those very same hospitality passes would be voided.
This is only my second year as a season ticket holder, but already I’m hooked. I even have settled into a little routine or ritual for the day they arrive. I open the Fed Ex envelope, remove the ticket book, place it on a table, and then immediately start exchanging geeky text messages with Todd, before opening it and scanning each page. If you’ve ever seen the movie Fever Pitch, it’s a lot like that scene where Jimmy Fallon and his friends slowly study his Red Sox season tickets. Except in my case, I’m not defiling a classic Nick Hornby book with my actions.
Talk about a good omen. Women’s Soccer got the 2010-2011 team sports year in the Valley off on the right foot with a 2-1 victory over Richmond this Saturday! Full story from JMU Sports here. Highlights included first-half goals from Seniors Teresa Rynier and Corinna Strickland, plus four saves from redshirt Senior Wszalek. Here’s hoping all the Dukes’ programs can follow the ladies lead and stomp the Ticks all year.
Year of the Tick-beatdown commences!
On the men’s side, the Dukes were picked 6th in the CAA, but apparently we have the Xavi Hernandez of the league. JMU Senior Midfielder CJ Sapong, a three-time 1st team All-CAA selection, has been chosen as the preseason player of the year in the conference. He’s also on the watchlist for the Hermann Award, soccer’s version of the Heisman. Full story from JMU Sports here.
Last but certainly not least here at JMUSB, Field Hockey opens their season with homes dates this Friday and Sunday against Rutgers and Kent St. Apparently the other coach’s picked the women to finish third, but we’re betting Coach Lucas will have them primed for a run to College Park this fall! If you’re heading down for the opener at new Bridgeforth, FH also plays a home game that day at noon if you want to do a JMU Sports double.
Good luck to all Fall Sports!
I made the trip back to the ‘burg on Saturday for “Meet the Dukes Day”. It was a fun day and I was happy to get my first look at the Bridgeforth improvements and the 2010 Dukes. Here are some quick observations in no particular order.
Bridgeforth Stadium Looks Great
It’s clear that the stadium is simply done with phase one, there are steel girders and construction materials all over the place. However, it’s much improved from last season already and is clearly going to be amazing when the full upgrade is completed. Upon entering the stadium you immediately walk up 2 flights of stairs to the concourse lined with concessions and restrooms. There is even a team store to load up on JMU gear. The seating is better also and the extension of seating to close the gap in the corner of the endzone is great. In short, it’s already much more of a “real” stadium experience than the old Bridgeforth.
The Dukes Have Weapons
I didn’t get to see as much of the scrimmage as I would have liked, because my 2 year old decided pretty soon after we arrived that it was time to go find Duke Dog. I was encouraged by what I saw though. The offense seems to have some playmakers. Scott Noble broke 2 big runs in a span of about 5 plays and lots of plays seemed designed to get guys in position to make big plays. Finally, I don’t want to hype a guy too much after watching him one day, but Dae’Quan Scott looks legit. Some guys get the ball and you can just tell that they’ve got a burst and ability to see holes that other guys don’t. Scott appears to be one of those guys.
Uncle Kracker is Playing the Shenandoah County Fair
Obviously this has nothing to do with the Dukes, but I saw the sign advertising it on my drive down. Not sure if that’s worse for the people of Shenandoah County or for Uncle Kracker. Not good all around though.
Pretty Impressive Fan Support
I blog about the Dukes, so the fact that I wanted to attend the event should be taken in context. I really thought it was a great though and had a blast attending with the wife and kids. Hundreds of other people were there though and all seemed to be thrilled to be there. Consistent sell-outs at Bridgeforth have obviously been great for the Dukes. Drawing crowds to watch the team practice though starts to take things to a whole different level.
Caussin hauls in a TD against Maryland last season.
It’s real nice, especially on the tough days. There’s a familiar face, someone one you have shared so many memories with together. Someone you have shed blood sweat and tears with. That really helps.
Do you talk to your JMU coaches at all right now?
I talk to them whenever I get a free chance especially Josh Haymore (TE coach) Jim Durning (Strength Coach) Urich Edmonds (RB coach). They are very supportive. They are fans now. They want Scotty and I to do well.
How did Mickey Matthews and JMU prepare you for NFL training camp?
The intensity of JMU camp/practice, the mindset of being a Duke. It took a lot to be a Duke. They expect a lot of you. JMU did a great job preparing me by how demanding they made everything.
What has been toughest thing about training camp so far?
The mental aspects. The practices are faster and harder. The new system, new terminology, having to run plays you aren’t familiar with and not comfortable with while being expected to run it perfectly.
Biggest guy you’ve had to block so far?
Favorite memory of JMU?
The App State game. It was unlike I have ever been a part of. The energy before, during, and after the game was unreal.
How excited are you to go back and see the new Bridgeforth?
Excited! I went back to a wedding in Waynesboro a few weeks a go and drove by it. I saw it. It was so nostaglic. I’m so envious of the guys who get to play in it.
Drew or Justin?
Drew! I got in trouble saying it last year but I’ll say it again and have no problem saying it.
Rumor has it Mickey said that JMU is going to pass more this year. Do you believe it?
He says that every year but I can see it with Drew being in his senior year. I think they are going to do whatever it takes to win. I can see them passing more.
How tough was it working with a 2 QB system last season?
It was hard every day. It was frustrating especially with it being my senior season. To have the inconsistency with such an important variable made it very difficult. In the end an injury solved the issue.
Have a prediction for the 2010 Dukes?
I think they are going to be amazing. Having DD back and healthy, just hearing from the players what is going on, and knowing what kind of talent is coming back. We were a young team last year but had a lot of talent. This year they are only going to be better. I expect them to be a contender for the CAA title.